Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Switch 2
Tested on: Switch 2
Kirby And The Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World – Review
We’ve been revisiting a significant chunk of our Switch library lately, mostly because Nintendo has been adding bells and whistles through different upgrade packs. Today’s review isn’t a return to a Switch classic, however, at least not for us: Kirby and the Forgotten Land was one of the few major Switch games that slipped through the cracks of our rigorous review schedule back in 2022. The fact that it received a Switch 2 upgrade actually provided the perfect excuse to find out what we’d been missing out on. Did the game make us go starry-eyed, or is it best left forgotten?
Story
The story of the Forgotten Land begins with the appearance of a dark vortex over Dream Land. Both Kirby and the Waddle Dees are sucked into it, and our hero finds himself in the titular Forgotten Land, a post-apocalyptic world dominated by the ruins of a not-so-ancient civilization. After a first run-in with the Beast Pack, the game’s menagerie of villains, Kirby meets Elfilin, a friendly creature. The pair team up to rescue the Waddle Dees and defeat the Beast Pack. The secondary story, that of the Star-Crossed World, ties into the Beast Pack story, as a meteor, the so-called Star of Darkness, crashes into the ocean. Not only does the meteor empower the Beast Pack, but it also contains another evil entity for our heroes to deal with. Despite the apocalyptic implications, both stories are kept light-hearted and aren’t particularly deep, but that’s to be expected from a series aimed at a younger audience.
Graphics
The Switch 2 edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land takes full advantage of the higher hardware specs of the new console. We dusted off our old Switch and gave the base game a spin for comparison’s sake. Not only is there a noticeable bump in resolution, but the game’s frame rate feels a lot more stable. In terms of art direction, you’re getting exactly what you’d expect from Nintendo: cute and cheerful visuals, bright colors, and a deceptively simple cartoon aesthetic.
Sound
Like the visuals, the soundscape brings exactly what you’d expect to the table. The music fits the atmosphere and is incredibly catchy, with recurring themes supplemented by new tracks. The sound effects are familiar too. Kirby and his friends don’t have fully voiced dialogue, but they do still communicate through adorable gibberish that still manages to convey emotions.
Gameplay
When we previously looked at Switch 2 editions of preëxisting games, like Romancing SaGa 2 or Tears of the Kingdom, we kindly referred you to our reviews of the originals before diving into what was new. Since there is no review of the original release, we obviously can’t do that here, so before we get to the new stuff, let’s take a look at what the core experience of Kirby and the Forgotten Land brings to the table. It is Kirby’s first full 3D platformer adventure after all, after three decades of 2D and 2.5D games. Compared to the likes of Mario and Donkey Kong, Kirby targets a younger audience, meaning that the game is significantly less challenging. However, what Kirby and the Forgotten Land lacks in difficulty, it more than makes up for by charm. For the most part, Kirby and the Forgotten Land sticks to the classic Kirby gameplay that we’ve come to know and love, although the shift in perspective and the introduction of the new Mouthful Mode mechanic do open things up. In this regard, the game feels more like a logical evolution of the gameplay rather than a massive shakeup. You’re still sucking up enemies to absorb their powers and using those to solve simple puzzles, as well as jumping and floating across the world and facing off against bosses.
The transition to 3D environments doesn’t quite shake up the way Kirby and the Forgotten Land is structured. There is no massive open world here. Instead, you’re presented with a series of self-contained levels, each tightly designed. The main goal in each level is to make your way to the end, of course, but there are hidden Waddle Dees to rescue along the way, as well as side objectives to complete if you want full marks. These side objectives aren’t clarified when you start a level, although a single uncompleted one will be revealed if you make it to the end. This does mean that replaying levels is a certainty. Some objectives will be completed naturally, but others aren’t as intuitive. Take the Alivel Mall, for example, where one of the hidden objectives is not to get lost. This went against our instinct to explore and sniff out potential secrets. It’s a good thing then that the levels are fast-paced, expertly designed, and just fun to play through. Mouthful Mode is perhaps the standout feature in the game. This is where Kirby sucks up specific objects, like a car or a staircase, and then takes on the shape -and properties- of the object in question.. These new forms seamlessly tie into some of the level’s puzzles, often in genuinely funny ways.
If you’re returning from the original 2022 release, then you’re probably wondering what’s new here in addition to the obvious bumps in visuals, audio, and performance. The main hint is in the now ridiculously long full title: Kirby And The Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World. You can access that titular Star-Crossed World fairly soon, specifically once you’ve defeated Gorimondo, the first real boss of the game. There are 12 new levels here, two in each of the original game’s six regions. Well, we say new, but these are actually re-themed, remixed levels. Don’t go in expecting just lazy re-hashes, though, as the levels themselves add unexpected and creative twists, alongside a much-needed increase in difficulty. That’s in addition to new in-game collectibles and even new transformations for our pink hero. It’s a fairly hefty amount of content that definitely justifies the modest price point, provided you already have the original game. The RRP of €79.99 is on the steeper side comparatively, so the way to go is probably to track down a cheap copy of the original release and then upgrade, or wait for a sale.
Conclusion
While Kirby and the Forgotten Land doesn’t reach the same heights as Super Mario Odyssey, or even a Donkey Kong Bananza, it’s still a fantastic little game, especially for a younger audience. The Switch 2 upgrade pack gave the game a glow-up we didn’t know it needed, and the addition of more challenging new levels makes it worth the revisit if you already own the game. If you don’t own the game yet at all, then the price tag is on the steeper side, but if you can source a cheaper copy of the base game, then upgrading should be a no-brainer.
No Comments