*Note: No time was spent with co-op.
2011 has been quite some year. As well as some great releases, plenty of games have re-emerged from development hell, such as L.A. Noire and (the very sad) Duke Nukem Forever. Adding to the list of games returning from these seemingly infinite cycles of development was Kirby's Return to Dreamland for Wii. Originally started on the GameCube around 2003, it was delayed to the point of assumed cancellation, but fortunately has returned! However, was it worth the wait?
It's a normal day in Dreamland, and Kirby is with his frienemies; King Dedede, Meta Knight, and some random Waddle Dee (he has a bandanna!). While on a picnic, however, a strange ship crashes nearby, which catches the attention of the crew. When they go to investigate, they meet an alien guy named Magolor, and he is upset about the crash, as he loses many parts of his ship. Fortunately, Kirby 'ere is willing to help out, and the other 3 guys agree to it as well. Magolor is pleased to hear this, and sends them off to go find the pieces. Like most Kirby games, story is irrelevant and is just "there". But that doesn't matter, it's Kirby! And you know, it's nice to have a simple story in games, instead of these huge cinematic stories.
Plot in a single picture.
Once Kirby is off, you will be thrown into the first of 7 worlds (each having food-related names, of course!), each of which split into around 4-5 levels each. The worlds/hubs (whichever you prefer to call them) look very similar to those of Kirby's Adventure (and it's GBA remake, Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland), and is a nice little reference. As one level is completed, you move onto the next, and once all levels are beat, you get to fight the boss. Each level contains hidden Energy Spheres (explained later on in this review) for you to collect (ranging from 3-5 per level) and each boss is holding a necessary ship part captive. You can visit the ship at any time from the world select screen.
If you have played and enjoyed any of Kirby's traditional outings such as Kirby's Adventure, Kirby Super Star, etc, you will be familiar with how the game plays out. It's refreshing to see Kirby have some traditional gameplay that made him what he is instead of his many recent (but still great) spin-offs. This Kirby is not an art project or curled into a ball whilst riding on rainbow, but plain ol' Kirby. And he sucks (herp herp, I made a funny). Kirby here will mercilessly devour any opponent in his path as he jumps and floats like the cute little pink puffball he is...
Ah, yes, his iconic ability to suck up an enemy and possibly steal their powers if they just so happen to have one. In Return to Dreamland, Kirby can inhale most opponents with a press of a button, where he then decides: do I eat them, or spit them out? Spitting them out shoots a star from your mouth that can kill other enemies or blocks. A new feature of Kirby's Return to Dreamland allows Kirby to inhale more enemies or large, normally unmovable blocks by shaking the Wii Remote, and if you spit out all of what you have, you shoot out a larger start that can destroy multiple targets can even travel through walls. Swallowing an enemy, if you do not like spitting out your food, does... well, it's self-explanatory. You eat them and they are never heard of ever again... or at least for a few hours.
Nature is on his side.
Of course, you can take their powers by eating your foes. These powers are useful for killing enemies more efficiently or for solving certain tasks. Among the many abilities available in the game include well-known mainstays such as Sword or Fire, and some new powers that appear (this includes the awesome Spear and the Water ability shown in the very early trailers). Each ability is fleshed out and you can perform multiple attacks and such with each power, making for much more awesomeness. Occasionally, you'll run into ultra abilities, which are much more powerful versions of already existing abilities such as Ultra Sword or Grand Hammer. These can obliterate enemies and are damn fun to use. As a side note, you can't suck up enemies once you have a power... but this can be fixed by getting rid of your power, which can be done with pressing (-). Or damaging/killing yourself. Whichever works the best. If you take enough damage, you can lose your power, in which it turns into a star and bounces all around, and you must catch it before it disappears to get your powers back.
For those who don't know, Kirby is a platformer. 2D, jumping on things type of platformer. In each level, Kirby has to defeat enemies while getting to the goal. Scattered throughout each stage are stars, which function the same way as the stars in Kirby 64: collect 100 stars, get an extra life. Normal, yellow stars offer 1, larger orange stars are equal to 10 or the small ones, and even larger blue ones give you 30 of the suckers. Once Kirby reaches the goal, you get to take part in the goal game, which offers you a chance to win stars the higher you launch off of a trampoline thing. Make it to the top for 30 stars. The stages themselves play similarly to previous Kirby outings, of course, but this isn't a bad thing; Kirby always had top-notch stages, and they remain simple fun, though easy. But I'll talk about this later on.
