Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a Good Blueprint for Future Kirby Multiplayer

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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.

Kirby: How the Wrestler Copy Ability Could Translate to Mainline Games

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,