After four years, Kirby is finally making his return to the Nintendo Switch in a brand new, open-world adventure with the upcoming release of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Kirby is entering into a world of 3D platforming where he will encounter new enemies, new puzzles and new copy abilities. The game was originally announced during a September 2021 Nintendo Direct. Since then, Nintendo has shown off new abilities, new enemies, cooperative gameplay and new things for Kirby to do when he isn't busy saving the world.
2022 marks the 30th anniversary of Kirby's Dream Land that released in April of 1992. Kirby has starred in many games, numerous spinoffs and plenty of cameo appearances since then, the most notable being his inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Kirby and the Forgotten Land may be his biggest adventure yet, seeing Kirby leave his traditional two-dimensional space and enter into a 3D adventure.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Trailer
The latest Nintendo Direct revealed plenty of new information on the game's mechanics. Kirby can now access a new power known as Mouthful Mode. Although he accesses this mode through inhaling objects, it works differently than his usual copy abilities. Mouthful Mode lets Kirby use different objects in his environment as powers. For example, Car Mouth mode sees Kirby utilizing a car in his mouth to drive around, and Vending Mouth mode lets Kirby shoot juice cans from his mouth. There are various objects for Kirby to use on his adventure, and it will be interesting to see how accessible this mode is during the game.
Another part of Waddle Dee Town is the Waddle Dee Weapon Shop. Here, Kirby can upgrade his copy abilities into new, more powerful forms. The Cutter ability can become the Chakram ability, allowing Kirby to throw numerous projectiles. Powers also can have multiple evolutions, such as the Fire Ability becoming the Volcano Fire Ability, and then the Volcano Fire Ability becoming the Dragon Fire Ability. With these new powers, the already powerful Kirby will access new moves and hopefully dispatch his foes with ease.
Previous trailers showcased other gameplay and abilities. New abilities include digging and what appears to be a toy gun. There are also returning skills such as flame and sword abilities. Along with new copy abilities, it looks like Kirby will be making new friends and reuniting with some old ones. In the trailer is a blue flying creature named Elfilin, who is new to the franchise and fan-favorite Bandana Dee. The game also features cooperative gameplay and will allow a second player to control Bandana Dee during Kirby's journey.
What is Kirby and the Forgotten Land About?
While traveling through Dream Land on his Warp Star, Kirby found himself pulled into a rift to a different dimension. He wakes up in a world that looks similar to ours but ravaged by time. The previous civilization that inhabited this land vacated long ago, and nature has made a bid to reclaim the land.
A new foe called the Beast Pack, made up of unique enemies such as Gorimondo, Clawroline and Sillydillo, has traversed the land to imprison Waddle Dees. Luckily, there are also new friends to meet throughout his adventure, including a blue-ish creature named Elfilin, that will help Kirby as he travels this new world and frees the captured Waddle Dees from the clutches of the Beast Pack.
When will Kirby and the Forgotten Land Release?
Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases on March 25, 2022, so it won't be much longer before gamers can experience the game for themselves. With new bosses, abilities and features, along with a jump from 2D to 3D platforming, Forgotten Land is shaping up to be one of the largest Kirby games to date.
The game's openness contrasts the traditional gameplay that was in 2018's Kirby Star Allies. Although fans received that game positively, there were some complaints that the game was too easy, making the adventure feel shorter. Hopefully, Forgotten Land will manage to take the best parts of Kirby to create a memorable game that will find itself compared to other great Nintendo Switch titles like Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.