Sticky: Kirby and the Forgotten Land Review

More than you think with a maximum of pink! Kirby and the Forgotten Land perfectly sums up all the reasons why I love Nintendo. It’s innovative, imaginative, whimsical and not afraid to let your inner child come out to play. Kirby and his ever so dynamic world are still so gross and lovable, and this amazingly crafted 3D platforming adventure gives our own world exactly the kind of thing it needs right now. So sit back, relax, grab a snack (or two, or three), fire up your Nintendo Switch, and step into a land that, though considered forgotten, you’ll frankly never forget.

From the moment I started my game, until the very end, it was hard to keep a big stupid grin on my face. All in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, from the environment to the well-orchestrated music and sound effects, is so incredibly cute, heartwarming, and silly, that even enemies are hard to attack, purely on a psychological level, because you just want to squeeze life out of them. hugs rather than violence. Kirby himself is filled with just as much endless energy and hunger as usual, and finally being able to control him freely around linear three-dimensional stages, in a style similar to Super Mario 3D World, also feels although we had all imagined it. it would be.

The controls are precise and responsive, with most of Kirby’s traditional movements returning, seamlessly transitioning into 3D. Just running around and listening to the soft squash of Kirby’s red shoes against the ground is satisfying, and the HD Rumble of attacking enemies and collecting power-ups adds a whole new level of immersion. Jumping, holding, and sliding are also enjoyable, as are inhaling, swallowing, and high. I was a bit concerned that hovering in particular would cause game-breaking tactics and bugs, but thankfully it’s more than enough to stop you from just floating around the stage. The entire game can even be played in local co-op mode, as your friend takes on the role of Bandana Waddle Dee, although he doesn’t have the ability to inhale, he can perform a unique and powerful spear attack.

Each world, each having a completely different theme from the previous one, is made up of several main stages and a final boss. The main stages are filled with platforming and puzzle-solving challenges, enemies to defeat in satisfying beat ’em up gameplay, plenty of Star Coins to collect, and captured Waddle Dees to save as you have to. find the number needed. to constantly build new attractions in Waddle Dee Town, the central area of ​​the game. You automatically save a few Waddle Dees just by clearing a stage, but finding the hidden ones and achieving special clear conditions are key to increasing the population of your city. It gives reason to explore every inch of the scenes, and while some may be well hidden, it never feels like a total chore to find them.

As for each world’s final stage boss battle, which is also unlocked by saving enough captured Waddle Dees, your objective in these levels is to drain the opponent’s health bar before they empties yours, as you try to dodge and remember their attack pattern to then leave. absolutely ham on them when exposed. Star projectiles will spawn around the arena which the boss is extremely vulnerable to, so be sure to inhale and fire them as fast as possible to deal extra damage. Health can be replenished by eating food spread across main stages, but boss battles are somewhat of a one-off affair, with the only way to heal being to fail and/or restart.

Waddle Dee Town features plenty of content and locations that, while the game could technically do without them, add an obvious quality and care to the overall gaming experience. The Cinema, for example, goes above and beyond by not only offering the ability to rewatch cutscenes, but does so in the charming way of a traditional movie theater. There are also some nice mini-games that can be unlocked around town to earn more star coins, including Waddle Dee Café: Help Wanted, Flash Fishing, and Tilt-and-Roll Kirby, and while they’re not super extended or whatever. to write on the house, they certainly offer a few minutes of pure entertainment. Gotcha Machine Alley, which provides access to several Japanese-style gacha machines, lets you squander your extra stars to help you complete your collection of cute virtual gachapon figurines that are also discoverable for free through the game’s multitude of stages Many more buildings will be unlocked in Waddle Dee Town as you save more Waddle Dees, and part of the fun is finding out what will appear next in the town.

