Kirby may have finally entered the third dimension with Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but he’s clearly not leaving his 2D roots behind. Although it’s not a brand new title, today’s Nintendo Direct revealed Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is getting a remake for the Nintendo Switch, simply titled Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
Originally released for the Nintendo Wii in 2011, the game allows up to four players to work together (just like Kirby Star Allies) across various 2D levels to repair a crashed spaceship and help the stranded Magolor return home. While players can choose to also play as Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Bandana Waddle Dee, the Switch version will allow more than one person to control Kirby.
A new copy ability has also been introduced — Mecha, which decks Kirby out in power armor and allows him to pummel enemies up close or blast them from afar with a pair of cannons. Outside of the main game, there are the traditional minigames (or subgames as they’re called) that all four players can take part in. This includes a brand new one called Magolor’s Tome Trackers, which seems to involve players grabbing the right book that Magolor asks for, and returning ones like Samurai Kirby.
Although this remake will retain the co-op options, there’s, unfortunately, no mention of online play, meaning you’ll need to play co-op with your friends locally. The trailer doesn’t say that you can play across multiple consoles either, so it sounds like local co-op on one Switch may be the only option.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe launches on February 24, 2023, and pre-orders begin today, both on the Nintendo eShop and Nintendo’s own website. If you’re in the mood for a Kirby fix now, Kirby’s Dream Buffet released not too long ago and is essentially a minigame collection, one that does allow for online play.
