REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 24, 2011 – Nintendo's iconic Kirby™ character is known as one of the most talented heroes in the world of video games. In his latest console adventure, the mighty pink protagonist is unleashing some impressive new moves and abilities. Launching today exclusively for the Wii™ system, the Kirby's Return to Dream Land™ game lets players guide Kirby through a captivating series of side-scrolling worlds, as he inhales enemies to copy their abilities and battles through colorful environments in search of hidden items. What's more, the game introduces new Super Abilities that allow Kirby to obliterate enemies and obstacles like never before, as well as multiplayer options that let up to three additional friends jump in at any time and enjoy the platforming action together.

With a delightful storyline designed to please new and longtime fans of the Kirby franchise, Kirby's Return to Dream Land finds the heroic pink puff striving to help recover pieces of a spaceship that has crash-landed on Kirby's home planet of Popstar. When Kirby encounters foes, he can inhale them to absorb their abilities – wielding a lasso or swinging a sword, for example. Inhaling special enemies can also grant Kirby Super Abilities that let him wipe out vast landscapes or an entire screen's worth of enemies in one stroke, while a Super Inhale move allows him to spit out enemies or objects as giant projectiles. As many as three additional players can join in the fun, playing as differently colored Kirbys or as other favorite characters from the series: Meta Knight, King Dedede or Waddle Dee. (Additional controllers are required for multiplayer game play and are sold separately.)

"Kirby's Return to Dream Land is a must-play for new and experienced fans, and it's only available on the Wii console," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "As friends and family gather together this holiday season, they'll have a blast discovering Kirby's new Super Abilities and teaming up to defeat enemies."

Kirby and the other playable characters in Kirby's Return to Dream Land have their own unique abilities that can be combined in fun ways. Players can coordinate their actions into powerful team attacks, or they can make Kirby inhale and spit out other characters to knock down foes in battle. Players hold the Wii Remote™ controller sideways to control Kirby as he floats, swims, climbs and slides through a wide range of in-game environments – from lush forests to sandy beaches.

Kids are being encouraged to take inspiration from Kirby and come up with their own dream Super Ability they would use to help others. By visiting http://kirby.nintendo.com/returntodreamland/superabilities, they can download a special Kirby coloring sheet for illustrating and describing their Super Ability and send it to Nintendo. Some of these dream Super Abilities will be posted in a virtual gallery on the website. A companion site hosted by Scholastic at http://scholastic.com/stacks also invites fans to take a Kirby quiz to determine which Super Ability is best suited to their personality. These activities are part of a larger initiative to provide the Starlight Children's Foundation with Starlight Fun Center™ mobile entertainment units for hospitals across the United States.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land is offered at a suggested retail price of $49.99 in the United States. The Wii system is available separately in two different console bundles, each offered at a suggested retail price of $149.99 in the United States.