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Description
Back in Poyo!

Return to Dream Land was a rather big and huge comeback for the pink puffball after a shocking absence from the scene of gaming, in which the series at the time was at a place were other games were already being forgotten, but thankfully the folks at HAL Lab knew it was the right call to keep Kirby going.

Now, some 12 years down the line, HAL has returned to Dream Land to bring us this deluxe edition of the pink puffball’s grand return and, well, it’s still a banger. But now it’s a banger that looks much nicer, plays even better, and features more content than ever before. Yes, when they say 'Deluxe', this time they mean business. Not only have the original game’s visuals had a delightful makeover, ditching all traces of jaggy edges for a super slick and sharp new look, but there’s also been all manner of nips, tucks, and improvements to gameplay alongside the addition of two excellent new modes to sink your teeth into.

Honestly, in returning to this classic style of Kirby action after having been treated to the new-fangled delights of "Kirby and the Forgotten Land", I’ve been impressed with just how good the old-school action here holds up. Sometimes there’s just no beating a tried and tested formula. Of course, this deluxe edition isn’t just serving up the 2011 version in its vanilla state with a few graphical bells and whistles. The game brings a bunch of new modes to the table which give the core game a real boost.
Merry Magoland, which is available as soon as you clear the first stage, is a Magic Kingdom-esque amusement park mode which collects together 11 Kirby minigames for you and up to three other players to get stuck into. Of the games on offer, eight have been selected from past Kirby titles.

The other big new addition in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is Magalor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveller, an entirely new mini-campaign, that you’ll unlock once you’ve beaten the main story for the first time. Here you take control of Magalor as he sets out across a journey to restore his magical powers. I've impressed by this new mode, it’s a good chunk of game time that gives you a bunch of upgradeable new powers to play around with, platinum medals to chase in every stage and, dare we say it, the very best boss battles in the entire game.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a fantastic remake of one of my fondest Kirby adventures. With slick new visuals, some meaningful gameplay tweaks and two excellent new modes to dig into, this is a big, loud and colorful celebration of all things Kirby that should delight new and returning players alike. Magalor's Epilogue is a surprisingly chunky addition to the core action that gives the campaign a nice boost, whilst Merry Magoland ensures that you and your pals are kept busy with plenty of minigames, missions and online challenges to best once you're done with the main story mode.
Final Score would be a nice 9/10.

Sprites by Gregarlink10 / game-boy09 / Jermungandr / Omega

© Nintendo

Description
Back in Poyo!

Return to Dream Land was a rather big and huge comeback for the pink puffball after a shocking absence from the scene of gaming, in which the series at the time was at a place were other games were already being forgotten, but thankfully the folks at HAL Lab knew it was the right call to keep Kirby going.

Now, some 12 years down the line, HAL has returned to Dream Land to bring us this deluxe edition of the pink puffball’s grand return and, well, it’s still a banger. But now it’s a banger that looks much nicer, plays even better, and features more content than ever before. Yes, when they say 'Deluxe', this time they mean business. Not only have the original game’s visuals had a delightful makeover, ditching all traces of jaggy edges for a super slick and sharp new look, but there’s also been all manner of nips, tucks, and improvements to gameplay alongside the addition of two excellent new modes to sink your teeth into.

Honestly, in returning to this classic style of Kirby action after having been treated to the new-fangled delights of "Kirby and the Forgotten Land", I’ve been impressed with just how good the old-school action here holds up. Sometimes there’s just no beating a tried and tested formula. Of course, this deluxe edition isn’t just serving up the 2011 version in its vanilla state with a few graphical bells and whistles. The game brings a bunch of new modes to the table which give the core game a real boost.
Merry Magoland, which is available as soon as you clear the first stage, is a Magic Kingdom-esque amusement park mode which collects together 11 Kirby minigames for you and up to three other players to get stuck into. Of the games on offer, eight have been selected from past Kirby titles.

The other big new addition in Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is Magalor Epilogue: The Interdimensional Traveller, an entirely new mini-campaign, that you’ll unlock once you’ve beaten the main story for the first time. Here you take control of Magalor as he sets out across a journey to restore his magical powers. I've impressed by this new mode, it’s a good chunk of game time that gives you a bunch of upgradeable new powers to play around with, platinum medals to chase in every stage and, dare we say it, the very best boss battles in the entire game.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a fantastic remake of one of my fondest Kirby adventures. With slick new visuals, some meaningful gameplay tweaks and two excellent new modes to dig into, this is a big, loud and colorful celebration of all things Kirby that should delight new and returning players alike. Magalor's Epilogue is a surprisingly chunky addition to the core action that gives the campaign a nice boost, whilst Merry Magoland ensures that you and your pals are kept busy with plenty of minigames, missions and online challenges to best once you're done with the main story mode.
Final Score would be a nice 9/10.

Sprites by Gregarlink10 / game-boy09 / Jermungandr / Omega

© Nintendo