This Friday, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe launches on Nintendo Switch, bringing the classic four-player Wii adventure back to the modern age with a whole new visual makeover and some additional single-player and multiplayer content.
Ahead of the upcoming launch, and like every other major release from Nintendo, several outlets received copies of the game in advance and have already published their reviews. In this roundup, we have gathered a handful of notable scores and quotes from critics who were lucky enough to check out Return to Dream Land Deluxe early. Here is what they all had to say about the game!
Nintendo Life
Nintendo Life's PJ O'Reilly gave Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe a 9/10. Reilly praised the game's visual upgrades and Magolor Epilogue, explaining in his final verdict that the remaster felt like another big celebration for the pink puff:
"With slick new visuals, some meaningful gameplay tweaks and two excellent new modes to dig into, this [Return to Dream Land Deluxe] is a big, loud and colourful 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."
Pocket Tactics
Tilly Lawton of Pocket Tactics also awarded Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe a 9/10. Similarly to Nintendo Life's review, Lawton boasted about the game's visuals and new content along with the co-op features:
"Overall, I really enjoyed my journey back to Dream Land. It’s still the same, wonderful little platforming adventure at its heart, with enough fresh additions and upgrades to make it feel like a sparkly, new experience... if you’re a big fan of the pink gumdrop, want some co-op fun with family and friends, or are looking for a light-hearted platformer to brighten up your day, then I highly recommend hopping aboard and taking Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe for a spin."
Game Informer
Continuing the parade of high scores, Brian Shea from Game Informer graded Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe an 8.75/10. Shea believes that Return to Dream Land is still one of Kirby's best outings and the remaster stands toe-to-toe with last year's Kirby and the Forgotten Land:
"Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is still an enhanced remaster of a 12-year-old Wii game, but it effectively brings forward one of the pink puffball's best outings, complete with meaningful additions. The result is a game worthy of sitting in the Switch catalog next to last year's superb Kirby and the Forgotten Land."
VGC [Video Game Chronicle]
VGC's Chris Scullion gave Return to Dream Land Deluxe 4/5 stars. Scullion explained in his review that he believes the game offers enough content for both veterans and newcomers to enjoy one of Nintendo's best remasters:
"There has been real effort made here to make this [Return to Dream Land Deluxe] a more feature-heavy package, something with enough extra content to actually make it worth double-dipping if you owned the Wii game. As a first game for a younger player or newcomer looking to get to grips with the platforming genre, there are few better offerings, while those looking for a challenge will eventually get one, once they put in the hours to get through the initial Story mode."
Siliconera
Jenni Lada from Siliconera gave Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe a 7/10. In her review, Lada thought the game was joyful to explore again like the other classic Kirby games on Nintendo Switch, however, she felt the game would have been more ideal had it been released earlier in the console's lifespan.
"Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe’s revival results in an entry that feels like a more introductory experience to be enjoyed with a small group of newcomers to the series. It fits in with the idea of the early days of the Switch’s lifespan, what with the promises of rooftop parties with the system placed in Tabletop Mode for multiple people to enjoy." [Full Review]
GameSpot
Last in our roundup, we have GameSpot's Steve Watts, who also gave the game a 7/10. While Watts did enjoy the remaster's multiplayer features and new content, he felt that Kirby's latest remaster might be too simple for some: "Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe feels like a very complete package thanks to a remastered platformer campaign, substantial new Magolor epilogue, and smart new additions like the Mecha ability and Helper Magolor mode. It might be a little simple for some tastes, but it's grand fun to get lost in such a sweet little adventure regardless."
******
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is currently rated 80/100 on Metacritic. Over on OpenCritic, the game also has a recommended score of 80% from critics.
Will you be picking up Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe this Friday? Be sure to check out more from Kirby Informer this week as we will be publishing all sorts of coverage on the game, from guides and tips to features and opinions!
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