The latest Nintendo Direct showcased quite a few new games, including new footage for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and a teaser for Pikmin 4. However, it also put an emphasis on nostalgic content, and Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe was a standout in this category. The original Kirby's Return to Dream Land was a solid Wii title, bringing Kirby back to its roots with strong 4-player multiplayer and a variety of minigames. Kirby has gone in a lot of new directions since then, but Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe still seems like it might have some multiplayer lessons to teach the franchise.
Over the years, Kirby games have implemented multiplayer in a lot of different ways. Many have distinct characters that enable two-player multiplayer, like fan-favorite Bandana Waddle Dee's return in Kirby and the Forgotten Land or the emphasis on Gooey in Kirby's Dream Land 3. Return to Dream Land, however, focused on four player characters and offered a lot of flexibility in terms of who fans played as. Kirby multiplayer has left something to be desired lately, so HAL Laboratory should turn its attention to past successes when 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 things to the table, from its creative Mouthful Modes to a charming hub area that encouraged thorough exploration across the game's levels. However, its multiplayer could've been better. Unlike Kirby, who keeps getting stronger and more flexible through Copy Ability upgrades, Bandana Waddle Dee's fighting skill remain the same for the entire game. He's also forced to follow Kirby everywhere, rather than getting to explore alone, and some Mouthful Modes render Waddle Dee helpless. As a result, the second player gets a woefully incomplete experience compared to Kirby's player.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land has a much stronger multiplayer model. While the main player sticks to 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 has to stick together when moving through sidescrolling levels, but the sheer variety available in multiplayer makes it a much more engaging experience, since everyone gets to try out different movesets and make use of the resources that the game specifically provides for Kirby. Kirby's Return to Dream Land may be a fairly easy 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 will take after Return to Dream Land when it comes to multiplayer. Forgotten Land told a good story in a compelling world, but it was ultimately more of a singleplayer game than an experience intended 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 releasing the next big game; it'll almost certainly help new Kirby fans who were brought in by Forgotten Land develop a taste for more multiplayer experiences in the series.
HAL Laboratory has the necessary expertise to take the best parts of both games and combine them into a robust new game. Kirby and the Forgotten Land's level design, filled with puzzles and side areas to discover, 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 some worthy challenge and strategy to combat, especially boss battles, so combining that with Return to Dream Land's multiplayer-friendly model could take Kirby combat to another level. The Kirby franchise has spent years transforming itself and pushing limits, but to really shine, it might need to revisit an old idea rather than keep pushing for something new.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe releases February 24, 2023 for Nintendo Switch.