Kirby's Return to Dream Land

Kirby's Return to Dream Land
North American box artBritish box artJapanese box art Box art of Kirby's Return to Dream Land in various regions.
Details
Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shinya Kumazaki
Release date(s)	Wii: October 24, 2011 October 27, 2011 November 25, 2011 December 1, 2011 September 6, 2012 Wii U (digital): January 28, 2015 February 19, 2015 February 19, 2015 July 30, 2015
Platform(s)	Wii Wii U (digital)
Supported languages	Japanese, American English, British English, Canadian French, European French, Italian, German, Latin American Spanish, European Spanish, Korean
Rating(s)	ESRB: PEGI: CERO:
Game chronology
← Kirby Mass Attack	Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition →
On affiliated sites
StrategyWiki	Walkthrough

"Kirby Wii" redirects here. For information about other Kirby games on Wii, see Kirby's Epic Yarn or Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition. For the 2023 remake on Nintendo Switch, see Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe.

"Return to Dream Land" redirects here. For information about the ending theme of this game, see Return to Dream Land (theme).

“A 4-player Kirby adventure!”

— Wii save data description

Kirby's Return to Dream Land (known as Kirby's Adventure Wii in Europe and Australia, and originally known under its working title Kirby Wii) is a main-series Kirby game released for the Wii in late 2011 internationally and September 2012 in South Korea. As its North American title suggests, it was the first main-series title to be released on a home console since Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards was released in 2000, and would remain the latest title to have that distinction until the release of Kirby Star Allies in 2018. Much of this game is derived from the leftover work done on the canceled game Kirby for Nintendo GameCube.

Like most other mainline Kirby titles, Kirby's Return to Dream Land has Kirby traverse several different levels, each with four or more stages, while obtaining and utilizing copy abilities and battling enemies, mid-bosses, and bosses. However, several new gameplay features have been added; notably the addition of four-player co-operative play (allowing additional players to join in at any time using King Dedede, Meta Knight, or Bandana Waddle Dee), four all-new standard copy abilities, and a set of special Super Abilities which are powered-up versions of familiar ones, used at specific points in stages. Kirby's Return to Dream Land takes a lot of inspiration from Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra, particularly when it comes to combat, though the level and stage structure more closely resembles Kirby's Adventure. Kirby's Return to Dream Land also makes use of full 3D graphics, though only for visual purposes, as the game proper is still played in two dimensions.

In 2015, Kirby's Return to Dream Land was released as a digital download for the Wii U. A remake of the game, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, was released on February 24th, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch.

Story

Kirby and friends discover a sad Magolor shortly after the Lor Starcutter's crash.

On an unassuming day on Planet Popstar, Kirby is running along the road in a grassy field with a slice of shortcake in hand, pursued by King Dedede and Bandana Waddle Dee, past Meta Knight who is quietly reading a book under a knoll. All of this is interrupted when a hole appears in the sky above, out of which comes the Lor Starcutter. The ship crashes into the countryside, shedding parts as it goes, as Kirby and his companions give chase. Once they catch up with the downed ship, they enter to find Magolor - an alien clad in a blue robe - unconscious on the floor. Once Magolor comes to, he immediately rushes to the ship's console to assess the damage, finding that five major pieces of the ship were lost, along with all 120 of its Energy Spheres. At this, he begins to sulk, prompting Kirby to approach and cheer him up. The party agrees to help this stranger by tracking down the missing pieces. In return, he promises to take them on a cruise to his homeworld - a far-flung planet called Halcandra - once the ship is restored.

With this done, Magolor keeps his word and takes Kirby and his friends to Halcandra, but upon arrival, the Lor Starcutter is immediately shot down by a four-headed dragon named Landia. Seeing this, Kirby agrees to defeat the foul-tempered beast. After traveling to the volcano where Landia resides, they defeat him, causing the dragon's golden crown to fall from his head. In the middle of Kirby's victory, Magolor appears from out of nowhere and nabs the crown. After donning it, Magolor transforms into a more powerful version of himself, revealing the crown to have been his ultimate goal the whole time. With the power of the Master Crown - Magolor declares his intention to bend the universe to his will, and decides to start by subjugating Popstar. With a forced evil laugh, he departs through a dimensional portal of his own making, leaving Kirby and his friends behind on Halcandra.

The formerly defeated dragon Landia approaches Kirby and prompts him to ride on his back in pursuit of Magolor. They fly through the rift just as it closes and chase him down in Another Dimension. From there, they must first battle the Lor Starcutter, then fight Magolor himself, who is driven mad by the crown's power and transformed into the Master Crown's own projection of Magolor in the process. Kirby and friends defeat Magolor, returning him to normal and shattering the crown as an unconscious Magolor disappears, but the group are left stranded in the parallel dimension they found themselves in. Just as the route back to Popstar is about to vanish forever, Landia and the Lor come in and rescue Kirby and his friends, returning them to Popstar. They then see each-other off, grateful to be home safe, and to have put a stop to another evil force.

Gameplay

Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Bandana Waddle Dee in the first stage of Cookie Country.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land returns the series to its roots, taking place in side-scrolling stages (though rendered in 3D) where the goal is to reach the golden Goal Door at the end. While traversing these stages, Kirby will have to deal with numerous different enemies, mid-bosses, and environmental hazards such as bodies of water, spikes, bottomless pits, crushers, and more novel things. These obstacles can be overcome with the use of Kirby's Copy power to gain various attacks, culminating in the use of the new Super Abilities at the end of some stages. While traveling through standard stages, Kirby can also collect Energy Spheres, which are used to unlock bonus content from within the Lor Starcutter. Obtaining these spheres usually entails solving a more complicated puzzle or taking the correct route through the stage. It may also involve hopping briefly into another dimension to do battle with the Sphere Doomers, who always yield two spheres upon defeat. In the last stage of each level, a boss is fought, who must be defeated in order to progress to the next level.

