Kirby and also the Forgotten Land is really a brand-new title in HAL Laboratory’s famous franchise. Kirby is introduced to a new world with fearsome foes, and players are brought to a completely unique type of play. This title is the first mainline Kirby game to feature full 3D movement, and lots of familiar components from the series were changed to support it. New gameplay mechanics and creative enemy designs are just the tip from the iceberg as players explore everything Forgotten Land has to offer. Are these new additions and changes well worth the sacrifices designed to accommodate them?
Plunge Ahead about this Thrilling Tour
Forgotten Land’s structure, at its core, continues to be very similar to more recent mainline Kirby titles. Players traverse different areas, completing the levels within to eventually battle someone else in charge. Where farmville differs is the new 3D plane that players have access to. Previously, only spinoffs could experiment with the thought of a 3D Kirby game. Forgotten Land makes the the majority of its status as a major release, having its environments to grant an even greater sense of exploration. It’s still a level-based game – no open-world exploration or anything – but new and classic Kirby elements give players a reason to explore every inch from the ground they walk on.
New mechanics tie into this exploration perfectly. Mouthful Mode is Forgotten Land’s main gimmick, giving Kirby unique and odd powers without actually utilizing a Copy Ability. They are mostly employed for puzzles and occasional progression via a stage. Additionally they join Copy Abilities included in the new Treasure Road levels, forcing players to make use of their abilities as efficiently as you possibly can to acquire a Rare Stone and some bonus Star Coins. These new puzzles and challenges have surprising creativity to them, making it worthwhile for players to accomplish everything Forgotten Land provides.
At points, it can feel a little tedious to understand more about everything. This is particularly then when returning to an amount to rescue hidden Waddle Dees that might’ve been missed, since most objectives for finding them aren’t revealed immediately. Thankfully, Forgotten Land follows the series tradition to be a cakewalk so long as you aren’t trying to find hidden objectives. This gives kids and casual players plenty of leeway with regards to completing the storyline, on top of the cooperative play that may be enjoyed throughout most of the game. For more serious players, post-game content and full completion will provide a surprisingly great challenge – particularly when it comes to boss battles.
The Roaring Ocean of a New World
Forgotten Land gives the Kirby series a renewed concentrate on combat, even if in hindsight at the intricate boss battles of Return to Dreamland and Planet Robobot. This is partially because of the improvements made to Kirby’s dodge, which can be activated by guarding and flicking the control stick. When timed right as an incoming attack is going to hit, time will decelerate as it were. Kirby will even be able to launch a powerful counterattack with certain abilities in this state. This one thing makes for more engaging battles, and the game wants you to make the most of it; players will end up forced into arenas to battle enemies and minibosses while exploring levels. This lets players hone their skills when preparing for that boss battles ahead.
Recent Kirby games have been particularly invested in creating powerful and interesting boss fights. Forgotten Land is no different, even with a number of these bosses only using a few attacks for the most part. Players are rewarded for correctly reacting to some boss’s attacks with their own powerful strikes, and later battles – especially after completing the sport – are more challenging than ever. There are plenty of items that can help someone struggling with these battles, but they’re both optional and out of the way; in other words, it’s easier for players to challenge themselves if that’s what they want.
Unfortunately, there’s not a wide variety of ways for players to battle. Forgotten Land has a really low quantity of unique Copy Abilities, and many fan-favorites like Spark and Parasol weren’t capable of making the cut. Additionally, many abilities had their movesets stripped down in order to play well in the new 3D environment. To make up with this, Forgotten Land lets players upgrade their Copy Abilities. This can be done by finding blueprints and rare stones while exploring the game’s main story. This addition brings some good variety to classic abilities, and it offers more opportunities for customization based on personal preference. Forgotten Land might be a a bit more restrictive when it comes to which Copy Abilities made the cut. But when you are looking at those players can access, there’s never been a larger feeling of freedom.
Stuff Your Belly and Nap Awhile
Outside of the game’s main story and exploration, Forgotten Land also offers plenty of extras. Waddle Dee Town, becoming the game’s hub area, allows players to savor minigames and simply hang out with the Waddle Dees they saved. Collectible figures are available during gameplay and purchased in the town, letting players learn a little more from the story behind Forgotten Land’s characters and areas. You may also use the D-Pad in your controller to wave or sit down, letting players act more expressive than ever. All of this only adds to Forgotten Land’s charm, turning the game right into a fun-yet-relaxing experience.
There are also ways Forgotten Land increases the “relaxing” aspect of Kirby games. A brand new difficulty selection is available that lets players weaken enemies in return for less rewards. The choice is redundant seeing as how the harder difficulty, Wild Mode, is still not very difficult on its very own. There's also only a few stages throughout the entire game; they’re reasonably large, but the low amount means the sport is over more quickly than you might think. It would’ve been nice to see some more time put in making new stages, especially because the ones already in the game are so great on their own.
There are quite several facets of the sport to discuss outside of the gameplay. Kirby and the Forgotten Land runs well and looks great whether playing on a handheld or docked Nintendo Switch. It follows within the footsteps of Star Allies by playing at 30 frames per second in levels, being bumped up to 60 in menus. It’s not the smoothest experience, however it is consistent – also it creates a really good-looking game around the Switch. The music now is nearly completely unique, with not many songs from previous games being used whatsoever. And, of course, long-time fans can expect to find out surprising, subtle, and somewhat unsettling lore.
The Verdict
The worst thing that may be said about Kirby and the Forgotten Land is just that there isn’t more of it. Previous experiments having a 3D Kirby may have missed the objective, but this title comprises for just about any shortcomings using its new additions and altered mechanics. Forgotten Land is both a truly fantastic Kirby game and something of the best games you can now find on the Switch. With sufficient some time and polish, a brand new title building off of Forgotten Land’s ambitions might make for any truly perfect game.
