Kirby and the Forgotten Land: A Spoiler-Free Look

As a lifelong fan of this pink bubblegum ball, seeing a game that isn't a 4-hour playthrough aimed at young children was thrilling. I waited for what felt like months until March 25th finally arrived and there it was, Kirby and the Forgotten Land was finally in my hands.

Since the release date, I have played through the end of the fifth region. I feel confident saying that this game lives up to my expectations. From the basic gameplay loop to the abilities to the landscapes, to even the level design, everything flows together to make a fantastic game. Kirby and the Forgotten Land takes what makes Kirby games great and builds on that, adding more abilities that Kirby can steal from enemies adding Mouthful Mode, and obviously making the transition to a 3D plane.

Waddle Dee Town

Waddle Dee Town is by far one of my favorite things about this game. As you progress further into the main game, the town will expand. Here is where you can upgrade your abilities, receive in-game rewards with codes, re-face bosses you have defeated in a boss rush with a forgotten face, and even feed the local Waddle Dees.

A friendly Waddle Dee will upgrade your abilities and you can choose any of the ones you have unlocked and even test them out on poor Mr. Sandbag. When it comes to retrieving codes, you will be able to find different codes around the world and these will give you material that will help you with your play-through but will not hinder you if you choose not to search for them. I have recently gotten to the point where I have unlocked the Colosseum and I can easily say that I can spend a lot of time here. Here, you can face past bosses and try to get the best time (hammer makes this challenge so easy, give it a try at least once!) This seems like it will be a great way to pick and play with different abilities since you can use them on actual bosses instead of Mr. Sandbag who just sits there and takes it. One of my favorite things that have been introduced so far would be the food shack. Here you can get HP restoring items and play an adorable minigame where you feed the Waddle Dees and try to hit a high score. This town is a place that helps to break up the long adventure and it feels so rewarding to see your town expand as you rescue more and more Waddle Dees.

Speaking of things to keep you busy if you wanna hang out with the Waddle Dees, the more you expand the town, the more minigames you unlock. The first one is the café minigame which will keep you busy for a while. After some time, you will unlock a small lake that you can fish in. This game is both relaxing and frustrating. The goal is to catch several large fish and then hope to reel in "a big one." Catching the big one requires quick reaction time, which can quickly lead to frustration. Where I'm at now in-game, I have only just unlocked the latest minigame. A tilt-and-roll game stand has been built and it is just as the name suggests. This stand will give you a tilt-and-roll game that is controlled by motion controls in your controller and you just try to get the Kirby ball to the end zone. It is certainly cute and I have only done the first version so I look forward to getting stuck and incredibly frustrated with the harder versions whenever I pick up the game for my next session.

The Gameplay

Kirby and the Forgotten Land keeps the original gameplay of you playing Kirby and sucking in enemies to steal their abilities and then you finish the levels, sometimes throwing in a few boss fights in the mix. But, this time those basic abilities have some upgrades. Throughout your time in the colorful land, you will come across scrolls that will allow you to upgrade your abilities in a shop back in Waddle Dee Town. I love this new feature because it feels like I am constantly finding new scrolls and upgrading my abilities, so the gameplay has yet to feel stagnant. For those who might want a bit more, the addition of Mouthful Mode keeps you on your toes. Things from lightbulbs to soda vending machines, Kirby is up for eating any and all things. Mouthful Mode is such a fun and innovative idea because this feature opens up so many new options when it comes to game design. Wanna build in a race but don't want it to be boring? Have Kirby eat a car. Need to save a Waddle Dee behind a wall? Find a ring for that circle shape in the wall and just break the wall. The last thing that keeps this game in the binge-worthy category is the level design. The levels play the ground in between holding your hand and letting you run wild. You can explore the whole level, but you will never feel like you are wandering aimlessly, Kirby does a great job gently guiding players throughout the levels without being too pushy. In each new world, I am just amazed at how simple concepts are included to make amazing game design, this makes this game so satisfying to play.

Ending Thoughts

The introduction of Kirby to the 3D world is a great choice for this cute platformer. Everything that has gone into this game shows the love for Kirby that the game developers have. The setting is beautiful no matter what region you are in, the music really adds to the setting and completes the atmosphere that the game is trying to create. Each region has a unique feeling to it, so the game never feels like it is reusing old elements to simply try to create a longer playtime. The story really makes you want to progress and have fun no matter how good or bad you are at the game itself, which is all you can really ask out of a fantastic game.