Among the most distinct features in this title is the ability for secondary characters to join Kirby in real-time as he travels through the stages, allowing for a multiplayer experience of up to four players. Secondary players can choose between King Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee, or a Kirby of a different color to play as, and will expend an extra life when they appear if Kirby has multiple. Apart from the other Kirbys, these characters are locked to a particular moveset. If they are KO'd, they will be removed from the game until the player controlling them decides to hop back in, costing another extra life to do so. Characters can interact with each other in various ways, including hopping off each-others' heads, riding piggyback, hanging on to each other as they fly, or sharing food items. Secondary characters cannot travel too far away from Kirby, however, and should protect him at all costs, for if Kirby is KO'd, they will have to start over again.

The Goal Game.

After collecting enough Energy Spheres, Sub-Games and other bonus areas are unlocked inside the Lor Starcutter, which Kirby can return to from the world map. Among these rooms are various Challenge Stages, which will test Kirby's skill with a specific Copy Ability (or with items). Also unlocked are a number of Copy Ability testing rooms, which allow Kirby to practice with various moves, and allow him to leave the Lor with one of those abilities equipped.

Upon completion of the Main Mode, an Extra Mode is unlocked, which will allow the player to play through the story again on an increased difficulty setting. Among other things, playing in this mode cuts Kirby's (and other characters') maximum health down to 60% and changes all bosses and mid-bosses to more powerful forms with stronger attacks and even some new moves.

Controls

Kirby's moveset
Move	Image	Controls
Guard		A
Drop copy ability	N/A	-
Walk		← or ⁠→
Dash		Quickly tap ← or ⁠→ twice
Crouch	N/A	↓
Swallow/copy	N/A	↓
Enter door	N/A	↑
Jump		2
Hover		Hold or press 2 repeatedly in midair
Slide	N/A	↓ + 2
Inhale		1
Spit	N/A	1
Use copy ability		1
Shoot air (in midair)	N/A	1
Shoot water (in water)	N/A	1
Throw		1
Co-op Techniques
Headbutt Jump	N/A	Jump upward toward an ally in midair
Face-to-Face	N/A	Touch an ally after grabbing a healing item
Piggyback	N/A	Climb on an ally's back
Team Attack	N/A	During Piggyback, hold A, release at same time

Characters

Characters in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Character	Role
Kirby	The roly-poly pink puff and star of this adventure. Kirby is enjoying a day of fun with his friends when the mysterious Lor Starcutter, helmed by Magolor, crash-lands into Dream Land. An altruist as always, Kirby offers to help recover the ship's missing parts and Energy Spheres, discovering powerful Super Abilities and rifts to Another Dimension along the way. Players 2, 3 and 4 can also choose to play as differently-colored Kirbys (yellow for player 2, blue for player 3, and green for player 4).
King Dedede	In an act of selfless diplomacy, Kirby's arch-frenemy King Dedede accompanies him on his quest to help Magolor. King Dedede acts as a permanent variant on the Hammer ability, while still being able to puff up and float just like Kirby.
Meta Knight	Meta Knight is reading a book on a knoll when the Lor Starcutter appears. Soon afterwards, he offers to help Kirby with his experienced swordsmanship. He plays much like he did in Meta Knightmare and Meta Knightmare Ultra, being a permanent combination of the Sword and Wing abilities, but he also has a few new tricks up his sleeve.
Bandana Waddle Dee	This intrepid bandana-wearing Waddle Dee, newly playable in this game, is thrust into the spotlight when he joins Kirby on his journey. He acts as a permanent variant on the newly-introduced Spear ability, and is also able to Infinity Jump to keep up with the others while in midair. In this game, he is referred to simply as "Waddle Dee".
Magolor	The friendly alien who kickstarts the plot, Magolor asks Kirby and friends to recover the parts for his sunken ship, the Lor Starcutter. When the ship is fully repaired, he takes the group back to his home planet, Halcandra. Once there, he is shot down again by the enraged dragon, Landia; he asks Kirby's group to take down the dragon and quell its rampage. This turns out to be a trick, as Magolor was actually after the Master Crown that Landia was guarding, allowing him to reveal his true ambition to take over the entire universe. As the final boss of the game, Kirby and friends put a stop to his plans.
Lor Starcutter	A mysterious ancient ship powered by Energy Spheres. Collecting these spheres, along with the five primary parts of the ship, constitutes one of the major goals of the game. As Kirby does so, new areas of the ship are unlocked for him and his friends to enjoy. The Lor Starcutter apparently has a mind of its own, and its parts double as weapons.
Landia	A four-headed dragon and the guardian of the Master Crown, tasked with warding off anyone who should threaten the ancient artifact. Landia's potent attacks are enhanced by its ability to split into four single-headed dragons. Magolor deceives the heroes into fighting Landia, but after he takes the crown for himself, the four dragons forgive Kirby's group and allow them to ride on their backs into the last battle in Another Dimension.

Copy Abilities

Kirby's Return to Dream Land introduces four new abilities to the series. While featuring fewer abilities overall than some of its predecessors, all returning abilities are heavily re-worked, granting each one a revised and expanded moveset, along with providing a few with new hats. Each new ability is similarly fleshed out.

