Kirby's Return to Dream Land Review
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Now you're playing with Puff Power.
It's back to basics for Kirby. With the release of Kirby's Return to Dreamland, Nintendo's pink, powerful puff ball finally returns to both his home of Pop Star, and back to the signature inhaling and platforming mechanics that made him famous. By returning to tried-and-true concepts, Kirby reclaims a style and simplicity we haven't seen in a while, abandoning some of the bold, original gameplay that defined previous titles along the way.
Surprisingly, Kirby hasn't had a traditional, console-based adventure in well over a decade. During that time, we've seen plenty of experiments tried with the versatile hero, including Kirby Mass Attack on the Nintendo DS earlier this year. Return to Dreamland should feel very familiar for most fans. Kirby's traditional inhale move drives gameplay, and by swallowing certain enemies, our hero can gain additional abilities. Some of these powers simply increase the range of available attacks while others become critical to accessing new areas of a level. A few special enemies will even grant Kirby a range of Super Abilities, which are finite in nature yet far more potent than any common items. Of course, Kirby can also fly, making a conventional 2D platformer decidedly unconventional.
Kirby's Return to Dreamland Video Review
In his quest to find spaceship pieces for the alien known as Magolor, Kirby is joined by King Dedede, Meta Knight and Waddle Dee, who for some inexplicable and illogical reason want to help their hated adversary. (Although this does beg the question whether "hate" even exists in the Kirby-verse - a topic for another time, perhaps.) Up to three players can instantly join a game (even mid-level), either becoming one of the three previously mentioned villains or a duplicate Kirby. Each character has its distinct advantages. Kirby uses a wide range of enemy abilities while his foes carry weapons that are both great for offense and utility. Dedede's hammer can smash pegs, Meta Knight's sword can ? and Waddle Dee's spear has a great range to hit switches.
Whether setting out solo or with friends, the core adventure of Return to Dreamland packs nostalgia in both design and concept. Even the franchise's core "loophole" - that any character can basically float over entire levels - shows up here. Needless to say, the vast, vast majority of this game plays ludicrously easy. Of the six worlds, five of them posed almost no challenge whatsoever. Acquiring 120 optional Energy Spheres, which open various mini-games and challenge rooms, does prove somewhat difficult on occasion, though you'll practically trip over most of them. The plus side of this is obvious, though - Kirby makes for an absolutely perfect family game. The fact that the youngest of kids can pick up this game and progress with little issue will please parents and children alike - same with the idea that up to four can join one game simultaneously. I'd recommend Kirby without hesitation to those of you with little ones scampering around the household.
In addition to drastically reducing the already-easy difficulty, the multiplayer component of Dreamland carries with it some odd quirks. All players share one pool of lives. Death, however, is not equal in this game. If supporting players die, they simply pull a life from the remainder. If that number hits zero, they're basically given infinite lives. If the primary player dies, however, all players get pulled back to the start of the area just entered or, if no lives remain, the game shoots the team back to restart the level with a continue. As a result of this strange design choice, the lead player gets forced into hiding, particularly in instances when players drain all of the lives out of the pool. Dreamland developer HAL should have looked to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, where every player has a life count, for a more effective system.
Kirby has familiar but powerful abilities.
? players should have some faith that Kirby still contains some challenges - eventually. Avoiding a traditional difficulty option (which would have been far more welcome), Dreamland does have an Extra Game mode that opens after completing the storyline once. This mode permanently cuts players' health by about 40% from the start, and will no doubt provide a tougher challenge in the long run. I still doubt early levels will slow seasoned players down, but later on things will likely get rough. Also challenging are the final world and the game's final boss, which has multiple stages. Both should seriously test one or two players, particularly if obtaining the optional Energy Spheres is a priority. The various mini-games and unlockables will also prove an attraction to older gamers. I wasted a considerable amount of time in Ninja Dojo, Scope Shot and the Arena. Dare I say I'd like to see more of those modes in future games?
In terms of graphics and sound, don't get too excited. By and large, Return to Dreamland features very basic artistic design and complexity. That does make a considerable amount of sense considering the title first started development on the GameCube. By Wii standards, however, there isn't much here that will impress you. The final boss sequences do feature some great visuals though.
Closing Comments
Kirby is not necessarily for you or me, but for our children, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. It is a whimsical, charming adventure that has clearly been designed for a younger audience first and others second. That's not a bad thing, but it does come with limitations. It's a little frustrating that Nintendo couldn't have aimed for both audiences at the same time, and I know when I was a kid I would have killed for the harder challenge, but you can only fault the game so much for that.
If anything, Return to Dreamland is mostly disappointing because it doesn't really attempt to do anything we haven't seen before. Maybe games like Mass Attack, with its clever group-based gameplay, or Epic Yarn, with its bold visual style, have spoiled me, but I want to see Nintendo take risks with this franchise. I've seen Kirby as a typical platformer. Let him continue to be the canvas upon which talented designers can let their imaginations run wild.
But originality, in the face of a capable and competent game that admittedly has few faults within its intended design, only matters so much. It might take six hours to get to what really interests me about Dreamland, but that’s time very well spent for someone a fifth my age.
Presentation 6.5
Pretty basic stuff here, but the extra modes and games are a plus.
Graphics 7.0
This is actually a GameCube game. Seldom impressive, though Super Abilities are cool.
Sound 6.5
Again, nothing exceptional.
Gameplay 8.0
Tried and true, though there's nothing wrong with that. Great with friends, kids.
Lasting Appeal 9.0
New and extra modes - there's plenty to unlock, plus multiplayer fun.
