History Videogame / KirbysReturnToDreamLand

* RegretfulTraitor: [[spoiler:Magolor is heavily implied to be this. On top of saying he genuinely appreciated Kirby and co.'s help in repairing his ship, the description of his [[OneWingedAngel soul form is]] "A sad shell possessed by the limitless power of the [[ArtifactOfDoom Master Crown]], no more than a manifestation of the crown itself". Starting with the New Challenge Stages in ''Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition'', he actually makes peace with Kirby.]]
** [[spoiler:Outright confirmed in ''Deluxe'' via the Magolor Epilogue, where some of his skill dialogue has him remorsefully reflect on betraying Kirby.]]

* SlidingScaleOfVisualsVersusDialogue: The FullMotionVideo cutscenes have no dialogue... except for when [[spoiler:Magolor reveals his actual role in the plot]], which is conveyed entirely through subtitles.

** In ''Deluxe'', [[spoiler:Magolor Soul]] gets a much more difficult battle at the end of the True Arena, bringing him more in line with [[spoiler:the "Soul" bosses from the other ''Kirby'' games]]. (This also means that the regular version of [[spoiler:Magolor Soul]] is never encountered in any Arena outside of the original game.)

* ArtifactOfDoom: [[spoiler:The flavor text of [[FinalBoss Magolor Soul]] implies that the [[CoolCrown Master Crown]] itself is sentient and evil, and takes over Magolor's body to channel its power. The Crown also wiggles about in all of Magolor's boss fights, implying that it's manipulating Magolor already. And it looks really creepy doing so. It also changes shape for each of Magolor's forms. This is later made more explicit in the remake's Magolor Epilogue; which has Magolor fight the crown itself as the FinalBoss, where it takes the form of [[BotanicalAbomination a twisted, demonic Gem Apple Tree]].]]

* BiblicalMotifs: It's very subtle, but according to design notes seen in ''Kirby: Art & Style Collection'', [[spoiler:the yellow in Magolor's design is supposed to tie into yellow representing betrayal in Christianity, because it's the color associated with Judas]]. The Magolor Epilogue in ''Deluxe'' leans much more heavily into Biblical motifs, with Magolor vying for an apple [[spoiler:that eventually grows into a wicked tree (ala the Original Sin)]], the hub area being called the Ethereal Altar (in Japanese, the Room of Eden), and Magolor being described as [[spoiler:[[TheAtoner "atoning" for his misdeeds]]]].

* CallForward:
** Merry Magoland, a new mode in ''Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe'', references Magolor's affinity for building amusement parks, a trait which was introduced after the original game (specifically showing up in ''Kirby's Dream Collection'' and ''Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe'').

** In ''Deluxe'', the Ultra Sword can transform into [[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Morpho Knight's]] or [[VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand Wild Edge's]] sword on rare occasions.
** Newly added Stone transformations in ''Deluxe'' include a statue of Car-Mouth Kirby from ''Forgotten Land'' and a statue of an overstuffed Kirby from ''Dream Buffet''.
** Two of the HAL Rooms in ''Deluxe'' play medleys of music from ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamBuffet''.
** In ''Deluxe'', Kirby now [[ScreamingWarrior screams in fury]] during the BarehandedBladeBlock with [[spoiler:Magolor's first phase]], like in later games starting with ''VideoGame/KirbyPlanetRobobot'', and finishes off with a "Toryah!" like his Ultra Sword Final Smash in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU''.

* CrownOfHorns: [[spoiler:The Master Crown]] takes on a much more elaborate, twisted antler-like form for [[spoiler:the Magolor Soul fight]]. Ditto for when [[spoiler:you fight it again as Magolor in the Switch remake's ''Magolor Epilogue'']].

-->'''''Deluxe''''': [[spoiler:What remains of Magolor is a sad shell. He's possessed by the limitless power of the Master Crown, imprisoned by the hatred and obsessions of prior rulers. Now... [[BeatTheCurseOutOfHim defeat it and free Magolor's Soul!]]]]

** [[spoiler:Grand Doomer]] is the final boss Kirby must defeat to repair Magolor's ship. After it's done, the two head to Halcandra, where the game's final levels take place.

