Kirby definitely fits the bill of a “quick-change artist,” not just due to his ability-stealing talents providing variety and fun, but because Nintendo often molds the amorphous puffball into new gameplay scenarios all the time. Amidst the Pinball Lands, Block Balls, Star Stackers, Avalanches, Dream Courses, Tilt n’ Tumbles, Air Rides, Mass Attacks, and even Epic Yarns, though, it’s nice to get a traditional Kirby adventure once in awhile. That's exactly what Kirby's Return to Dream Land is, and it’s pretty long overdue (being the first traditional console Kirby game since 2000’s Kirby 64).

Even more important than that, to me, is the long-awaited return of multiple moves per ability. This novel addition first showed up in the amazing Kirby Super Star for the SNES, a fan-favorite title that—due to its greatly varied and fun gameplay, large, colorful graphics, and majestic soundtrack—elevated the series to the next level. So while we’ve already gotten games like Squeak Squad and Amazing Mirror, none of them have had the same feel as Super Star due to the lack of multi-move abilities. Really, the game plays like a Super Smash Bros. platformer.

KRtDL essentially has the stage design and progression of Kirby’s Adventure, and the movesets of Super Star. Kirby (and Co., if applicable!) travels through a number of themed worlds, each with a handful of stages culminating in a boss tussle. Within the stages, there are baddies to slay, platforms to navigate, and the usual star block and ability-based minor puzzles to seek out each stage’s Energy Spheres (120 in total). These smaller puzzle elements go a long way to add that little extra punch to the otherwise linear levels, and the Energy Sphere collection ends up feeling a lot like the NSMB games’ Star Coins.


The new leaf ability is a highlight!
In all honesty, the stages are actually pretty basic. Beyond the audio/visual upgrade, there’s not much done here that couldn’t be (or hasn’t been) done in past Kirby games. The good news is that they’re still a joy to play through, quite varied in and of themselves (nearly all of them have multiple sections, songs, and environments), and they cram in an appropriately large number of enemies for such an action-driven game.

On that note, the abilities are handled wonderfully. Like Super Star, this game is absolutely about battling as much as it’s about platforming. Every one of the game’s 20 standard abilities has at least four or five moves (with some having over ten!), each with their own unique animation and properties. It’s actually pretty incredible when you realize it essentially boils down to 20+ unique playable characters—just under the guise of Kirby’s various costumes—and it makes the game’s pace every bit as varied as it sounds. Some moves, like Stone, Needle and Tornado, have gotten additional attacks that help speed them up and give them needed variety, while other abilities, like Ninja and Fighter, get even more skills added to an already extensive list. There’re ample abilities and plenty of opportunities to switch them in the game, and it really never gets old because of the variety and freedom of choice.

There are also a few Super Abilities, which result in Kirby wielding an enormous weapon to tear up the stage. These show up sparingly enough to be enjoyable, and there are often minor puzzle elements involved with these superweapons as well; when you destroy a certain part of the environment, you’ll open up a wormhole to a black-and-white “void” stage where a wall of doom chases you to the end. It’s quite frantic and adds a nice bit of variety.

The multiplayer is also a hoot, with up to three other players being able to choose between any of the four characters (you can have multiple Kirbys, but not more than one Dedede, Meta Knight, or Waddle Dee). It’s much less intrusive/combative than NSMBW and Four Swords, with most party interactions being minor. It’s definitely worth trying out if you’ve got gamer friends, and due to the simplicity of the game mixed with the fun of the abilities, I’d say it’s absolutely one of those “bridge titles” that Nintendo likes so much.


So you're often using your stylus to keep track of all your Kirbys, and...oh wait.
Return to Dream Land is a nice-looking game, but rarely a beautiful one. The polygonal characters just seem a little more sterile to me than a lot of the sprite work from games’ past, but it certainly still gets the job done (and the animations—particularly Dedede’s—really add to the charm). The music is similarly pleasant, with a handful of stand out tunes and a number of solid remixes. It’s not among my favorite Kirby soundtracks, but it’s solid and rather extensive in the number of songs. The sound effects deserve special mention—they’re appropriately punchy, crunchy and violent, and really give some oomph to Kirby’s attacks! I do wish there was a way to adjust the volume levels separately since the music is a tad soft for my tastes.

KRtDL, in series' fashion, is an easy game. But in Nintendo fashion, there’re plenty of challenges to tackle mid and post-game that bring in the hurt. Among these are seven Copy Ability Challenge Rooms, which have you running through a 2-minute stage, attempting to kill everything and grab all the pickups before time runs out. Depending on your performance, you'll get one of 4 different medals, and the highest ranking is very difficult to achieve! It’s definitely on the level of DKCR’s Shiny Gold medals, actually (although there are much less of them here than in DKCR). There are also some unlockable minigames, including a particularly cool one post-game, and even an extra mode that adds some longevity. The main game is somewhat on the short side, a bit briefer than games like NSMBW and DKCR, but to fully 100% the title will definitely take some game time (15-20 hours, I’d wager).


Some areas require the use of certain abilities to nab goodies.
So what don’t I like? Frankly, I feel that the game lacks a little ambition. The best Kirby games—Kirby’s Adventure and Kirby Super Star—really pushed the platforming genre to its limit, introducing awesome new concepts and wrapping them up in the best game possible. Ignoring the tech, KRtDL doesn’t really do much that hasn’t or couldn’t be done on the GameCube, or even N64 and SNES. It plays like an extension of Adventure with Super Star’s moves, and while that results in a very strong game, it does feel pretty safe overall. So in that way, it’s a little disappointing that it couldn’t go the extra mile to really set a standard.

All in all, though, it’s a quintessential Kirby game—fun, varied, adorable, and with plenty of hidden depth. It’s pure Nintendo, and whether you’re flying solo or with pals, the game remains enjoyable to the end and beyond.