Kirby's Return to Dreamland once again jumps onto the co-op bandwagon with the option to play with up to 4 people. Player 1 is always the normal, pink Kirby, though the other 3 players have a choice of either playing as another, different-colored Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, or a Waddle Dee (with a bandanna!). Each of the 3 other character can perform multiple jumps like Kirby, but each shares attacks of a copy ability (Meta Knight is Sword with some Wing skills, Dedede is Hammer, and Waddle Dee is Spear). There aren't any co-op specific areas, but that's actually better: it doesn't require you to go search for other people just to 100% the game (unlike you, LittleBigPlanet...). However, since I have not had the pleasure to play in co-op (as said by the note at the top), I cannot give any proper opinions on this subject.
You know what they say, the more the merrier!
Hidden in each stage are Energy Spheres, which are bubble-like things that require some challenge to obtain. Each stage contains 3-5 of the things, sometimes requiring some quick thinking, other times with the use of a specific ability, and occasionally requires a bit of puzzle-solving. In a stage where you have access to an ultra ability, you can find a star-shaped black hole where you can enter, hidden by obstacles that only the ultra ability can destroy and allow access to. Within these vortexes are extra areas where you must get to the end and fight a Sphere Doomer, who holds not 1, but 2 Energy Spheres. They can provide some tough battles, so be prepared.
Collecting Energy Spheres unlocks some cool extras in the ship. These include Copy Rooms where you can get some abilities to use in a stage, minigames, and Copy Room Challenges that test your skill with an ability. These challenge rooms have you try to gain as much points while getting to a goal within a time limit by collecting coins and killing enemies. If you get hurt, you lose points. Depending on how well you do, you are awarded with a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum medal. Going for platinum isn't easy, and encourages replaying and going for new high scores as well as provide a great challenge. Minigames consist of Ninja Dojo (where you shoot ninja stars at targets) and Scope Shot (where you aim at the screen and shoot objects).
Now, I want you to have a seat while I talk to you about difficulty. The game is, yes, easy. You can easily float over enemies, who don't pose much of a challenge. But that doesn't matter, it's still a fun game. And plus, there is a bunch of extras and other sections that offer a good challenge. Collecting every Energy Sphere isn't an easy task, and the bosses can be quite tough. Copy Room Challenges are certainly great places to look for challenge, and once you beat the main game, you unlock the Extra Mode, which is the same game but even more difficult, giving you that tough challenge, as well as the Arena mode. Thing is, even if some of the main game seems easy to you, there are many ways to give yourself challenges, as well as give great amount of replay value to this game. Besides, not everyone will be bothered by this difficulty, and it doesn't make Kirby less fun.
I have... the POWER!
Graphic-wise, it doesn't push the Wii's hardware, but it still looks quite lovely. The simple yet colorful style of the game looks very nice and damn good, and is a visual treat. Not everything has to be brown and gritty to look good, ya'know. The soundtrack, like most Kirby games, is great and fitting. Kirby's Return the Dreamland's soundtrack might not be as amazing as previous games, but it's still damn awesome.
I guess now I should discuss this game's faults, seeing as I haven't talked about any yet. While Kirby's Return to Dreamland is truly great, it has some problems, such as... uh, such as... you know, I'll save this for the pros and cons section...
Pros:
*Traditional Kirby gameplay is just as great as before
*Many different abilities to take advantage of, each power with a ton of moves and attack, and ultra powers are epic
*Optional co-op for those who like it
*Energy Spheres and multiple extras give tons of replay
Cons:
*...I guess some people won't like the easiness...
Score breakdown:
Presentation: KIRBY
Gameplay: 10
Replay: 10
Graphics: 9
Sound: 9
Story: N/A
Final Score: 10 (Hell yea bro)
Kirby has passed my expectations ten-fold and has provided me with a game I think as near-flawless. The gameplay is so simple yet fun and pure, the mass amount of replayability in this game offering so much to do... this game is truly an epic. Any Kirby fan or Wii owner should have this game, as it's a true gem and one you won't come across often. Kirby's Return to Dreamland is a return to triumph!