** [[spoiler:Magolor's second form]] is a monstrous being of black smoke (teal as [[spoiler:Magolor Soul]]) with red eyes and a white mouth frozen in a SlasherSmile. For added bonus, an ''eye'' pops out when he opens his mouth.

* LivingHat: [[spoiler:The Master Crown]] is at least implied to be sentient, with it visibly wobbling on [[spoiler:Magolor]]'s head. It also grows when its user decides to take on its power, and later [[spoiler:Magolor's soul]] is mentioned to be "a sad shell, nothing more than a manifestation of the Master Crown itself". [[spoiler:The remake makes this much more explicit, with Magolor fighting the Master Crown itself as his mode's final boss.]]

** The new Mecha ability shown in the reveal trailer for ''Deluxe'' seems strongly influenced by the [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Gundam]], down to the pointed helmet, mechanical fists, and WaveMotionGun.

* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Whispy Woods seems to have learned to copy Kirby's iconic VacuumMouth as a result of [[TookALevelInBadass taking another level in badass]]. [[spoiler:Then, Magolor takes use of the Super Abilities to his advantage to fight Kirby with corrupted versions of them.]]

* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Whispy Woods semms to have learned to copy Kirby's iconic VacuumMouth as a result of [[TookALevelInBadass taking another level in badass]]. [[spoiler:Then, Magolor takes use of the Super Abilities to his advantage to fight Kirby with corrupted versions of them.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: All of the bosses in Extra Mode are stronger than their original counterparts in both the original and ''Deluxe'' versions. In the case of ''Deluxe'', [[spoiler:Magolor Soul takes the cake due to having a revamped True Arena fight that gives him two healthbars, a buffed moveset to give [[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Void]] a run for its money and enough changes to elevate it from the underwhelming fight in the original game to one of the most memorable fights in ''Deluxe''.]]

** Bosses cannot be hurt when they're in the middle of [[TurnsRed turning red]] when their health bars drop to 50-60%. Their health bars glow to signify that they're temporarily invincible.

** Landia reuses his model from ''Super Kirby Clash;'' as such, he now has fully-modeled teeth instead of them being flat textures on the inside of his mouth.

* ColorCodedMultiplayer: In multiplayer, [[http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6076607109_67cc9b26ce_o.jpg Yellow Kirby, Blue Kirby (replacing Red Kirby), and Green Kirby]] are available as characters, for those don't want to play as King Dedede, Meta Knight, or Bandana Waddle Dee.

* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: You fight the Doomers and the final boss, [[spoiler:Magolor]], in a different dimension where the floor is neon-coloured and the background is a blue space. Likely due to the sheer ferocity of the latter, the players are given a spinning marker on the ground to tell where the floor is.

* MarathonBoss: [[spoiler:Metal General EX, an already tough fight that's extended to three stages when he reveals the HR-D3 mech; thankfully, it checkpoints at HR-D3.]]

* NotActuallyCosmeticAward: The Kine, Mine, and Chuchu masks in ''Deluxe'' give Kirby the "Enhanced Water Gun" normally exclusive to the Water ability when equipped, and are notably the only masks to have an actual gameplay effect. Strangely, the Fatty Puffer and Fatty Puffer EX masks do not have this effect.

** Just when you think [[spoiler:Metal General EX]] is going down, he [[spoiler:summons [[HumongousMecha HR-D3]]]] and fights you with it.

* SpeakingSimlish: WordOfGod states Magolor essentially speaks "Magolorese" throughout the game and that the subtitles that appear everytime he speaks provide translations to what he says. Indeed, it's actually possible to hear his voice in-game when he does so (except during a certain cutscene). It's mostly unintelligible aside from a few words like Kirby's name. [[invoked]]

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Since Meta Knight is an ally and playable character for this game, Metal General is made as a substitute for a "knight" boss fight, although he ends up having pretty distinct attacks. [[spoiler:Galacta Knight also appears as a more proper substitute.]]
* TauntButton: In ''Deluxe'', Kirby and company can perform various emotes by tilting the right analog stick.