Copy Abilities in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Ability	Icon	Provider(s)	Description	Notes
New Abilities
Leaf		Bulby, Leafan	Kirby gains the ability to throw razor-sharp leaves at his opponents, and hide in a pile of leaves for protection.
Spear		Lanzer, Pierce	Kirby gains a spear, which can be used to thrust through walls or toss from a distance. Can be used underwater.
Water		Pluid, Water Galbo, Water Galboros, water projectiles from Fatty Puffer and his EX version	Kirby gains the ability to ride water waves and spit water to harm foes and douse flames. Also enhances his Water Gun.
Whip		Whippy	Kirby can snap at opponents through walls and grab them with a whip. This can also snatch items from afar.
Returning Abilities
Beam		Gemra, Waddle Doo, King Doo, drones from Metal General and its EX version	Kirby can throw out magical beam attacks, including a beam whip and beam blasts.
Bomb		Foley, Poppy Bros. Jr. (and his bombs), Bomb Machine, bombs from Mr. Dooter and his EX version, rockets from Metal General and its EX version, HR-D3, and Magolor Soul	Kirby can prep and toss bombs at opponents.	Gains a new hat.
Crash		Searches, super inhaling the big rockets from Metal General and his EX version	Kirby can cause a massive explosion that defeats all foes on-screen.	Single-use ability. Gains a new hat.
Cutter		Jackle, Sir Kibble, Kibble Blade (EX) and super inhaling its projectiles	Kirby can throw bladed boomerangs which return to him when thrown and can be steered somewhat.
Fighter		Knuckle Joe	Kirby gains a large number of powerful martial-arts-based moves and a series of energy blasts.
Fire		Flamer, Galbo, Hot Head, Fire Sphere Doomer (and its projectiles), volcano rocks from Dangerous Dinner's 1st and 3rd stages, Mr. Dooter EX's fiery Dooter Skulls	Kirby can breathe fire or engulf himself in flames.
Hammer		Bonkers, Magolor and Magolor Soul's hammers	Kirby gains a powerful hammer that can pulverize enemies and pound stakes. Can be used underwater.
Hi-Jump		Starman	Kirby can leap high into the air to defeat enemies or rocket down from the sky.
Ice		Chilly, Snowl, Strike Box, Ice Sphere Doomer (and its projectiles), all of Goriath and Goriath EX's projectiles	Kirby can freeze enemies solid using icy breath or an icy aura, and can also encase himself in ice for protection.
Mike		Walky	Kirby can shout into a microphone to defeat enemies with damaging sound waves.	Three-use ability.
Needle		Needlous, Tick, Totenga	Kirby can spout needles of various sizes from his body, and shoot them out.
Ninja		Moonja	Kirby gains access to a large number of ninja-like techniques, including throwing knives and slashing with a katana.	Gains a new hat.
Parasol		Parasol Waddle Dee, Parasol Waddle Doo, their dropped parasols	Kirby gains a parasol that can be used to defend, attack or float gently downward. Can be used underwater.
Sleep		Noddy	Kirby falls asleep and cannot do anything until he wakes up, except for producing a damaging snot bubble.	Limited-duration ability.
Spark		Elec, Sparky, Spark Sphere Doomer (and its projectiles), Dubior (and Dubior Jr.) (also from EX variations), Metal General EX's electric mines	Kirby can generate electric fields and fire them at opponents.	Takes elements from Plasma in previous titles.
Stone		Rocky, Moundo	Kirby can transform into a stone and slide down hills, or attack using a stone fist.	Gains a new hat.
Sword		Blade Knight, Sodory, Gigant Edge	Kirby gains a sword and a large number of powerful sword techniques. Can be used underwater.
Tornado		Twister	Kirby can transform into a small tornado and cut through enemies at high speed.
Wing		Owgulf	Kirby gains a pair of wings and can attack with divebombs and feathers.

Super Abilities

All Super Abilities hold a time limit on how long they can be used. They are typically very powerful, and using them to destroy a final obstacle is often required to access another dimension where Kirby can obtain two additional Energy Spheres from a Sphere Doomer.

Super Abilities from Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Copy Abilities	Icon	Normal counterpart	Obtained from
Flare Beam		Beam	Super Waddle Doo
Grand Hammer		Hammer	Super Bonkers , hammer spawned by Magolor EX
Monster Flame		Fire	Super Hot Head
Snow Bowl		Ice	Super Chilly
Ultra Sword		Sword	Super Blade Knight

Levels

All main levels include one boss stage, which is included in the stage count.

World	Level	Image	Name	Stages	Energy Spheres	Ship Part	Boss(es)	Description
Popstar	Level 1		Cookie Country	Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5	13	Oars	Whispy Woods	This level is a grassy level with trees and vegetation. Some parts of this level are played underground.
	Level 2		Raisin Ruins	Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5	16	Right Wing	Mr. Dooter	This level is set in a desert with pyramids and ruins.
	Level 3		Onion Ocean	Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5	16	Left Wing	Fatty Puffer	This level takes place in aquatic environments, above and under the sea.
	Level 4		White Wafers	Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6	19	Emblem	Goriath	This level is characterized by being snowy and icy throughout.
	Level 5		Nutty Noon	Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6	20	Mast	Grand Doomer	This level bears a vague "Jack and the Beanstalk" feel, starting on the ground, carrying to the sky, and eventually arriving at a castle situated in the air. Like in previous games, this level features stages where characters can walk on clouds.
Halcandra	Level 6		Egg Engines	Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Stage 6	21	N/A	Metal General HR-D3 (Extra Mode only)	This level is set in a mechanized and industrialized area, showing signs of decay.
	Level 7		Dangerous Dinner	Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4	15	N/A	Landia	This level is set in a volcanic, lava-dominated land.
Another Dimension	Level 8		Another Dimension	N/A	0	N/A	Lor & Magolor Magolor Magolor (second form) (Main Mode only) Magolor Soul (Extra Mode only)	This level is a boss level where Kirby must fight the final three bosses of the game. It is located in a tunnel that connects various dimensions.

• In the Japanese, English and Korean versions, the first letters of Level 1-7 spell out C-R-O-W-N-E-D, the soundtrack title for the final battle with Magolor Soul (his second boss form), indicating how he has crowned himself with the Master Crown.
• In the Latin American Spanish version, the first letters of Level 1-7 spell out CORONAR (which translates to "to crown" in Spanish), very similar to the English version.
• In the French versions, the first letters of Level 1-7 spell out PARFAIT (which translates to "perfect" in French).
• In the German version, the first letters of Level 1-7 spell out KROENEN, representing "Krönen" (which translates to "to crown" in German).

Enemies

Kirby's Return to Dream Land offers a massive array of enemies, many of which have never before been seen in the series. While the majority of these enemies provide no copy ability when swallowed, there are often at least two different enemies who will provide the same ability, offering a good deal of variety. Most enemies are defeated relatively easily, but some are invincible and must be avoided instead.

