The latest entry in the long running Kirby franchise, Kirby and the Forgotten Land feels like the culmination of a generation's worth of Nintendo's lessons applied to the tried and true Kirby formula: absorbing enemies and obtaining their powers. There's a dash of the story writing sensibilities and efficiency in titles such as Donkey Kong County: Tropical Freeze and Breath of the Wild. A dash of Super Mario 3D's level design. And a set of time trials with target times that I can only imagine came from one of the various Nintendo titles from the 80s that featured the Devil.
Kirby's main structure of exploring 3D levels crammed full of hidden objects and various goals, remains infinitely accessible to all types of game players; Kirby's ability to jump and float in the air makes navigating these 3D spaces a breeze for all who approach it. Level design is impressive in this entry, allowing both higher level players to maximize movement and entry level players tons of room to experiment and find their bearings without some sort of middle ground that ends up being bland. Each level features a distinct set of goals, both known and hidden, that compel players to revisit the levels to obtain more Waddle-Dees for progression. Unlike in most secret ridden platformers, each time you complete a level it reveals another goal that you may have missed; this completely owns and streamlines the game for maximum momentum.
The powers Kirby obtains throughout the game are mostly interesting; some allow Kirby to fire at enemies from a distance, and some prefer you engage your enemies up close. Some allow for different types of movement. Some just play by the normal rules of Kirby. They're good, if sometimes a bit imprecise due to the nature of Switch analog control.
The big fancy new thing added to Forgotten Land is the addition of MOUTHFUL abilities. These allow Kirby to do interesting things like....absorb a car, a vending machine, or a construction cone to interact with the levels in unique ways. They're a compelling addition that strengthens an already well established formula.
There are some rough patches - the game runs out of boss enemies to encounter during its levels quite quickly in ways that start to feel stale as you slowly march towards the endgame, and the optional time trial treasure sequences are a smidge too tight in their timing for even the most capable players. There's also an obnoxious gacha collectible scheme built into the game; you only use in game currency, but collecting capsules full of digital prizes will always feel GROSS to me.
Engaging, but mostly not difficult, and effortlessly charming in every way, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a grade A entry into a franchise that has lost some main console steam over the years. Here's hoping we don't have to wait this long for a 3D follow up.
Kirby's main structure of exploring 3D levels crammed full of hidden objects and various goals, remains infinitely accessible to all types of game players; Kirby's ability to jump and float in the air makes navigating these 3D spaces a breeze for all who approach it. Level design is impressive in this entry, allowing both higher level players to maximize movement and entry level players tons of room to experiment and find their bearings without some sort of middle ground that ends up being bland. Each level features a distinct set of goals, both known and hidden, that compel players to revisit the levels to obtain more Waddle-Dees for progression. Unlike in most secret ridden platformers, each time you complete a level it reveals another goal that you may have missed; this completely owns and streamlines the game for maximum momentum.
The powers Kirby obtains throughout the game are mostly interesting; some allow Kirby to fire at enemies from a distance, and some prefer you engage your enemies up close. Some allow for different types of movement. Some just play by the normal rules of Kirby. They're good, if sometimes a bit imprecise due to the nature of Switch analog control.
The big fancy new thing added to Forgotten Land is the addition of MOUTHFUL abilities. These allow Kirby to do interesting things like....absorb a car, a vending machine, or a construction cone to interact with the levels in unique ways. They're a compelling addition that strengthens an already well established formula.
There are some rough patches - the game runs out of boss enemies to encounter during its levels quite quickly in ways that start to feel stale as you slowly march towards the endgame, and the optional time trial treasure sequences are a smidge too tight in their timing for even the most capable players. There's also an obnoxious gacha collectible scheme built into the game; you only use in game currency, but collecting capsules full of digital prizes will always feel GROSS to me.
Engaging, but mostly not difficult, and effortlessly charming in every way, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a grade A entry into a franchise that has lost some main console steam over the years. Here's hoping we don't have to wait this long for a 3D follow up.