Review: KIRBY AND THE FORGOTTEN LAND is a Delightful Treat on the Nintendo Switch
A few weeks ago, Nintendo released Kirby and the Forgotten Land which was developed by HAL Laboratory. The game is Kirby’s first 3D platformer and was definitely a game that many were talking about. Nintendo was kind enough to provide me with a review copy and you can find my thoughts below. You can play Kirby and the Forgotten Land now on Nintendo Switch.
If you’ve played a Kirby game, you know a lot of what to expect. You play as an adorable pink puffball who goes on an adventure because some unlikely event interrupted his day. You can suck in various enemies and absorb their powers and as a new addition to the franchise, Mouthful Mode allows you to control some inanimate objects that give you new abilities. The most famous Mouthful Mode is the car that lets you drive around. Mouthful Mode is a delightful addition to the franchise that provides new ways to address puzzles and challenges throughout the levels.
Something else fans know about the franchise is that the games are not particularly challenging and Kirby and the Forgotten Land is no different. This is when I reiterate that being easy doesn’t make a game bad. This game is very charming and provides a lot of fun. Each level has various challenges for you to complete and if you miss any, you’ll get a hint as to what one of the ones you missed is. This helps encourage players to replay levels. Another reason to replay the levels is that completing these challenges frees Waddle Dees that build up Waddle Dee Town which is a key location.
Waddle Dee Town is a really cool addition. As you play through the game, you’ll save Waddle Dees and they’ll build up the town. This unlocks mini-games, hints for where to find items in levels, a gacha machine for collectibles, videos of other Kirby games, and a place to upgrade your abilities. That’s right, in Kirby and the Forgotten Land you can upgrade your abilities. For example, you can upgrade the Cutter ability to the Chakram Cutter which lets you throw stronger chakram at a faster rate making Kirby much more deadly. This is a fantastic addition to the franchise.
From a graphics point, I think this game looks amazing. The character models and environments look vibrant and beautiful. Plus, it runs very smooth. Digital Foundry found that the game is capped at 30FPS but there were a few times that I could’ve sworn it went to 60FPS. I do want to note that if you pay attention to characters and objects in the distance, you may see things at a lower resolution/framerate. I haven’t noticed it a lot because I’m usually paying attention to Kirby’s more immediate surroundings, but it is something I’ve seen.
The sound for Kirby and the Forgotten Land is fantastic as well. It’s so well mixed and composed that it’s just a delight.
As much as I love this game, there are a few things that I wish were different. First, I know we get to upgrade our abilities, but one of my favorite things about a Kirby game was in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards when you could combine abilities. This was utilized to an extent in Kirby Star Allies, but it’s completely absent here. This is my smallest gripe and really doesn’t subtract any points from the game, but I wish there was a way to do that.
My number one complaint with the game is the multiplayer function. Yes, this game has multiplayer, but it’s disappointing. The second player joins as Bandana Waddle Dee who is armed with a spear. A big joy of playing Kirby games is being able to change abilities and as far as I can find, there’s no way to change the character or abilities for player two. This also limits what player two can help with as you progress through levels that require specific abilities for parts. There are sections where player two has nothing to do and mini-games that they’re excluded from. Normally, I wouldn’t be so hard on a game for lackluster multiplayer in a game that doesn’t really require it, but the team implemented a fun and useful multiplayer option in Star Allies (the last Kirby game) that this one feels like an afterthought.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a fun and delightful lighthearted game to enjoy. It’s easy, but that makes it very accessible even for some of the youngest gamers. It’s definitely a charming game with plenty of changes to make it stand out. If you’re looking for a multiplayer Kirby game, I wouldn’t recommend this one, but it’s a solid single-player game.