Neutral enemies in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Name	Image	New enemy?	Description	Notes
Armor Waddle Dee			A heavy metal suit made to resemble a Waddle Dee. Has three Waddle Dees inside which are exposed once the suit breaks.	Has a Popstar and Halcandra variant.
Babut			A bulbous bat which hangs from ceilings until Kirby gets near, whence it will fly toward him and attack by collision.	This is Babut's first 3D appearance.
Barbar			A giant invincible eel that pops out of holes and tries to swallow Kirby. It will chew him for a bit if successful.
Barracu			A nasty fish with sharp teeth that swims back and forth and will thrash Kirby with its jaws if it catches him.
Blipper			A fish that wears goggles. It will swim after Kirby or try to jump out of the water to hit him. It flops around on land.	This is Blipper's first 3D appearance.
Bouncy			A pink creature with a bow on a spring that bounces in place.	Has a Popstar and Halcandra variant.
Bouncy Sis			A larger and more decorated version of Bouncy.
Bowby			A floating bow with a face that holds in place and will try to shoot arrows at Kirby.	Has a Popstar and Halcandra variant.
Bronto Burt			A stubborn flying ball of a foe who will fly in consistent patterns, hold in place, or pursue Kirby.	Has a Popstar and Halcandra variant.
Broom Hatter			A yellow lass wearing a witch's hat who sweeps the ground using a broomstick.
Cappy			A mushroom-like foe who wears a cap. If Kirby attempts to inhale Cappy while its cap is on, the cap will fly into his mouth in place of the enemy proper.
Carry Dee			A yellow Waddle Dee-like creature with a monkey's face and tail who can be seen holding Keys. Kirby has to chase it down and defeat it to get its key.	Known as Key Dee in later games.
Cerulean			A spear tip-shaped flying foe who gently glides in a straight direction while sometimes slowly descending. It can only attack by collision but does not actively seek to do so.
Clayn			A slug-like foe who curls up into a small blob until approached, where it then unfurls and reveals itself. Does not do much aside from this.
Coldtzo			A large invulnerable cannon foe who shoots big ice volleys at Kirby.
Coconut			A seemingly inanimate object which will try to drop on Kirby's head and explode if he passes underneath. Comes in two different sizes.	This is the Coconut's first 3D appearance.
Como			A spider-like foe who slides down on a strand of silk when Kirby approaches. It will be defeated if hit directly or if its string is cut.	This is Como's first 3D appearance.
Craby			A circular crab-like enemy who scuttles along the ocean floor and extends its arms out diagonally to try and snip at Kirby.
Darpa			A Sphere Doomer-like foe that inhabits Another Dimension. Its only attack is to fly straight, attempting to ram into its target.
Degout			A floating robotic eye that cannot be inhaled and can be attacked a lot. Most are stationary, but some will pursue Kirby.
Deppa			A Sphere Doomer-like foe that inhabits Another Dimension. It is big and bulky, can fire projectiles, and explodes into four pieces when defeated.
Dippa			A Sphere Doomer-like foe that inhabits Another Dimension. It is slightly larger than a Darpa, can fire projectiles, and attempts to ram into its target.
Dupa			A Sphere Doomer-like foe that inhabits Another Dimension. It is egg-shaped and clings to surfaces with its feet, firing projectiles as it goes.
Gigatzo			A very large invulnerable cannon which fires flaming boulders on a regular basis.
Glunk			An unassuming anemone-like enemy which can fire projectiles from its head, and tends to cling to surfaces without moving.
Gordo			A spiny invulnerable floating enemy which should be avoided.
Hunter Degout			A red Degout who will pursue Kirby relentlessly, but only if he has a Key.
Hunter Scarfy			A red Scarfy who will pursue Kirby relentlessly, but only if he has a Key. Reverts to normal if he drops or uses the key.
Iron Barbar			A massive black Barbar who emerges from lava pits and tries to eat Kirby.
Kabu			A small stone idol which is capable of rolling around, leaping, and occasionally vanishing and reappearing somewhere else.	This is Kabu's first 3D appearance.
Mopoo			Circular snow-tuft creatures that jump out of fissures in the ground or in clouds and either arc back down or keep rising indefinitely. Fissures produce them continuously.
Mumbies			A floating red eye wrapped in bandages which will chase Kirby if he is not looking at it. Cannot be inhaled.
Nruff			A woolly pig-like creature which charges and jumps. Waddle Dees can be seen riding them.
Pacloud			A cloudy variant of Pacto which has slightly higher stamina, but is otherwise the same.
Pacto			A floating yellow monster with a huge maw who will try to eat Kirby if he enters its range. Has rather high stamina.	This is Pacto's first 3D appearance.
Puppet Waddle Dee			A crude paper suit made to resemble a Waddle Dee. Has three Waddle Dees inside which are exposed once the suit breaks.
Scarfy			A deviously cute flying creature who usually holds in place. If Kirby tries to inhale it or hurts it, it turns into a demon and chases him.
Shelt			A small armless creature that wears a pointed metal helmet and charges at Kirby. The helmet can be inhaled or broken, leaving the defenseless Shelt to run in fear.
Shotzo			An invulnerable round cannon that shoots continuous volleys and may re-orient itself to aim at Kirby. It can fall if the ground is removed from beneath it.
Squishy			A white squid who can swim through water, jump out of the water, and walk around on land.	This is Squishy's first 3D appearance.
Volttzo			An invulnerable large cannon which fires large balls of lightning on regular intervals.
Waddle Dee			Common and generally passive creatures similar to Kirby in physique, though without mouths.	Has a Popstar and Halcandra variant. Can also be seen swinging from ropes.
Walf			Inflatable raft-like turtle enemies who float on the surface of the water and will pursue Kirby slowly.
Wapod			Ghostly Waddle Dees who waft out of pots. The pot must be destroyed to stop Wapods from appearing.	This is Wapod's first 3D appearance.

