It still has some way to go before catching up with Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which is currently at 6.46 million units sold. Bayonetta 3 has sold 1.07 million since launching in October 2022, while Splatoon 3 is at 10.67 million in sales. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has sold 1.86 million and Pokemon Legends: Arceus has sold 14.83 million.

Mario titles have done very well, with Luigi’s Mansion 3 at 12.82 million, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury selling 11.38 million units, and Mario Party Superstars hitting 10.17 million sold. Mario Strikers: Battle League is the only exception, with 2.54 million sold thus far. Overall, Nintendo has sold a whopping 1,036.15 million Switch titles to date.

Spending on video game content hit $3.9 billion, a one percent increase over the same period last year. Several new titles debuted in the charts, like WILD HEARTS in eighth place, Like a Dragon: Ishin! in ninth and Octopath Traveler 2 in tenth.

Factoring in non-top ten titles, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe debuted in 15th place, Company of Heroes 3 in 16th, and Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line came in at 20th. It’s also worth noting The Last of Us Part 1, which rose from 11th place to sixth place, likely due to the popularity of the HBO series. Even The Last of Us Part 2 benefitted, going from 41st place in January to 18th in February.

February 2023 Top 20 Best-Sellers (Dollar Sales, Excludes DLC/MTX) pic.twitter.com/IopOK1rfQf

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

2023 YTD Top 20 Best-Sellers (Dollar Sales, Excludes DLC/MTX) pic.twitter.com/o1MOYDFgpV

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling game of both February 2023 as well as 2023 year-to-date. Hogwarts Legacy also ranked 1st in February sales across each of the PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam platforms.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

Spending on video game content increased 1% in February when compared to a year ago, to $3.9 billion. Growth in digital content across Console and PC platforms, as well as non-mobile subscription spending, offset a decline in mobile.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

Seven of the top twenty best-selling games of February were new releases, with Wild Hearts (#8), Like a Dragon: Ishin! (#9) and Octopath Traveler II (#10) also ranking among the top 10 best-selling titles during February.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

The Last of Us: Part I rose 5 spots on the February chart, placing 6th after ranking 11th in January. The Last of Us: Part II returned to the top twenty in February, finishing 18th overall following a #41 placement in January.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

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)

However, it is not the only great Kirby adventure on Switch, not anymore. After the triumphant transition of the franchise to 3D, Nintendo and HAL Laboratories have decided to take a victory lap by revisiting one of the best and most beloved classic 2D entries in the series. Return to Dream Land originally launched on the Wii, after an extremely protracted development cycle (the project had originally been intended to be the game that took the franchise 3D, and was supposed to be for the GameCube). Upon release, it instantly won plaudits for being arguably the best, most effective, and most accomplished take, on the classic template.

Multiple 2D Kirby games would follow in the ensuing decade, but arguably, none of them managed to reach the highs of Return to Dream Land. Which makes it fitting, in a way, that after delivering one of the best games in the series with their grand transition to the third dimension, Nintendo and HAL are now returning to one of the other best games in the series, the peak of 2D Kirby so to say.

"After delivering one of the best games in the series with their grand transition to the third dimension, Nintendo and HAL are now returning to one of the other best games in the series, the peak of 2D Kirby so to say."

Return to Dream Land is almost exactly the game you remember from the Wii. It’s a classic, traditional Kirby game through and through – you’re talking about a 2D platform with bright, colourful, cheerful stages, and extremely, extremely forgiving platforming, traversal, and combat. Kirby himself retains his signature abilities, including the one that lets him stay airborne practically forever, his ability to suck pretty much anything in his way until it’s… not, and, of course, the signature Kirby ability to copy the abilities of enemies and objects he swallows. The elements all blend to create an extremely charming, inviting, and easygoing world, where you can take your time to slowly come to grips with the increasingly layered and stacked demands the game makes of you – first it’s just movement, then it can be combat, then it’s combat while movement, then it’s combat and movement with some puzzle solving thrown in, and so on. All of this is second nature to seasoned veterans of the medium, and certainly to everyone who has found this review, but as I mentioned, the true triumph of Kirby games is how effective they are at onboarding totally new players who might not have any experience with the medium. Return to Dream Land is a masterclass in this, and honestly seeing how it slowly and steadily amps up the complexity gives me an appreciation for how well it is designed.