** The Super Abilities give Kirby his own {{Leitmotif}}, including during the fights against [[spoiler:the Grand Doomer and the minibosses in 7-3]], but not [[spoiler:when fighting Magolor, whose own boss theme continues playing until Kirby wins the BladeLock, at which point the music stops.]]
* TieredByName: Almost all of the bosses and minibosses that appear in Extra Mode have "EX" added to their names, in addition to looking more menacing than their Main mode counterparts.
* TookALevelInBadass: All of the bosses in EX Mode are stronger than their original counterparts in both the original and ''Deluxe'' versions. In the case of ''Deluxe'', [[spoiler:Magolor Soul takes the cake due to having a revamped True Arena fight that gives him two healthbars, a buffed moveset to give [[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Void]] a run for its money and enough changes to elevate it from the underwhelming fight in the original game to one of the most memorable fights in ''Deluxe''.]]

** Bosses cannot be hurt when they're in the middle of [[TurnsRed turning red]] when their health bars drop by half. Their health bars glow to signify that they're temporarily invincible.

** The credits theme in the Japanese version is called "Return to Dreamland," after the American English subtitle. (The English name of the song is simply "Return to Dream Land".)
** Although Magolor is called Mahoroa in Japanese, the Japanese version of ''Deluxe'' makes multiple references to his English name, such as the main theme of Merry Magoland being called "WELCOME TO THE MAGOLOR LAND!".

* UnlockableDifficultyLevels: Extra Mode is unlocked upon beating the regular campaign. The mode features stronger enemies and harder boss fights.

** Probably the biggest example in the series pre-''[[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Star Allies]]'', [[spoiler:introducing the Ancients and the massive lore surrounding them, as well as the revelation of the true creators behind both the Star Rod and the Novas. The Ancients would of course become some of the most recurring figures throughout the franchise, even having an incredibly major posthumous role in ''Star Allies'' and being implied to have also had another posthumous role in ''Forgotten Land''.]]
** In ''The Magolor Epilogue'', [[spoiler:Magolor is revealed to have ended up in the Dream Kingdom after defeating the Master Crown, effectively canonizing everything from ''VideoGame/TeamKirbyClashDeluxe'' and ''VideoGame/SuperKirbyClash'', including Galacta Knight.]]

* AscendedExtra: The bandana-wearing Waddle Dee, a minor character from ''Kirby Super Star'' and its remake, is now a playable character.

* NotActuallyCosmeticAward: The Kine and Mine masks in ''Deluxe'' give Kirby the "Enhanced Water Gun" normally exclusive to the Water ability when equipped, and are notably the only masks to have an actual gameplay effect.

** Goriath's [[Manga/DragonBall hair turns gold and stands up]] when he TurnsRed. And if that's not enough, he's got KamehameHadouken attacks, too! And when Goriath EX [[TurnsRed goes Super Saiyan]], he gets a Spirit Bomb.

* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: You fight the Doomers and the final boss, [[spoiler:Magolor]], in a different dimension where the floor is neon-coloured and the background is a blue space.

** In the ''Magalor Epilogue'', touching a downed miniboss after depleting its health (which may likely happen while you're whaling on it for extra combo points) won't count as a combo-ending hit.

* SecretAIMoves: During the [[spoiler:True Arena version of Magolor Soul's fight, his second phase allows him to use Super Ability versions of Sand and Mecha, allowing him to create two large tornados or fire several falling projectiles and giant laser beams respectively. The player gets no such abilities on their side.]]

* NoOSHACompliance: The EternalEngine stages of Egg Engines are dangerous enough to give the Factory Tour stage of ''Kirby 64'' a run for its money.

* PaperFanOfDoom: Ultra Sword becomes a large fan on rare occasions.

* PoweredArmor: The Mecha ability introduced in ''Deluxe'' grants Kirby a suit of robotic armor, including oversized gauntlets and dual shoulder cannons. Kirby can fire cannon shots at foes, punch them with a dash attack, or charge up and unleash a massive, multi-hitting laser beam.

* AlternateContinuity: Merry Magoland takes place in "a different world in a different time," explaining how it can reference games released after ''Return to Dream Land'' [[spoiler:and why Manager Magolor is [[HeelFaceTurn fully reformed]]]].