Copy Ability-providing enemies in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Name	Image	New enemy?	Ability	Description	Notes
Blade Knight			Sword	A swordsman in green armor who sits in place or walks slowly and will try to swipe at Kirby if he gets close.	This is Blade Knight's first 3D appearance.
Bulby			Leaf	An animate tuber plant with eyes and limbs that pops out of the ground when startled, then slowly glides down using its flower.
Chilly			Ice	A living snowman who can conjure a freezing aura around himself when Kirby gets near. Otherwise, he just shuffles around.
Elec			Spark	A robotic eyeball with green protrusions that rolls along walls and can emit electricity. A close cousin of Flamer.
Flamer			Fire	A spicy eyeball with pink protrusions that rolls along walls and can spout flames. It will occasionally jump off the wall to try and tackle Kirby.	This is Flamer's first 3D appearance.
Foley			Bomb	A circular flying creature with a propeller cap. If Kirby tries to pass underneath, Foley drops its propeller and falls, exploding once it hits something.	This is Foley's first 3D appearance.
Galbo			Fire	A small dragon-like blob creature which can hop around and breathe fire.
Gemra			Beam	A floating crystal ball with a hat that holds its position and fires a beam whip toward Kirby.
Hot Head			Fire	A flaming octopus-like enemy which spews flames from its snout.	This is Hot Head's first 3D appearance.
Jackle			Cutter	A floating enemy similar to Wheelie in appearance which throws a cutter boomerang in whatever direction it is facing.
Knuckle Joe			Fighter	A young karate master who knows many different moves, though is still very susceptible to Kirby's inhale.
Lanzer			Spear	A purple-clad knight who marches back and forth and jabs with its trident.
Leafan			Leaf	A bulbous orange creature with a leafy crown and tail which can float gently through the air and spit seeds out on both sides of itself.
Moonja			Ninja	An elusive foe in a purple ninja cloak who knows many tricks, but is susceptible to Kirby's inhale.
Needlous			Needle	A spiky caterpillar-like foe that can roll up into a ball and rush forward.	This is Needlous's first 3D appearance.
Noddy			Sleep	A pink armless opponent who spends most of its time asleep.
Owgulf			Wing	A red owl-like bird that can throw feather projectiles at Kirby.
Parasol Waddle Dee			Parasol	A Waddle Dee holding a Parasol. Can be made to drop the parasol if attacked or after landing from a drift.
Parasol Waddle Doo			Parasol or Beam	A Waddle Doo holding a Parasol. Can be made to drop the parasol if attacked or after landing from a drift.
Pierce			Spear	A flying bumblebee soldier who uses a spear to attack.
Pluid			Water	A blob of water with eyes that drops from ceilings and tries to bump into Kirby.
Poppy Bros. Jr.			Bomb	A small trickster who throws large bombs at Kirby. The bombs can also be inhaled for the ability.
Rocky			Stone	A rock with eyes, feet, and a headband who falls very quickly after a leap or after walking off a cliff.
Searches			Crash	A floating spherical creature which will detonate if Kirby gets too close.
Sir Kibble			Cutter	A yellow suit of armor who throws cutter boomerangs at Kirby.
Snowl			Ice	A frosty owl who flies back and forth and drops chunks of ice on regular intervals.
Sodory			Sword	A living sword who hops using its blade and uses its hilt like wings. It can swipe at Kirby with its blade.
Sparky			Spark	A green tear-shaped blob enemy who can hop and emit an electric barrier around itself.
Starman			Hi-Jump	A star-shaped superhero with a cape who can make great leaps upward.	This is Starman's first 3D appearance.
Tick			Needle	A white blob who can shoot a huge needle out the top of its head when Kirby tries to pass overhead.
Totenga			Needle	A spiky orange creature who rests atop a tall green spiky cactus. Hits to the cactus cause it to shrink. Totenga cannot be inhaled until the cactus base is completely gone.
Twister			Tornado	A yellow spinning top foe who can briefly turn into a mini-tornado.	This is Twister's first 3D appearance.
Waddle Doo			Beam	A small cycloptic creature similar to Waddle Dees who can fire a beam from his giant eye.	Can also be seen swinging from ropes.
Walky			Mike	An anthropomorphic microphone that paces back and forth.
Water Galbo			Water	A blue Galbo which spits globs of water instead of breathing fire.
Whippy			Whip	A limbless cat-like creature with a long whip tail that it can strike with at far range.
Super Enemies
Super Blade Knight			Ultra Sword	A more decorated version of Blade Knight who otherwise acts the same.
Super Chilly			Snow Bowl	A more decorated version of Chilly who otherwise acts the same.
Super Hammer			Grand Hammer	An inanimate hammer that can appear during the final boss battle in Extra Mode.
Super Hot Head			Monster Flame	A more decorated version of Hot Head who otherwise acts the same.
Super Waddle Doo			Flare Beam	A more decorated version of Waddle Doo who otherwise acts the same.
Super enemies will drop ability stars upon defeat. Super Bonkers is mentioned in the Mid-Bosses table.

Super Ability-specific enemies

The following enemies appear exclusively in Super Ability sections in stages. Without exception, they bear glowing stars somewhere on them to mark them as targets for the Super Abilities, and can only be destroyed by said abilities. All of them are new to this game and have not appeared in any game since.

Note that other environmental objects with stars on them can be targets for the super abilities as well, but since these do not actively attack Kirby, they will not be listed here.