Which isn’t to say that that’s the only appreciation more experienced players can get from Kirby. Typically the franchise tends to retain depth and challenge for returning or experienced players by making the critical path extremely easy, but hiding some collectibles and secrets out of the way – these are the ones that require you to actually pay attention, be quick with your movement and platforming, and mostly, actually play the game well. Return to Dream Land retains this aspect in spades too, with even the earlier levels hiding some great secrets that I kept going back to them to play to uncover, because my ego refused to accept the notion that I might have missed anything.

This deeper content for more experienced players is still not going to turn Kirby into Donkey Kong or Mario – it’s a more satisfying platformer for veterans with it taken into account, but it’s still ultimately a beginner friendly game, meaning you’re simply not going to get platforming at that level here. What is here is still great, but you must keep what it is in mind – which is to say, it’s an extremely high quality game made for less experienced players, by definition, a lot of what it does well will be lost on more experienced ones.

"It’s an extremely high quality game made for less experienced players, which means by definition, a lot of what it does well will be lost on more experienced ones."

It’s still a delight to watch newer players (such as younger kids, or even adults who don’t typically play games) play, but Return to Dream Land obviously goes a step further by letting you join them. The game includes full co-op support for up to four players at a time, with players being able to play as Kirby, King DeeDeeDee, Waddle Dee, and Meta Knight, adding an element of cooperative chaos to proceedings. It can also further emphasize the game’s newcomer friendly nature, with a more experienced player helping bail out a less experienced one if they hit a roadblock. It’s local only, so its utility for more experienced players is, again, limited, but within the confines of what this game is trying to do, it’s great.

Other than this excellent design philosophy, pretty much the entire game made it over to the Switch as-is. It just looks a lot better – the gorgeous Kirby art style translates incredibly well to HD (which, remember, the Wii was not), and and every single part of the game has been touched up and polished to a sheen. Kirby, the character, and the world he inhabits, has never looked so delightfully expressive and colourful, bright, and cheery before. 

New to the Deluxe version on the Switch is a brand new epilogue mode, a meaty and substantial adventure clocking in at a further 2-3 hours on top of the main campaign. This epilogue stars Magolor, the interplanetary adventure whom you set out to help in the main game and who forms the narrative crux of that adventure. You can’t access this epilogue until you beat the main game (which makes sense for a lot of reasons that anyone who has finished the original will be able to attest to), and is a fun little romp that also pushes back on the player a bit more (so, again, this is content for the slightly more experienced player – again, this makes sense because by this point the developers can assume you have at least finished the base game, if nothing else, and so are not a total newcomer).

While the new mode is the headlining new addition, there is other stuff too; there are a handful of all new copy abilities added for Kirby available during the course of the main adventure (which accommodates said new abilities surprisingly well), as well as an even easier, helpful assist mode for new players. 

Do I recommend Return to Dream Land Deluxe? I do, especially if you have kids or less experienced players around. Simply watching them play this game can be a joy, but Return to Dream Land of course, does let you join in as well. It’s a well designed game that represents the series at the peak of its powers, and I think longtime series fans are going to find a lot to love here, especially if they haven’t played this title before. If you don’t fall in those categories, you might play through this and wonder what all the fuss was about, since on the critical path, for an experienced player, the whole thing can be done in just a few hours – but then again, that’s really not how it’s meant to be played, is it?

This game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

It was followed by Octopath Traveler 2 in sixth place, Atomic Heart in seventh, and Like a Dragon: Ishin! in eighth place. Otherwise, the usual suspects continue to hold strong in the charts. FIFA 23 saw sales rise by 21 percent week-on-week and stayed in second place. God of War Ragnarok fell from third to fourth place, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe went from fourth to fifth.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 dropped from fifth to ninth place, while Minecraft: Switch Edition went from sixth to tenth place. Check out the full top ten below.

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.