Talking Point is Kirby Informer’s column where our staff and readers can respond to trending questions and topics! Be sure to join the discussion in our comment section below or head on over to our social pages and share your thoughts with us there!
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Ah yes, the happiest place on Planet Pop Star. While it may have taken him years to return to the spotlight, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe introduced players to a redeemed Magolor who has become a theme park manager.
Merry Magoland is the all-in-one home for Return to Dream Land Deluxe's lineup of sub-games, packed with unlockables, easter eggs, and a wide array of challenges to complete. Merry Magoland is great as is, but there are certainly several ways HAL Laboratory could add to this multiplayer wonderland.
How would you expand upon Merry Magoland? Do you just want more sub-games from its catalog? Are you looking for additional Stamp Rally cards? A larger online component? After you take a look at our staff's thoughts, be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below!
Editor, Marc
Hear me out. What if we had a Kirby game in the same style as the Mario Party series that was centered around Merry Magoland? Rather than seeing Magolor's theme park return as a bonus, I think this secondary game mode could be transformed into a full-fledged spin-off. If there is any character that could potentially give Mario's friendship-breaking paloozas a run for their money, Kirby is a top contender. All Merry Magoland needs to be a successful Mario Party game is some good boards that utilize Pop Star's locations and mechanics that add more gameplay depth.
In my opinion, Merry Magoland should continue to act as a spin-off's hub world while Magolor could play a similar role to Big Top from Mario Party 8—make him the announcer, a guide to his park, and the gamemaster. While many Mario Party mini-games are razor-quick, there are quite a handful that take a significant amount of time to complete. Kirby has the best "mini-game" mix that could warrant another Mario Party-like game. Stuff like Samurai Kirby takes seconds to complete while games like Egg Catcher go long enough to warrant that extended runtime.
Similarly to Mario Party's orb system that was introduced in its GameCube entries, I think something like this could also be introduced for a board game mode. It would be interesting to see how Kirby's copy abilities and each character's weapons could be utilized for ways to strategize against other players.
It would also be great if we could get more masks in a future iteration of this theme park. Return to Dream Land Deluxe missed out on including the classic Kirby look as a mask and some pixel art variations. Give us some retro Kirby content, HAL! Why not Qbby or Jobski too while you are at it?
Editor, Aurora
There are definitely a lot of ways that Merry Magoland can be expanded upon! First and foremost, it would be awesome to see them bring back Magolor Races from Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition! Of course, it's for obvious reasons; it just fits. I'm honestly surprised it wasn't included to begin with!
Another idea I had was implementing Magolor into more of the sub-games, similarly to how he is in Ninja Dojo, but for more than an aesthetic purpose. He could be added as an additional challenge, popping up to throw you off. For example, in Egg Catcher, in addition to the bombs you have to avoid, having Magolor disguised as some of the eggs in between would fit perfectly.
The next idea I had was possibly the creation of a new sub-game by mixing two already existing sub-games. In this case, specifically Apple Scramble and Bumper Crop Bump. The fruits in the subgame would specifically be apples, of course. It would include mechanics from both sub-games, including catching the apples and having to avoid bombs. Players could also attack the various Whispy Woods to make the apples fall even quicker; however, they would then have to avoid even more obstacles. No matter which collecting method the player chooses, they would then have to carry them to their assigned hatch. This puts them at risk of not only getting attacked by fellow players or CPUs but also of getting tricks played on them by Magolor.
New additions mean new missions! Adding new missions along with new additions will give the subgames even more replay value, especially for completionists. I absolutely loved completing all 120 missions—the 20 True Extra Missions even more so. I'd love to have even more challenging missions to complete!
Finally, as my last tidbit, I'd love to see more Dress-Up Masks added! I was really happy to see such a wide variety to begin with, including the ones of Mine and Pick, but it'd be awesome if they also added ones for characters like Ripple Queen, Nyupun, Pitch Mama, and Shiro!
Writer, Crafty
Merry Magoland was one of the most exciting new additions to Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe. After leaving the life of a traitor behind him, Magolor built Kirby a theme park packed with some of the best sub-games the series has to offer and tons of other fun surprises. While I’d consider it complete as it stands, something has kind of felt missing. I’ve always believed that the Magolor Races from the New Challenge Stages Sub-Game, included in 2012's Kirby’s Dream Collection Special Edition for the Nintendo Wii, would have been a very welcome addition to the game.
I could see it being a new way to “complete” Merry Magoland, especially considering the Switch remake really put a shine on the popular traitor turned best friend theme park manager. Magolor’s painstakingly crafted stages in updated graphics would be a real treat to see, and the new abilities would be a fresh spin on a fun game mode that, sadly, not enough players have gotten to experience. I think anyone who never had a chance to play the Wii version would love the opportunity to do so. Add playable Magolor to the Arena and True Arena as a reward, and I think you’d have a pretty solid expansion as well as a great way to celebrate Magolor and the theme park he worked so hard to build.
Writer, Gigi
I think there are many ways you could possibly expand upon Merry Magoland and make it a full game, but I would like to propose my crazy idea: basically, a Mario Party-like game where you actually visit a full-fledged theme park called Merry Magoland. I read the Come on Over to Merry Magoland Kirby light novel a while ago and it depicted the theme park with restaurants, food stands, and even a hotel!
I'm not entirely sure how that would exactly translate into a game, but I would imagine something like a bigger Waddle Dee Town. I think it would be super fun and would be better if there was a currency the player could buy items with, again like Waddle Dee Town. Either way, naturally the sub-games would also be there, and here is where the Mario Party inspiration comes in: not only would I like to have more of them, (new ones, as well as other returning sub-games from prior Kirby entries), I would like a better reason to play them. I liked the missions and the tours in Merry Magoland, but I feel if we had boards, or a similar mode that gives you a reason to play them all, I would feel like playing it more.
Final touch: full online support. An online mode was something I really wish Merry Magoland had. Samurai Kirby 100 was cool, but I want to play with my friends around the world!