Super Ability-specific enemies in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Name	Image	Description	Notes
Bomb Machine		A large bomb on a wheel trolley and crank which re-positions it. It fires missiles from its mouth and can be defeated by lighting its fuse with the Monster Flame ability.	The missiles provide the Bomb ability if swallowed.
Burner Box		A fire-spewing box which can be pounded flat using the Grand Hammer ability.
Drill Machine		A spiky piston-based machine that can be destroyed using the Flare Beam or Monster Flame abilities.
Giant Flotzo		A large pale octopus-like creature who hides inside a shipwreck, and can be defeated using the Monster Flame ability.
Merman Statue		A waddling statue with a barrel in its mouth. The barrel can be struck when exposed using Monster Flame.
Moai Block		A series of stone blocks; some being able to spew flames from their 'mouths'. Can be broken using the Flare Beam or Ultra Sword abilities.
Strike Box		A jack-in-the-box-like enemy who pops out in various places to fire beam blasts. Can be smashed using the Grand Hammer ability.	Its projectiles provide the Ice ability when swallowed.

Mid-Bosses

Note: The more difficult forms of these mid-bosses played in Extra mode have a different color scheme and an "(EX)" appended to the end of their names.

Mid-Bosses in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Name	Appearance	Copy Ability	Description
Bonkers		Hammer	Bonkers' debut 3D appearance. He attacks much like his counterparts in previous titles, but has an EX version with more formidable techniques.
Super Bonkers		Grand Hammer	A super variant of Bonkers who provides the Grand Hammer ability. Despite his name and look, Super Bonkers is not any tougher than normal Bonkers.
Dubior		Spark	A floating UFO-type enemy that can generate an energy shield and fire sparks in various patterns. It can also summon little minions that can be swallowed and spat back at it.
Gigant Edge		Sword	A large armored swordsman who carries a shield and charges with his blade. His attacks are slow, but dangerous.
Kibble Blade		Cutter	A large silver version of Sir Kibble that throws huge inhalable cutter blades and sometimes charges head-first at Kirby.
King Doo		Beam	A very large Waddle Doo with a long hair-lick draped over his eye. He can fire his beam in many different ways, much like Beam Kirby can.
Moundo		Stone	Resembles a tiny mountain with eyes, a craggy mouth, a headband, and a pair of sandals. It attacks by rolling about and crashing down from above.
Sphere Doomer		N/A	Spectral beings from Another Dimension that come in four variants. Each Doomer is characterized by its vaguely bird-like features attached to a spherical ghostly body, and can be sorted from least to most powerful through the number of tail feathers each one bears. They attack with various flying maneuvers and firing energy orbs that can be inhaled and spat back. Most Sphere Doomers drop two Energy Spheres upon defeat.
Water Galboros		Water	A large Galbo that spits water projectiles. It also performs various attacks with its girth, by charging and slamming.

Bosses

These bosses are fought throughout the game at the end of each level, in this order. In Extra Mode, these bosses have an (EX) appended to the end of their name. Lor & Magolor, Magolor, and Magolor Soul are all fought in Another Dimension. In The Arena, these bosses, along with 3 mid-boss challenges, are fought in no particular order, except for the Another Dimension bosses, which are played in order at the end of the Arena. In The True Arena, the EX forms of the bosses are fought.

Bosses in Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Boss	Main form	HP (Main)	EX form	HP (EX)	Description
Whispy Woods		330		480	A sentient tree which can drop apples and breathe gale force winds to attack. Whispy Woods also gains the ability to inhale and chew on Kirby and friends.
Mr. Dooter		420		580	An exotic magician which can produce skulls and snakes from his hat, and can spin rapidly to form a tornado.
Fatty Puffer		560		700	An obese pufferfish with the ability to perform a rolling charge, spit water projectiles, and inflate to an even more monstrous size when damaged enough.
Goriath		460		540	A large white primate with the ability to control ice and deliver powerful punches. In his second phase, Goriath's hair turns golden and he gains additional attacks, such as the ability to fire energy waves.
Grand Doomer		580		640	The final boss fought on Popstar, Grand Doomer is the leader of the fierce Sphere Doomers. It can fire energy spheres and disappear into a dimensional hole to ambush Kirby. During Grand Doomer's second phase within the main mode, it gains stony armor which can only be damaged by the Ultra Sword ability.
Metal General		600		640	The mechanical guardian of Egg Engines, Metal General possesses impressive swordsmanship and can shoot bombs and giant missiles at Kirby. In Extra Mode, Metal General is fought directly before HR-D3.
HR-D3				720 Phase 1: 288 (40%) Phase 2: 432 (60%)	A titanic robot piloted by Metal General. It has two separate health bars for each of its attack phases. HR-D3 can fire homing rockets, shoot lasers from its eyes, and spin its giant arms around.
Landia		640		720	The draconian keeper of the Master Crown, Landia consists of four smaller dragons which can combine into a single, four-headed beast. Landia's attacks consist of launching fireballs, creating windstorms, and wielding electrical currents.
Lor & Magolor		580		680	Magolor manipulates the corrupted Lor Starcutter to assault Kirby. It can launch star projectiles and energy orbs, throw its wings akin to boomerangs, and even control a massive hurricane.
Galacta Knight				540*	A legendary swordsman akin to Meta Knight, said to be the most powerful warrior in the galaxy. He possesses a wide range of attacks with his lance and shield, as well as the ability to summon and launch energy swords.
Magolor		600		800	The deceitful wizard possesses an impressive array of magical abilities, including the ability to launch magical spheres, summon Doomers to glide across the screen, and generate black holes. In his second phase, Magolor creates a star-like shield which can only be broken using Super Abilities.
Magolor (second form) Magolor Soul		750		999	After his initial defeat, Magolor transforms into an ethereal, more powerful reincarnated form. During their second phase, Magolor's second form and Magolor Soul can respectively wield their own, twisted renditions of Kirby's Super Abilities.
Notes: The basic Star Bullet does 52 damage. Multiplayer damage multiplier: 0.8 for 2 players, 0.75 for 3 players, 0.7 for 4 players. Bosses have 75% maximum HP in The Arena and The True Arena (rounded down to zero decimal places). The table lists Galacta Knight's actual 540 HP* in The True Arena instead of the 720 base HP.