The much-heralded new Mouthful mode, where Kirby completely inhales inanimate objects to take control of them, isn’t as big a deal as you might think. There are only a dozen transformations consistently repeated throughout the game, but they provide a new expansion to Kirby’s already wide moveset. Some transformations are as simple as wriggling on a filing cabinet or opening a container – to solve puzzles and find hidden objects, but others are much more useful and interactive, like the traffic cone that pierces the ground, the vending machine of soda cans, or the highly memorable and exhilarating automobile to drive. There are a few other surprising game-changing transformations to use, but it would be better to discover them for yourself rather than let this review spoil them. I sincerely hope that Mouthful Mode is a mainstay for future iterations of Kirby, as are the series’ signature copy abilities, because not only does it make so much sense for Kirby as a character, but the possibilities for interesting transformations are practically unlimited. Forgotten Land lovingly scratches the surface, but I’d like to see more eventually.

Copy Ability power-ups make a triumphant return with a series-first evolution mechanic. Blueprints for these useful evolutions are hidden throughout the stages and once found can be taken to the Waddle Dee Weapon Shop, conveniently located in Waddle Dee Town, to purchase the upgrade with star coins and rare stones. It’s great fun testing out these more powerful variations of long-time fan-favorite abilities, but evolution can take away some of the challenge. If you intentionally want to make the game harder for yourself just for the kicks, you can just choose to avoid the feature altogether, as Kirby games are notorious for being a bit too easy. Copy Abilities themselves are obtained by either inhaling and swallowing a matching enemy or picking up a pod from the ground containing said power-up.

Apart from the main stages, the world map is also filled with many unique time trial levels known as “Treasure Road” that put your Kirby skills to the test. These are short, sweet segments, usually lasting less than a minute each, and give you the chance to collect the previously mentioned Rare Stones that you use to upgrade your Copy Abilities in Waddle Dee Town. Treasure Road lets you use a previously learned Copy Ability or Bite Mode transformation to defeat hordes of enemies and solve various platforming puzzles as quickly as possible. They’re a real treat to run through, aesthetically and mechanically, and are highly replayable, although there’s not much incentive to go back to them and beat your previous best time besides imaginary brownie points and the personal satisfaction.

Graphically speaking, the character models of Kirby and Forgotten Land in the distance often seem sluggish, likely to keep the game itself running at 30 frames per second. It’s a bit unusual and disappointing that the developers weren’t able to achieve a higher overall frame rate, as the game is apparently no more graphically demanding than a game like Super Mario Odyssey, which is capped (no pun intended) at 60 smooth fps on Nintendo Switch. Luckily, those without a keen eye for technicalities are unlikely to care, or even notice, such a first-world glitch, and the beautifully detailed and vibrant art style and textures more than entertain it despite all. To be completely frank, I myself was surprised to learn that the game *wasn’t* running at 60fps, as the whole experience is dazzling, especially on an OLED screen. It’s also worth noting that the game has a file size of 5.7GB, making it the biggest Kirby title ever released, not just in terms of reach.

Seeing the end credits only takes around 10 hours when playing at a leisurely pace, while 100% completing everything pushes the game to just over 20 hours. While this might be considered short by modern video game standards, I would much rather have a fantastic short experience than a mediocre long experience filled with unnecessary filler. Plus, I plan on coming back to beat my high scores and replay it all with my significant other in co-op mode after the game launches on March 25, so there are still plenty of hours of fun to be had.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is not just a leap into the third dimension, but rather a gigantic pole vault. It packs a massive punch for 3D platforming fans and has the same level of excellence, finish and charm as a mainline Mario title. While I can’t give the game a perfect rating due to its relatively short length and minor graphical issues, the next generation of the Kirby series is finally here, and it’s painstakingly phenomenal. I couldn’t be more excited for what the bright future holds for the creative geniuses at Hal Laboratory. If you want to try Kirby’s latest adventure, a free demo is available now on the Nintendo Online Store.

9.5/10

A copy of Kirby and the Forgotten Land was provided to My Nintendo News by Nintendo UK for the purposes of this review.