PixlBit

So recently I played through Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe on Switch.  Knowing that I’m a huge Kirby fan, you’re probably wondering why I didn’t get this game back when it released in February.  Well I don’t really like paying full price for Switch re-releases and remakes, especially when I already paid for these games back on the original console.  So I waited and asked for it for my birthday, which is what I usually do for games I want to get, but don’t have to play right away.  So since I had already played this one back on the Wii, I decided I can wait and put it on my birthday list.  After playing it, I have to say that unlike a lot of other Switch rereleases, this one’s actually pretty good and adds a lot of extra content.  One of the extra things is an amusement park with ten Kirby mini-games from past titles!  And since I like to write blogs about games that have a lot of mini-games, especially if they are presented in a museum or amusement park, let’s take a tour of Merry Magoland!

But before we get into that, I wanted to briefly talk about the game as a whole.  For the remake, they touched up the graphics with more detailed backgrounds and cel shaded style characters with a thicker outline, and it looks nice.  They added a couple of new copy abilities for Kirby: Sand and Mech (Sand is OP by the way).  And when you beat the game, you can try a hard mode as well as a new quest called Magolor’s Epilogue. 

So this next paragraph may have some spoilers, so you’ve been warned.  Anyway, even though Magolor is your friend through most of the main game, at the end he turns on you and ends up being the final boss.  This is a pretty common occurrence in Kirby games, which is why many Kirby fans have trust issues.  So after you defeat him, he gets sent to another dimension and the Magolor’s Epilogue is a new game where you play as Magolor as he tries to get out of the dimension he’s stuck in and regain his powers in the process.  As you play the levels, you’ll collect magic points which you can use to upgrade all of Magolor’s abilities, from his attacks to movement speed to flight, health, and other things.  He actually has a pretty complex move set, so it's a bit harder than your standard Kirby game.  The funny thing is that you’re collecting these golden apple slices, and when you get them all you must fight a giant tree.  It’s like if Wispy Woods turned into a Final Fantasy end boss!  Anyway, after you defeat him, you find that Magolor goes to another dimension with the apple gems from the god-tree and ends up selling them to you in the downloadable spin off game Super Kirby Clash!  I love how HAL connects this stuff together.

Anyway, one of the things that Magolor does in this remake to make up for being a bad guy is that he builds a theme park for Kirby in another dimension, and you can visit that theme park anytime during the game.  This theme park holds the mini-games you can play, and while most Kirby games have around three or so of these, this theme park has ten!  And most of them are from past Kirby titles!  The bosses you defeat also show up at the theme park, and you can find hidden Magolor stickers kind of like the hidden Mickeys at Disney parks.  You can also get masks you can wear during the game, and the masks are of pretty much every Kirby character ever!  You can get some masks by playing the game, and other masks by getting achievements and playing the mini-games to get stamps.  It’s actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be, so that’s why I decided to put them down in this blog.  So let’s take a look at the mini-games you can play here.

Egg Catcher

This game was first found in Kirby’s Adventure on the NES.  In the original game, King Dedede would throw eggs and bombs at you, but in this one it’s a Dedede robot.  Hold the button down to open Kirby’s mouth to catch eggs, and release it to close Kirby’s mouth so he doesn’t catch bombs.  If you do, you lose!

Crackety Hack

This was first in Kirby and the Amazing Mirror on GBA, but it’s most similar to the more familiar Megaton Punch from Kirby Super Star.  It’s just a four player version of that.  Hit the button at the right time when the meters and targets are full and lined up, and you’ll build up more strength to make a crack in the earth.  Whoever has the biggest crack (don’t go there), wins.

Samurai Kirby

It’s just a reaction time test, and was first found in Kirby Super Star on SNES.  When you get the signal, hit the button as quick on the draw as you can to defeat your opponent.  They even added an online version of this where you can compete against 99 others!  Also before this game, there was a cowboy themed version of this type of game on Kirby’s Adventure, too.

Smash Ride

This was first on Kirby Squeak Squad for DS.  You ride on stars in a circle arena and you can turn, but can only go forward by charging and then releasing the button.  You must knock off others for points.  You can even knock of the members of the Squeak Squad mouse thieves!

Magolor’s Tome Trackers

This is a new one just for this game.  You are in a library and all the players are wearing professor hats.  Magolor sits at the top and shows a book with a picture on it, and you must quickly find that book below.  You get points for finding the right one first, and whoever has the most points at the end of the round, wins.

Booming Blasters

Kirby Deathmatch!  This is another new one.  Four players are in a maze and view the action from an overhead perspective.  You shoot guns at others and can charge up to lob a shot that’ll make an explosion when it lands.  Whoever survives the longest, wins.  I kind of liked this one because it reminded me of the old arcade game Berserk.

Checkerboard Chase

A popular one from Kirby 64, in Checkerboard Chase four players run around a square arena.  You can press a button to make the line of floor in front of you fall down, and anyone caught in that will fall as well.  You must try not to fall yourself, and whoever is left standing at the end, wins.

Kirby on the Draw

This cowboy themed game plays like Point Blank where you have to aim your JoyCon on the screen and shoot targets.  You can also use the control stick to move a cursor, but aiming is more fun.  This was first on Kirby Super Star Ultra on the DS, where I imagine you used the touch screen to shoot.

Bomb Rally

This was first on Kirby Nightmare in Dream Land on GBA, which was actually a remake of Kirby’s Adventure!  In Bomb Rally, four players swat a bomb at each other with frying pans, and if you miss, you’re out.  Kind of like Hot Potato, sort of.

Ninja Dojo

And last is Ninja Dojo.  Initially on the Wii on the original Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, where every mini game had to use motion controls, here you can do that or just press the button to launch ninja stars at targets.  You get more points the closer you get to the bull’s eye, but don’t miss!

And that’s all for the games!  Thanks for visiting Merry Magoland and going on this tour with me!  Later!  --Cary