OVERALL 7.5 (Good)
It's back to basics for Kirby. With the release of Kirby's Return to Dreamland, Nintendo's pink, powerful puff ball finally returns to both his home of Pop Star, and back to the signature inhaling and platforming mechanics that made him famous. By returning to tried-and-true concepts, Kirby reclaims a style and simplicity we haven't seen in a while, abandoning some of the bold, original gameplay that defined previous titles along the way.
Surprisingly, Kirby hasn't had a traditional, console-based adventure in well over a decade. During that time, we've seen plenty of experiments tried with the versatile hero, including Kirby Mass Attack on the Nintendo DS earlier this year. Return to Dreamland should feel very familiar for most fans. Kirby's traditional inhale move drives gameplay, and by swallowing certain enemies, our hero can gain additional abilities. Some of these powers simply increase the range of available attacks while others become critical to accessing new areas of a level. A few special enemies will even grant Kirby a range of Super Abilities, which are finite in nature yet far more potent than any common items. Of course, Kirby can also fly, making a conventional 2D platformer decidedly unconventional.
Kirby's Return to Dreamland Video Review
In his quest to find spaceship pieces for the alien known as Magolor, Kirby is joined by King Dedede, Meta Knight and Waddle Dee, who for some inexplicable and illogical reason want to help their hated adversary. (Although this does beg the question whether "hate" even exists in the Kirby-verse - a topic for another time, perhaps.) Up to three players can instantly join a game (even mid-level), either becoming one of the three previously mentioned villains or a duplicate Kirby. Each character has its distinct advantages. Kirby uses a wide range of enemy abilities while his foes carry weapons that are both great for offense and utility. Dedede's hammer can smash pegs, Meta Knight's sword can ? and Waddle Dee's spear has a great range to hit switches.
Whether setting out solo or with friends, the core adventure of Return to Dreamland packs nostalgia in both design and concept. Even the franchise's core "loophole" - that any character can basically float over entire levels - shows up here. Needless to say, the vast, vast majority of this game plays ludicrously easy. Of the six worlds, five of them posed almost no challenge whatsoever. Acquiring 120 optional Energy Spheres, which open various mini-games and challenge rooms, does prove somewhat difficult on occasion, though you'll practically trip over most of them. The plus side of this is obvious, though - Kirby makes for an absolutely perfect family game. The fact that the youngest of kids can pick up this game and progress with little issue will please parents and children alike - same with the idea that up to four can join one game simultaneously. I'd recommend Kirby without hesitation to those of you with little ones scampering around the household.
In addition to drastically reducing the already-easy difficulty, the multiplayer component of Dreamland carries with it some odd quirks. All players share one pool of lives. Death, however, is not equal in this game. If supporting players die, they simply pull a life from the remainder. If that number hits zero, they're basically given infinite lives. If the primary player dies, however, all players get pulled back to the start of the area just entered or, if no lives remain, the game shoots the team back to restart the level with a continue. As a result of this strange design choice, the lead player gets forced into hiding, particularly in instances when players drain all of the lives out of the pool. Dreamland developer HAL should have looked to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, where every player has a life count, for a more effective system.
Kirby has familiar but powerful abilities.
? players should have some faith that Kirby still contains some challenges - eventually. Avoiding a traditional difficulty option (which would have been far more welcome), Dreamland does have an Extra Game mode that opens after completing the storyline once. This mode permanently cuts players' health by about 40% from the start, and will no doubt provide a tougher challenge in the long run. I still doubt early levels will slow seasoned players down, but later on things will likely get rough. Also challenging are the final world and the game's final boss, which has multiple stages. Both should seriously test one or two players, particularly if obtaining the optional Energy Spheres is a priority. The various mini-games and unlockables will also prove an attraction to older gamers. I wasted a considerable amount of time in Ninja Dojo, Scope Shot and the Arena. Dare I say I'd like to see more of those modes in future games?
In terms of graphics and sound, don't get too excited. By and large, Return to Dreamland features very basic artistic design and complexity. That does make a considerable amount of sense considering the title first started development on the GameCube. By Wii standards, however, there isn't much here that will impress you. The final boss sequences do feature some great visuals though.
Closing Comments
Kirby is not necessarily for you or me, but for our children, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews. It is a whimsical, charming adventure that has clearly been designed for a younger audience first and others second. That's not a bad thing, but it does come with limitations. It's a little frustrating that Nintendo couldn't have aimed for both audiences at the same time, and I know when I was a kid I would have killed for the harder challenge, but you can only fault the game so much for that.
If anything, Return to Dreamland is mostly disappointing because it doesn't really attempt to do anything we haven't seen before. Maybe games like Mass Attack, with its clever group-based gameplay, or Epic Yarn, with its bold visual style, have spoiled me, but I want to see Nintendo take risks with this franchise. I've seen Kirby as a typical platformer. Let him continue to be the canvas upon which talented designers can let their imaginations run wild.
But originality, in the face of a capable and competent game that admittedly has few faults within its intended design, only matters so much. It might take six hours to get to what really interests me about Dreamland, but that’s time very well spent for someone a fifth my age.
Presentation 6.5
Pretty basic stuff here, but the extra modes and games are a plus.
Graphics 7.0
This is actually a GameCube game. Seldom impressive, though Super Abilities are cool.
Sound 6.5
Again, nothing exceptional.
Gameplay 8.0
Tried and true, though there's nothing wrong with that. Great with friends, kids.
Lasting Appeal 9.0
New and extra modes - there's plenty to unlock, plus multiplayer fun.
OVERALL 7.5 (Good)
Comments
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The wii literally has 1 purpose left......ZELDA
