The latest Nintendo Direct showed quite a few new games, including new images for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and a teaser for Pikmin 4. However, it also emphasized nostalgic content, and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe was a star in this category. The original Kirby’s Return to Dreamland was a solid Wii title, making Kirby Back to its roots with strong 4 player multiplayer and a variety of minigames. Kirby has taken many new directions since then, but Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe it still looks like it might have some multiplayer lessons to learn the franchise.
Over the years, Kirby games have implemented multiplayer in many different ways. Many have different characters that allow for two-player multiplayer, such as the return of fan-favorite Bandana Waddle Dee in Kirby and the forgotten land or the emphasis on Gooey in Kirby’s dreamland 3. Return to dreamland, however, focused on four-player characters and offered a lot of flexibility in terms of who fans played. Kirby multiplayer has been lacking lately, so HAL Laboratory should turn its attention to past successes designing multiplayer options in future games.
What Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Can Teach the Series
Kirby and the Forgotten Land brought a lot of great stuff to the table, from the creative Mouthful Modes to a charming hub area that encouraged an in-depth exploration of the game’s levels. However, the multiplayer could have been better. Unlike Kirby, who grows stronger and more flexible through Copy Ability’s upgrades, Bandana Waddle Dee’s fighting ability remains the same throughout the game. He’s also forced to follow Kirby everywhere, rather than exploring alone, and some Mouthful Modes leave Waddle Dee helpless. As a result, the second player gets a woefully incomplete experience compared to Kirby’s player.
Kirby’s Return to Dreamland has a much stronger multiplayer model. While the main player stays with Kirby, players two through four can choose between controlling their own Kirby or picking up King Dedede, Meta Knight, or Bandana Waddle Dee. The group still needs to stick together as they progress through side-scrolling levels, but the sheer variety available in multiplayer makes it a much more engaging experience as everyone can try out different moves and use the resources the game has to offer. specifically for Kirby. Kirby’s Return to Dreamland may be a fairly simple game, as is normal for the series, but it’s more engaging when everyone can experience the same action.
Ideally the next big game in the Kirby series lasts after Return to dreamland when it comes to multiplayer. Forgotten Land told a good story in an immersive world, but it ended up being more of a single-player game than an experience meant for co-op. Hopefully Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a sign that HAL Laboratory is interested in this previous model and wants to learn from it before the next big game is released; it will almost certainly help new ones Kirby fans brought in by Forgotten Land develop a penchant for more multiplayer experiences in the series.
HAL Laboratory has the necessary expertise to combine the best parts of both games into a robust new game. Kirby and the Forgotten LandThe level design, filled with puzzles and side areas to explore, could be even more fun if players can collaborate on puzzles or go their separate ways to find collectibles. Forgotten Land‘s 3D combat added a worthy challenge and strategy to fight, especially boss fights, so combine that with Return to dreamland‘s multiplayer-friendly model could last Kirby fight to another level. The Kirby franchise has spent years transforming itself and pushing boundaries, but to really shine it may need to revisit an old idea rather than keep striving for something new.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe will be released on February 24, 2023 for Nintendo Switch.
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