Legacy

Kirby's Return to Dream Land builds upon the legacy for modern Kirby series games that was previously set by Kirby Super Star Ultra, with some characters, concepts, places, and assets making a mainstay in future Kirby games to come, such as the following:

• The main engine of Kirby's Return to Dream Land would become the main basis for future games rendered in 3D up to Kirby Fighters 2, and as such, many assets were reused in future games, especially audio and graphics.
• Another Dimension would become a mainstay (including its dimensional rifts) in modern Kirby series games, such as Team Kirby Clash Deluxe and Kirby Star Allies, although the concept of parallel bosses didn't debut until the former.
• Various characters and enemies who have debuted in this game, such as Magolor and Landia, would become mainstays within the Kirby series, whether as cameo appearances or even as playable characters.
• Ultra Sword would receive more cameo appearances than any other Super Ability seen in the game, and was even incorporated into Kirby's Final Smash in the Super Smash Bros. series since Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U.
• A remake of this game called Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe released for the Nintendo Switch on February 24, 2023. Unlike the original game, and similarly to Kirby Super Star Ultra, the game has the same name in both the North American and European/Australian versions.

Unused content

Main article: tcrf:Kirby's Return to Dream Land

A number of unused ability icons exist in the game's files. Among them include icons for super versions of Cutter and Spark, which were likely removed for functioning too similar to already-existing Super Abilities. There are also models of a hat and weapon for the Cutter-based Super ability. Both said super abilities also have HUD icons although the Spark-based Super ability's is just a duplicate of Ultra Sword. Additionally, a pair of icons with a clock inset are present. These remove Kirby's copy ability, and went unused.

There is an unused purple switch variant which can be accessed in the game's files. There is also a fully animated, unused enemy called "Hearbell" which resembles a Pacflower from Kirby: Triple Deluxe. It has animations for catching Kirby in its mouth, suggesting that it would act similar to Pacto or Barbar. Textures of an early design for Walf and several others also exist in the game's files.

• 
  Unused super Cutter ability icon
• 
  Unused super Spark ability icon
• 
  Unused super Cutter ability hat
• 
  Unused model of the blade that super Cutter Kirby would use
• 
  Unused ability reset copy ability icon
• 
  Unused ability reset super ability icon
• 
  Hearbell, an unused enemy that tries to catch Kirby in its mouth
• 
  An early design for Walf

Staff

The following is a list of staff who have worked on Kirby's Return to Dream Land:

Staff of Kirby's Return to Dream Land
Position		Developer(s)
	Director	Shinya Kumazaki
	Assistant Director	Yuki Endo Tatsuya Kamiyama
	Program Director	Hiroaki Nakano
	Lead Action Programming	Katsuyoshi Sumitomo
	Programming	Akio Hanyu Masaaki Fukunaga Takaaki Kawahara Tomokazu Tsuruoka Isao Takahashi Sho Tajima Tomohiro Kamochi Masami Ishiguro Keita Tanifuji Rui Uchida Yoshihiro Nagata Takayuki Sugano Ryoichiro Atono Takashi Nozue
	Design Director	Tadashi Kamitake
	Lead Character Design	Kazuyuki Nakamura Kenichiro Kita
	Design	Akiko Hayashi Hitoshi Kikkawa Tsuyoshi Wakayama Tetsuya Mochiduki Shigeyuki Kawata Tsuyoshi Fujita Riki Fuhrmann Masa Matsubayashi Souta Sugisaki Monami Matsuura Akihiro Kanno Tomoyuki Iwakuro Tsutomu Taniguchi
	Lead Motif Design	Tadashi Hashikura
	Motif Design	Noriko Itoh Daisuke Morishita Masashi Fujiura Shigeru Hashiguchi Tomomi Minami Yuki Honda Kumiko Itoh
	Level Design Support	Koji Akaike
	Movie	Kunio Watanabe
	Sub-Game Director	Hisatoshi Takeuchi Kazushige Masuda
	Sub-Game Programming	Takuya Abe Kouji Mori Munemasa Kimura Yoshiya Taniguchi Hideto Fukushima
	Sub-Game Design	Kazuo Yazawa Ayaka Kimura Teruhiko Suzuki Shingo Yamada Yuuta Kawakami Haruka Abe
	Sound	Hirokazu Ando Jun Ishikawa
	Voice	Makiko Ohmoto (Kirby)
	Team Support	Seiji Otoguro
	Design Adviser	Ashura Benimaru Itoh
	Public Relations	Satoshi Ishida Tomohiro Minemura
	Artwork	Tetsuya Notoya Rieko Kawahara Yumiko Sano Hisayo Osanai Keiko Inoue Sachiko Nakamichi
	NOK Artwork	Jiyoung Shin Siyoung An
	Testing	Masaru Kobayashi Akimitsu Ushikoshi Dai Suzuki Kenta Nakanishi Tsuyoshi Komura Naofumi Terazono Yuuki Tanikawa Miyuki Murato HAL Debug Team Mario Club
	Technical Support	Chiharu Itoh Tatsuhiro Tanoue Koutarou Hiromatsu Shingo Okamoto
	NOA Localization Management	Nate Bihldorff Reiko Ninomiya Tim O'Leary Leslie Swan
	NOA Localization	Hélène Bisson-Pelland Kristin Kirby Anne-Marie Laperrière César Pérez Morgan Ritchie Galia Rodríguez Hornedo Tom Slattery
	NOE Localisation Management	Erkan Kasap William Romick
	NOE Localisation Producers	Andrew Steele Barbara Wallace
	NOE Translation Coordination	Daniele Braglia
	Translation	Benjamin Roffey Thomas Berthollet Sabrina Jouillat Susanne Becker Philipp Zechner Kent Robello Mirko Capocelli Miguel Sánchez Miguel Rodríguez
	NOE Quality Assurance Coordination	Stefania Montagnese
	Quality Assurance	James Clarke Michael Reid Sarah Rutherford-Bryant Nicolas Jéhanne Tristan Germanaud Ahmed Bounouar Mareike Krause Peter Eiselt Hannah Siebert Edoardo Toniolatti Robert Roja Alessandro Crosa Miguel Ángel Carnero Calderón María Gay Moreno Jesús Gutiérrez
	NOA Product Testing Management	Masayasu Nakata Kyle Hudson Eric M. Bush Sean Egan Tomoko Mikami Nicko Gonzales De Santiago Teresa Lillygren
	NOA Product Testing	Scott Callahan Stephen Ward Christopher N. Hicks Josh Newman Kindra Timmerwilke Sara Hoad Stéphane Arlot Noriko Kaji William Hixenbaugh Ludovic Tientcheu
	NOK Localization Management	Yu Fukaya Hyokjin Jung
	NCL Localization Management	Kimiharu Hyodo Kimiko Nakamichi
	NOK Localization	Jihyun Choi Joohe Kim
	NCL Localization Coordination	Chulsoo Yoon Ilho Kim Jonghoon Park
	NOK Testing	Junbong Lee Sungmin Park Kyoungim Na Weonjun Jang NOK Debug Team
	Special Thanks	Masanobu Yamamoto Hiroshi Fujie Zenta Ando Kensuke Tanabe Taira Murakami Ken Osada Hiromasa Endo Haruka Itou Kanako Omori Shunsuke Akagi Toshio Yasuhara Yoshimi Takahashi Katsuhiro Sakoda Shinya Watanabe Hitoshi Ishimura Yuki Nishimura Shinichi Kawaji Yuzo Honda Tetsuya Noge Tatsuya Murase Hiroshi Ohnishi Kazuya Konishi Yasuhiro Mukae Yukari Kemmochi Ryusei Matsuo Hiromi Deyama Akinari Kaneko Yusuke Ota Yumi Todo Tadashi Ikegami Toru Yamashita Tomoaki Tsuji
	Managing Director	Kazuhiro Yoshikawa Yurie Hattori
	Project Management	Tetsuya Abe
	Producer	Hiroaki Suga Hitoshi Yamagami Shigefumi Kawase
	General Producer	Masayoshi Tanimura Shinya Takahashi
	Executive Producer	Satoru Iwata
HAL Laboratory, Inc. and Nintendo are the authors of this software for the purpose of copyright. All rights reserved. ©2011 HAL Laboratory, Inc. / Nintendo HAL Laboratory, Inc. Nintendo