2011 has been quite some year. As well as some great releases, plenty of games have re-emerged from development hell, such as L.A. Noire and (the very sad) Duke Nukem Forever. Adding to the list of games returning from these seemingly infinite cycles of development was Kirby's Return to Dreamland for Wii. Originally started on the GameCube around 2003, it was delayed to the point of assumed cancellation, but fortunately has returned! However, was it worth the wait?
It's a normal day in Dreamland, and Kirby is with his frienemies; King Dedede, Meta Knight, and some random Waddle Dee (he has a bandanna!). While on a picnic, however, a strange ship crashes nearby, which catches the attention of the crew. When they go to investigate, they meet an alien guy named Magolor, and he is upset about the crash, as he loses many parts of his ship. Fortunately, Kirby 'ere is willing to help out, and the other 3 guys agree to it as well. Magolor is pleased to hear this, and sends them off to go find the pieces. Like most Kirby games, story is irrelevant and is just "there". But that doesn't matter, it's Kirby! And you know, it's nice to have a simple story in games, instead of these huge cinematic stories.
Plot in a single picture.
Once Kirby is off, you will be thrown into the first of 7 worlds (each having food-related names, of course!), each of which split into around 4-5 levels each. The worlds/hubs (whichever you prefer to call them) look very similar to those of Kirby's Adventure (and it's GBA remake, Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland), and is a nice little reference. As one level is completed, you move onto the next, and once all levels are beat, you get to fight the boss. Each level contains hidden Energy Spheres (explained later on in this review) for you to collect (ranging from 3-5 per level) and each boss is holding a necessary ship part captive. You can visit the ship at any time from the world select screen.
If you have played and enjoyed any of Kirby's traditional outings such as Kirby's Adventure, Kirby Super Star, etc, you will be familiar with how the game plays out. It's refreshing to see Kirby have some traditional gameplay that made him what he is instead of his many recent (but still great) spin-offs. This Kirby is not an art project or curled into a ball whilst riding on rainbow, but plain ol' Kirby. And he sucks (herp herp, I made a funny). Kirby here will mercilessly devour any opponent in his path as he jumps and floats like the cute little pink puffball he is...
Ah, yes, his iconic ability to suck up an enemy and possibly steal their powers if they just so happen to have one. In Return to Dreamland, Kirby can inhale most opponents with a press of a button, where he then decides: do I eat them, or spit them out? Spitting them out shoots a star from your mouth that can kill other enemies or blocks. A new feature of Kirby's Return to Dreamland allows Kirby to inhale more enemies or large, normally unmovable blocks by shaking the Wii Remote, and if you spit out all of what you have, you shoot out a larger start that can destroy multiple targets can even travel through walls. Swallowing an enemy, if you do not like spitting out your food, does... well, it's self-explanatory. You eat them and they are never heard of ever again... or at least for a few hours.
Nature is on his side.
Of course, you can take their powers by eating your foes. These powers are useful for killing enemies more efficiently or for solving certain tasks. Among the many abilities available in the game include well-known mainstays such as Sword or Fire, and some new powers that appear (this includes the awesome Spear and the Water ability shown in the very early trailers). Each ability is fleshed out and you can perform multiple attacks and such with each power, making for much more awesomeness. Occasionally, you'll run into ultra abilities, which are much more powerful versions of already existing abilities such as Ultra Sword or Grand Hammer. These can obliterate enemies and are damn fun to use. As a side note, you can't suck up enemies once you have a power... but this can be fixed by getting rid of your power, which can be done with pressing (-). Or damaging/killing yourself. Whichever works the best. If you take enough damage, you can lose your power, in which it turns into a star and bounces all around, and you must catch it before it disappears to get your powers back.
For those who don't know, Kirby is a platformer. 2D, jumping on things type of platformer. In each level, Kirby has to defeat enemies while getting to the goal. Scattered throughout each stage are stars, which function the same way as the stars in Kirby 64: collect 100 stars, get an extra life. Normal, yellow stars offer 1, larger orange stars are equal to 10 or the small ones, and even larger blue ones give you 30 of the suckers. Once Kirby reaches the goal, you get to take part in the goal game, which offers you a chance to win stars the higher you launch off of a trampoline thing. Make it to the top for 30 stars. The stages themselves play similarly to previous Kirby outings, of course, but this isn't a bad thing; Kirby always had top-notch stages, and they remain simple fun, though easy. But I'll talk about this later on.
