Kirby sets out to investigate familiar levels which have been remixed and revamped with new routes (though you can still choose from the originals on the world map). For example, the starting level sees the iconic skyscraper damaged by a meteor fragment. Enemies have also changed to have new attacks, and sections require activating new switches to generate platforms.

Star-Crossed World will feature new Mouthful Modes, including a spring for jumping high and dropping down with a heavy slam on enemies. If that weren’t enough, players seeking a challenge can opt for Wild Mode to earn more coins.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World launches on August 28th for the Switch 2. It’s also a paid upgrade for owners of the Switch 1 version.

Koei Tecmo’s remaster of Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse has also debuted in the charts, with the Nintendo Switch version (coming in at No. 4) selling over 10,000 units and the PS4 version (No. 7) selling over 9,000 units, for collective sales of over 19,000. That falls below what 2021’s Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water sold in Japan on its debut (over 42,000 units) quite significantly.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, which saw a somewhat disappointing debut last week, has fallen to ninth place, with its PS5 version selling over 8,0000 units.

Meanwhile, on the hardware front, the PS5 is once again the top selling console, as it has been for a number of weeks running now, with over 64,000 units sold. The Nintendo Switch follows behind in second place with over 59,000 units sold.

You can check out the full hardware and physical software charts for the week ending March 12 below.

Software sales (followed by lifetime sales):

1. [NSW] Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe – 32,132 (283,744)
2. [NSW] Pokemon Scarlet and Violet – 20,889 (4,929,287)
3. [NSW] Splatoon 3 – 15,861 (3,934,627)
4. [NSW] Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse – 10,712 (New)
5. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 10,430 (5,194,090)
6. [NSW] Ib – 9,080 (New)
7. [PS4] Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse – 9,031 (New)
8. [PS5] Hogwarts Legacy – 9,017 (148,552)
9. [PS5] Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty – 8,411 (38,543)
10. [NSW] Octopath Traveler 2 – 7,739 (75,819)

Hardware sales (followed by last week’s sales):

• PS5 – 64,869 (78,412)
• Nintendo Switch – 59,901 (66,525)
• Xbox Series X/S – 2,887 (848)

Meanwhile, Octopath Traveler 2 also occupies two spots in the charts, with the Nintendo Switch version coming in at No. 2 (over 53,000 units sold) and the PS5 version slotting in at No. 8 (over 14,000 units sold). In total, the RPG sold over 68,000 units in Japan on debut, which falls short of what its predecessor managed when it launched as a Switch exclusive in 2018 (selling over 109,000 units).

Another major new release, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, also occupies two spots in the top 10, with the PS4 and PS5 versions coming in at No. 3 (over 35,000 units) and No. 4 (over 31,000 units) respectively. Its total debut sales of over 67,000 units fall below what the Yakuza franchise has generally enjoyed in Japan in the past, though it’s worth remembering that this is a remake.

Meanwhile, on the hardware front, the PS5 is once again the best-selling console of the week, this being the fifth week in a row that it’s topped proceedings, with over 91,000 units sold. The Nintendo Switch follows behind by some margin, having sold over 61,000 units.

You can check out the full hardware and physical software charts for the week ending February 26 below.

Software sales (followed by lifetime sales): 

1. [NSW] Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe – 189,031 (New)
2. [NSW] Octopath Traveler 2 – 53,995 (New)
3. [PS4] Like a Dragon: Ishin! – 35,897 (New)
4. [PS5] Like a Dragon: Ishin! – 31,439 (New)
5. [NSW] Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet – 23,703 (4,883,806)
6. [PS5] Hogwarts Legacy – 21,932 (126,086)
7. [NSW] Splatoon 3 – 14,858 (3,904,000)
8. [PS5] Octopath Traveler 2 – 14,422 (New)
9. [NSW] ARK: Survival Evolved – 13,200 (New)
10. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 10,159 (5,173,365)

Hardware sales (followed by last week’s sales):

• PS5 – 91,729 (88,833)
• Nintendo Switch – 61,384 (48,896)
• Xbox Series X/S – 727 (6,600)

The story sees Kirby, Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee and King Dedede helping an alien named Magolor repair his ship, the Lor Starcutter. In addition to solo play, up to four players can team together, with each character having unique abilities. They can also share health, stack up to unleash Team Attacks, and more.

The remake features new content like Magolor Epilogue, an additional mode starring Magolor where he must regain his abilities and escape the realm between dimensions. There’s also Merry Magoland, a theme park with different subgames for four players which award stamps for purchasing masks and items. Those interested can check out a free demo available on the Nintendo eShop.