Nintendo eShop description

Kirby™ and his friends are back in an adventure designed to satisfy longtime Kirby fans and beginners alike. When an alien spaceship crashes in the otherwise-peaceful realm of Planet Pop Star, its pieces are scattered throughout the land.

Players must guide Kirby as he retrieves the ship's parts and helps an alien return to its home planet. Kirby's powerful Copy Ability returns, allowing him to inhale, spit, and transform as he encounters enemies. He can deploy classic abilities, new abilities, and also Super Abilities, which are activated after inhaling special enemy characters.

This time, however, Kirby is not alone. At any time, up to three more players can join in the fun and play as Meta Knight, King Dedede, Waddle Dee, or a different-color Kirby.

Trivia

• Many elements of this title, and possibly the base engine itself, were taken from the canceled Kirby for Nintendo GameCube game, including certain musical tracks, the Piggyback mechanic, and HR-D3.
• This game takes many elements from Kirby Super Star, such as the multiplayer feature, and generally the same storyline as Milky Way Wishes, with Magolor being like Marx, asking for help so that they could each achieve ultimate power. Each also has a harder, more powerful form, known as Magolor Soul and Marx Soul respectively.
  • This similarity is further compounded by one of Kirby's Stone transformations in Kirby: Triple Deluxe, which depicts both Magolor and Marx together as a golden statue.
• On October 23, 2015, Satoshi Ishida from HAL Laboratory revealed in a Miiverse post that HAL was considering Kirby's Return to Dream Land to be titled Kirby Wii: Super Friends during development. This combined 'Super' from 'Super Abilities' "with the image of adventuring together", and "'friend' evokes the concept of friendship, which is one of the game's main themes".
  • Ironically, the title 'Super Friends' would arguably have been even more fitting for the later game Kirby Star Allies.
• Kirby's Return to Dream Land is the first Kirby title to be rated E10+ by the ESRB, as well as the first to be rated 7+ by the PEGI. The primary reason for the ESRB rating is the Scope Shot minigame, in which "players assume a third-person perspective to fire pellet guns at an oversized tank and passing blimps—the sequence is accompanied by constant projectile fire and realistic explosions."
• The signs that tell the player what action to perform in the early stages will show a red circle after completing the action in the Japanese and Korean versions, due to red circles representing affirmation, while in the international versions, it is replaced with a green checkmark instead, due to the symbolism being the equivalent of red circles internationally.
  • This change carries over into Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby Battle Royale and Kirby Star Allies. For the Korean translations of the aforementioned titles where applicable, the check mark is used instead of the circle mark.

Gallery

Main article: Kirby's Return to Dream Land/gallery

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	星ほしのカービィWiiウィー Hoshi no Kābyi Wii	Kirby of the Stars Wii
American English	Kirby's Return to Dream Land	-
British English	Kirby's Adventure Wii	-
Chinese	星之卡比 Wii Xīngzhī Kǎbǐ Wii Kirby's Return to Dream Land	Kirby of the Stars Wii -
Dutch	Kirby's Adventure Wii	-
Canadian French	Kirby's Return to Dream Land	-
European French	Kirby's Adventure Wii	-
German	Kirby's Adventure Wii	-
Italian	Kirby's Adventure Wii	-
Korean	별의 커비 Wii Byeorui Keobi Wii	Kirby of the Stars Wii
Brazilian Portuguese	Kirby's Return to Dream Land	-
European Portuguese	Kirby's Adventure Wii	-
Russian	Kirby's Adventure Wii	-
Latin American Spanish	Kirby's Return to Dream Land	-
European Spanish	Kirby's Adventure Wii	-

External links

• Japanese website
• North American website
• Kirby's Return to Dream Land on Kirby Informer
• English, French and Spanish manual (NA print) (archive)