Kirby's Return to Dreamland didn't set the world on fire when it was released on Wii in 2011. The gentle, kid-friendly platformer was a moderate success, garnering generally positive reviews and modest sales but otherwise passing without much notice. In the wake of the stellar Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Return to Dreamland Deluxe for Nintendo Switch is giving the game a second chance. And while it still isn't as surprising as some other Kirby outings, during a recent hands-on session I found the co-op game shaping up to be a perfectly pleasant old-school platformer--and with a sizable addition to boot.

As the name suggests, Kirby's Return to Dreamland is a return to his roots for the pink puffball. Even in the Wii era, he had become known as a flexible figure prone to experimentation, as in the unique path-drawing gameplay of Kirby: Canvas Curse or a novel art style in Kirby's Epic Yarn. Return to Dreamland is classic Kirby platforming, which means forgiving, floaty jumps, and enemies that are more adorable than aggressive. The visuals have been touched up for this Switch release, making the colors more vibrant and giving the characters a sharp black outline to make them look like paper cutouts.

The twist of Return to Dreamland is you can also play as three of Kirby's companions: Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Bandana Waddle Dee. Each comes with their own playstyle and move set, but only Kirby can use copy abilities. Since the stages and enemies are built around copy abilities, Kirby defaults into a party leader role, so it's best to bring a Kirby or two along in the character select screen.