The visuals are improved with a higher resolution and revamped lighting while two new Copy abilities – Mecha and Sand – were added. You also have Helper Magolor, who can double your health, save you from death or drop Copy abilities during boss fights.

Merry Magoland is a new theme park that offers ten subgames for up to four players. Earning Stamps lets players purchase masks based on previous characters in the franchise, along with items. There’s also the Magolor Epilogue, an extra campaign available after Story Mode where one must help Magolor escape the realm between dimensions.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is out on February 24th for Nintendo Switch. A free demo is available now.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe releases on February 24th for Nintendo Switch. Here’s what you need to know before jumping in.

Story

After an alien crashlands on Planet Popstar, Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight and Bandana Waddle Dee set out to fix his ship, the Lor Starcutter. It seems pretty straightforward, with five pieces and several energy spheres to recover, but more is going on than meets the eye. No spoilers, of course.

Visual Changes

As a remake, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe features visual changes. However, it looks more like the original aesthetic has been updated, giving it more of a comic-book feel with new lighting, a higher resolution and some environmental differences. Not the most drastic overhaul – it won’t compete with Resident Evil 4’s remake anytime soon – but it’s still a very nice-looking game.

Other Differences

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land used the Nintendo Wii’s motion controls back in the day for various actions. However, these are gone in the remake. The music is remastered, though it hasn’t undergone any changes, and various characters have updated looks to match their appearances in later titles.

Multiple Playable Characters

Along with Kirby, there are three other characters to control. King Dedede, Kirby’s so-called “arch-frenemy” uses the Hammer ability and can float through the air. Meta Knight uses the Sword and Wing abilities, and Bandana Waddle Dee uses the Spear ability and can Infinity Jump. Kirby is still the only one who can inhale enemies and copy their abilities. However, each character has received additional moves in the remake to help keep pace.

Co-op

Up to four players can team up through drop-in co-op, each controlling one of the main characters. Of course, you can also have more than one Kirby or Meta Knight, and so on, if you truly want, with each color-coded for easy identification. Characters can stack on top of each other and move together, totem-style while executing powerful Team Attacks.

They can also share health items using “Face-to-Face.” Other characters can also hold Copy Essences for Kirby and throw them out if he needs them. Co-op has a life pool, which means anytime someone dies, they’ll consume a life. Once all lives are gone, it’s game over, though everyone can also be sent back to the previous checkpoint if Player One falls.

Copy Abilities

The original game featured classic Copy Abilities like Bomb, Hammer, Ice, Needle, Sword and Stone, each with unique combos. However, it also added four new Copy Abilities. Whip allows Kirby to attack enemies with a whip and grab them from afar. Spear grants a spear to strike through walls or throw from range. Leaf throws cutting leaves at foes and allows Kirby to hide and protect himself. Finally, Water allows for riding waves and shooting water to extinguish flames and damage enemies.

Brand New Copy Abilities

However, in addition to the previous Copy Abilities, the remake adds some new ones. Mecha sees Kirby taking a mechanized form and being able to deploy mines, attack with fire and electric punches, fly, and much more. Sand lets Kirby strike with a sand fist and create a sand castle from below to launch enemies. In addition, the Festival Ability from Star Allies has been added and sees Kirby dancing to turn enemies into Point Stars and food.

Super Abilities

Super Abilities are powered-up versions of certain Copy Abilities and can destroy Star-Marked enemies and obstacles. There are five in total: Flare Beam, Grand Hammer, Snow Bowl, Monster Flame, and Ultra Sword. The remake adds new voice tracks for each Super Ability and unique cutscenes when they’re acquired, which is a nice touch to make them feel more unique.

Merry Magoland

Completely new to the remake is Merry Magoland, a giant theme park run by Magolor. When it becomes available is unknown, but players can travel here to play various Subgames. These are mini-games available for up to four players on the same system (no online multiplayer, sadly). There are also Missions to complete, and though it’s unknown what they are, there are seemingly 100 objectives in total. Magolor also provides interesting statistics when connecting online, like the number of Stamps collected globally.

Subgames

Merry Magoland offers multiple Subgames, with eight reimagined from previous Kirby titles. Smash Ride from Kirby: Squeak Squad has each player on a Smash Star, which they must use to push the others off. Checkerboard Chase sees everyone running around on a chessboard, using attacks to cause tiles to drop, thus sending their opponents into the abyss. Even Subgames like Samurai Kirby and Crackity Hack return. Return to Dreamland Deluxe adds some brand new Subgames, like Booming Blasters, where all players are armed with blasters and engage in top-down arena combat with power-ups.

