Distributor provided a review copy.
I missed out on the original release of Kirby and the Forgotten Land back in 2022. A part of that is because I never understood the fascination for one of Nintendo's most recognizable mascots. Kirby is cute and silly, and thoroughly baffling. I get why people are drawn to him/her/it, even as I'm very much not.
After spending the last week or so with Forgotten Land and the Star-Crossed World expansion, I can kind of see why people love this eternally-hungry pink ball so much. There's something inherently charming about how chaotically cuddly Kirby's antics can get.
The base game, The Forgotten Lands, is a port of the original Switch title with all the bells and whistles you could hope for. It runs beautifully at 60fps with up to a 4K resolution in docked mode.
During my time with the game, I didn't notice a single dropped frame or a stutter anywhere. This is a gorgeous, colorful, and always delightful experience that showcases the Switch 2's improved performance wonderfully.
Yes, granted, it's not the most demanding title out there. But it doesn't need to be, either. It takes polish to get something like Kirby to run smoothly, especially with all the background antics, moving objects, and expressive particles the game is so fond of. As a platformer, stuttering would kill the experience. In its current form, Kirby's latest adventure is in the same class as Donkey Kong Bananza in terms of next-gen technical performance.
What really surprised me was how involved the plotting for Kirby's main adventure – the first 3D title in the series – turned out to be. At times, it reminded me of old-school anime series Sailor Moon, where the bright and poppy shenanigans were contrasted against exceedinly dark themes of loss, melancholy, and identity.
In Forgotten Land, a dark vortex swallows Kirby and most of his world into the ruins of an ancient civilization. There, Kirby meets the Waddle Dees, who've lost their home in the calamity. The King behaves erratically, and there's a sense that life as everyone once knew it will never be the same again.
It's a lot for something starring a bright pink ball that farts stars.
Happily, much of the melancholy is reserved for the story sequences, leaving the actual gameplay as the highlight. The platforming and action remain as wildly inventive as ever. Kirby's ability to take the shape and abilities of the things he devours is still a blast, and I found myself laughing out loud every time I discovered a new thing that I could take over.
This is also a game with a far lower barrier of entry than others of its type. It wouldn't be far off to say that Kirby is Nintendo's most accessible title in their roster, thanks to easy controls, intuitive and helpful UI, clear and wonderful assists when needed, and a delightful multiplayer.
It's the kind of title that I could hand over to anyone from the youngest to the oldest members of the family, and they could understand the mechanics. That kind of deeply mindful gameplay design is not easy, and it's what I love so dearly about Nintendo's titles. When they work, they work universally and without question.
The plot for Star-Crossed World is there mostly as an excuse to have fun. Kirby discovers a fallen meteor, which contains The Heart of Darkness. Before you know it, the heart-shaped crystal has shattered, and Kirby must traverse the land to put it back together.
These levels initially look familiar, as they're a return to the same 12 featured in the main adventure. Upon closer inspection, however, you'll start to notice first small, then larger differences, as the Heart of Darkness has corrupted and iced over prior locations.
It's a theme and style that Nintendo has toyed with in the past, and it works surprisingly well as a lighter spin-off to the moody storyline of Forgotten Land. While there are sequences that go surprisingly dark – reminiscent of a traumatizing Moomin storyline involving the Witch of the Winter – Star-Crossed World is a breezy and fun expansion from beginning to end.
As a package, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a perfect addition to the Switch 2 library. It's fully on the cartridge, as well, which makes this collector deeply happy.
If you've already cleared Donkey Kong's Bananza and are looking for more family-friendly fun, look no further.