Kirby's Return to Dreamland once again jumps onto the co-op bandwagon with the option to play with up to 4 people. Player 1 is always the normal, pink Kirby, though the other 3 players have a choice of either playing as another, different-colored Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, or a Waddle Dee (with a bandanna!). Each of the 3 other character can perform multiple jumps like Kirby, but each shares attacks of a copy ability (Meta Knight is Sword with some Wing skills, Dedede is Hammer, and Waddle Dee is Spear). There aren't any co-op specific areas, but that's actually better: it doesn't require you to go search for other people just to 100% the game (unlike you, LittleBigPlanet...). However, since I have not had the pleasure to play in co-op (as said by the note at the top), I cannot give any proper opinions on this subject.
You know what they say, the more the merrier!
Hidden in each stage are Energy Spheres, which are bubble-like things that require some challenge to obtain. Each stage contains 3-5 of the things, sometimes requiring some quick thinking, other times with the use of a specific ability, and occasionally requires a bit of puzzle-solving. In a stage where you have access to an ultra ability, you can find a star-shaped black hole where you can enter, hidden by obstacles that only the ultra ability can destroy and allow access to. Within these vortexes are extra areas where you must get to the end and fight a Sphere Doomer, who holds not 1, but 2 Energy Spheres. They can provide some tough battles, so be prepared.
Collecting Energy Spheres unlocks some cool extras in the ship. These include Copy Rooms where you can get some abilities to use in a stage, minigames, and Copy Room Challenges that test your skill with an ability. These challenge rooms have you try to gain as much points while getting to a goal within a time limit by collecting coins and killing enemies. If you get hurt, you lose points. Depending on how well you do, you are awarded with a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum medal. Going for platinum isn't easy, and encourages replaying and going for new high scores as well as provide a great challenge. Minigames consist of Ninja Dojo (where you shoot ninja stars at targets) and Scope Shot (where you aim at the screen and shoot objects).
Now, I want you to have a seat while I talk to you about difficulty. The game is, yes, easy. You can easily float over enemies, who don't pose much of a challenge. But that doesn't matter, it's still a fun game. And plus, there is a bunch of extras and other sections that offer a good challenge. Collecting every Energy Sphere isn't an easy task, and the bosses can be quite tough. Copy Room Challenges are certainly great places to look for challenge, and once you beat the main game, you unlock the Extra Mode, which is the same game but even more difficult, giving you that tough challenge, as well as the Arena mode. Thing is, even if some of the main game seems easy to you, there are many ways to give yourself challenges, as well as give great amount of replay value to this game. Besides, not everyone will be bothered by this difficulty, and it doesn't make Kirby less fun.
I have... the POWER!
Graphic-wise, it doesn't push the Wii's hardware, but it still looks quite lovely. The simple yet colorful style of the game looks very nice and damn good, and is a visual treat. Not everything has to be brown and gritty to look good, ya'know. The soundtrack, like most Kirby games, is great and fitting. Kirby's Return the Dreamland's soundtrack might not be as amazing as previous games, but it's still damn awesome.
I guess now I should discuss this game's faults, seeing as I haven't talked about any yet. While Kirby's Return to Dreamland is truly great, it has some problems, such as... uh, such as... you know, I'll save this for the pros and cons section...
Pros:
*Traditional Kirby gameplay is just as great as before
*Many different abilities to take advantage of, each power with a ton of moves and attack, and ultra powers are epic
*Optional co-op for those who like it
*Energy Spheres and multiple extras give tons of replay
Cons:
*...I guess some people won't like the easiness...
Score breakdown:
Presentation: KIRBY
Gameplay: 10
Replay: 10
Graphics: 9
Sound: 9
Story: N/A
Final Score: 10 (Hell yea bro)
Kirby has passed my expectations ten-fold and has provided me with a game I think as near-flawless. The gameplay is so simple yet fun and pure, the mass amount of replayability in this game offering so much to do... this game is truly an epic. Any Kirby fan or Wii owner should have this game, as it's a true gem and one you won't come across often. Kirby's Return to Dreamland is a return to triumph!