Samurai Kirby 100

Along with the traditional Samurai Kirby, where participants must quick-draw their weapons at the earliest possible moment to cut each other down, there’s Samurai Kirby 100. Instead of competing online against other players live, you play solo and must beat the 99 most recent quick-draw times available worldwide. It’s a novel concept and should serve as good practice for regular Samurai Kirby.

Magoland Tour

If you’re unsure what Subgame to play, opt into the Magoland Tour. It essentially collects various Subgames into a sequential order for players to attempt one after the other. As players complete Subgames, they’ll earn Stamps. Collect enough Stamps to progress the Stamp Rally card, and you unlock rewards like Rare Copy Essence and Dress-up Masks, the latter based on characters from the entire series. Stamps are also earned after finding hidden Magolor Stickers in the park once per day.

Souvenir Shop

In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Stock Items served as consumables that could be stored in one’s inventory and used later. They return in Return to Dream Land Deluxe as Souvenirs and can be obtained from the Stamp Rally and Souvenir Shop in Merry Magoland. Maxim Tomato and Energy Drink are some of the confirmed Souvenirs, but the shop also sells Dress-up Masks. How they’re purchased is unknown, but there are dozens to collect.

6 GB Install Size

Even with the Merry Magoland content, it’s understandable that Return to Dream Land Deluxe isn’t a heavy install. According to its Nintendo eShop listing, it only requires 6 GB of installation space on the Nintendo Switch. Interestingly, it’s slightly bigger than Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which has a 5.8 GB install.

Playtime

Unfortunately, those expecting an adventure on the same scale as the Forgotten Land may be slightly disappointed. The original could be finished in about nine hours if you played the story and did extra content, while completionists could wrap it up in about 12 hours (compared to the Forgotten Land’s 26 or so hours of content). Nevertheless, with the base game, Extra Mode, co-op, and the addition of Merry Magoland, the remake should have enough to keep players busy.

Ahead of its launch later this month, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe has received a surprise demo that’s available now on the Nintendo Switch eShop. The demo will allow up to four players to play select stages and subgames, so if you want to dip your toes in the water before taking a dive when the full game launches, this is your chance to do just that. Check out the trailer below for more details.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe launches for the Nintendo Switch on February 24.

Eight subgames from previous Kirby titles return, while two new subgames – Egg Catcher and Booming Blasters – are introduced. The former sees players catching eggs and avoiding bombs until hitting the 30-egg mark. The latter is an isometric shooter with power-ups.

As you play subgames, you’ll earn Stamps to fill up the Stamp Rally card, which provides items and dress-up masks when redeemed. Hidden Magolor stickers can also be found in the park daily for free Stamps. Dress-up masks are essentially ornaments inspired by the series, and you can find more by talking to Souvenir Shop Waddle Dee.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is out on February 24th. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

Some new Copy Abilities, like Mecha, have been confirmed. On Twitter, Nintendo UK revealed another new Ability: Sand. It can form different shapes out of sand, like a fist to attack enemies or a sand castle that emerges from the ground. The Festival Copy Ability that debuted in Kirby Star Allies is also returning.

Festival is unique – it can only be used once and gains more power if you have allies nearby. It turns enemies onscreen into items but can damage bosses.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe launches on February 24th for Nintendo Switch. In addition to new Copy Abilities, there will also be new mini-games. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

#KirbysReturnToDreamLandDeluxe arrives on 24/02, and with it comes a new Copy Ability – Sand! Use it to shift sand into a variety of shapes, from a fist to a castle, and take on even the toughest foes. pic.twitter.com/ovRKImK4gW

— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) January 11, 2023

The Festival Copy Ability from Kirby Star Allies also makes a return! pic.twitter.com/zTKMVCKNsO

— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) January 11, 2023

Chief among them is Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which has sold over 5.27 million units worldwide as of September 30, 2022, up from 4.53 million units reported at the end of June. That makes it the best-selling Kirby game to date, exceeding Kirby’s Dream Land lifetime sales of 5.13 million units.

Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch Sports stands at 6.15 million units sold, up from the previously reported 4.84 million units. Mario Strikers: Battle League has crossed 2.17 million units (up from 1.91 million), while Pokemon Legends: Arceus stands at 13.91 million units sold (up from the 12.64 million sales reported in May). Mario Party Superstars stands at 8.07 million units sold.