* ArcWelding: ''Magolor Epilogue'' serves as a StealthPrequel to [[spoiler:''VideoGame/TeamKirbyClashDeluxe'' and ''VideoGame/SuperKirbyClash'', revealing how Magolor obtained the very first Gem Apple and ultimately wound up in Dream Kingdom.]]

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Magolor becomes this over the course of ''Magolor Epilogue'', where it's revealed that [[DisneyDeath he survived the Magolor Soul battle]] but ended up banished to the lowest depths of Another Dimension, [[{{Depower}} losing almost all of his powers in the process]]. With that, he sets out to recover his lost magic and return home, but it's left ambiguous as to whether it's "a journey of penance or revenge"... at least, at first. Ultimately, Magolor sets up his ''real'' HeelFaceTurn by not only obtaining the first-ever Gem Apple and setting up shop in the Dream Kingdom, but also rejecting the [[ArtifactOfDoom Master Crown]] that previously possessed him and destroying it once and for all]].

* BarehandedBladeBlock: [[spoiler:After you break all of Magolor's protections with Ultra Sword, he'll attempt to block it with his hands. [[ButtonMashing Mash buttons]] or shake the Wii Remote against his attempt, and Kirby then proceeds to slash him over and over before doing one final, truly gigantic slash.]] In the remake's Magolor Epilogue, [[spoiler:the Master Crown does much the same when Magolor comes after it with an Ultra Sword of his own.]]

* BigBad: During the team's visit to Halcandra, they are suddenly attacked by a four-headed dragon named Landia, which Magolor begs Kirby and co. to defeat. [[spoiler:Subverted when it's revealed that Magolor is the real villain. He tricked the gang in order to obtain the dragon's Master Crown, which he intends to use to conquer the universe. ''Then'' it turns out [[ArtifactOfDoom the crown was the one pulling the strings]]...]]

** [[spoiler:A much straighter example with Magolor, who is an adorable alien creature that is later revealed to be EvilAllAlong. It's downplayed somewhat in the remake, which makes it clear that outside of his ambitions to rule and him manipulating Kirby and friends to help him get it, the truly evil side mostly [[TheCorrupter comes from the Master Crown itself]] and that Magolor was in ''way'' over his head [[EvilIsNotAToy trying to use its power]]]].

** [[spoiler:Landia]] seems to be the main villain and the final boss of the game, as he is responsible for the destruction of the Lor Starcutter, as well as the source of all trouble going on in Halcandara. [[spoiler:This is all just a massive BatmanGambit from Magolor, who reveals himself as the true BigBad and becomes the FinalBoss]].

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: The official website for ''Deluxe'' shows off dress-up masks that can be unlocked through playing sub-games in Merry Magoland, which carry over into the main game. These serve no purpose outside of changing your appearance and some can play unique voice clips.

* DePower: The remake's ''Magolor Epilogue'' has Magolor's powers reduced to having only a basic shooting attack and limited levitation, seen in its reveal trailer. Collecting Magic Points allows Magolor to upgrade his abilities, gradually expanding his moveset to something closer to his abilities in ''VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies''.

* NotActuallyCosmeticAward: The Kine and Mine masks in ''Deluxe'' give Kirby the "Advanced Water Gun" move while swimming, and are notably the only masks that change gameplay.

* PoweredArmor: The Mecha ability, introduced in ''Deluxe'' and shown in the reveal trailer, grants Kirby a suit of robotic armor, including oversized gauntlets and dual shoulder cannons. Kirby can fire cannon shots at foes, punch them with a dash attack, or charge up and unleash a massive, multi-hitting laser beam.

* SandBlaster: Sand, exclusive to the ''Deluxe'' remake, allows Kirby to conjure up sandcastles and waves of sand, as well as a fist made entirely out of sand, as shown on the official website.

* OriginsEpisode: ''Magolor Epilogue'' serves as one for [[spoiler:Shopkeeper Magolor and the Gem Apples from the ''Kirby Clash'' duology]].
* PaintingTheMedium: [[spoiler:After Magalor puts on the Master Crown, his written dialogue swaps from the usual cartoony font to a more dramatic and sinster one.]]

** In ''Deluxe, playing the minigames inside of the Lor Starcutter instead of Merry Magoland will give you Stamp Tickets equivalent of your efforts so you don't miss out on stamps.