Nintendo has so many iconic characters littering its offices, many of whom have starred in some of the greatest games of all time. Whether it’s Mario, Samus, or Link you love, chances are one of Ninty’s creations has features in one of your favourite video games. Not all of Nintendo’s characters get the love they deserve though. Some like Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud haven’t been in their own game in decades, whereas others just aren’t as beloved by the fans. I personally don’t think there are enough Kirby fans in the world, and if any game is going to change that it’s Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World.
This particular game puts the Pink Puffball into one of his first 3D adventures, in the wonderful setting of a ruined civilization. There are still some of the usual themed worlds like the beach and ice worlds, but the stages also include abandoned shopping malls and even a theme park to explore. Kirby isn’t adventuring through this spectacular setting for a laugh though, he’s trying to save his mates the Waddle Dees. By rescuing enough he’ll be able to repopulate their town and hopefully take down the big bad who captured them in the first place, so let’s get jumping and sucking.
As is traditional for Kirby, the actual platforming of The Forgotten Land isn’t particularly tricky. This is because Kirby can do loads of big floaty jumps which means you’re unlikely to fall down many pits. It’s not like some Kirby games where you can float over entire levels though, and from the fixed camera 3D perspective Kirby’s moveset has never felt more well suited to a game.
Kirby and The Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World also features a variety of enemies that the lovely pink blob can suck up to gain their powers (and also dress up in a fancy outfit) which is as fun as ever. All the copy abilities are charming and useful in their own way, from the basic Sword and Hammer that can be swung to deal big damage to the Needle ability which is the perfect defence. It won’t take you long to find an ability you enjoy using the most, although as you progress you’ll likely find a new one to take its spot.
Kirby’s mouth isn’t just used for sucking up bad guys though in this game, he can also suck up certain objects with Mouthful mode. You’ll first use this in the introduction level of the game on a car, which Kirby will sort of wrap his skin around and control. It’s actually pretty disturbing looking, and I couldn’t help but imagine Kirby was in pain when using this particular power. It is very useful though, whether it’s to drive through weak walls, move steps around, or cause a lot of damage as a vending machine with your fizzy drink projectiles.
In most Kirby games reaching the goal of a level isn’t particularly difficult, and that’s still the case in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The difficulty comes in finding all the extra hidden Waddle Dees, and in completing the list of bonus objectives each level has to offer. These are impressively varied, asking you to do everything from eat a selection of mall snacks to climb a specific building and check out the beautiful view. Sometimes you’ll have to avoid damage from a specific enemy, or beat a boss within a certain time limit. I had an absolute blast checking off these little tasks, and saved a lot of extra Waddle Dees doing so.
One of the few slightly disappointing elements of Kirby and the Forgotten Land is that the main collectibles (Waddle Dees) don’t really reward you a whole lot for finding them. Their town will expand with new buildings when you collect them early on, but after a few worlds you’ll have got enough of them for their bustling home to be fully kitted out. This little hub area is probably the weakest part of the game in general, with a lack of interesting things to do aside from upgrading abilities.
Now if you played Kirby and the Forgotten Lands on the original Switch back in 2022 you’ll be familiar with all its lovely features, and probably just want to know about the new additions in Star Crossed World. Well I’m pleased to announce that this upgrade provides a pretty massive amount of extra content, in the form of two extra stages in each world of the game. This adds up to about an extra third of the original stages, and more importantly they’re all absolutely fantastic.
The new stages appear because a big sparkly meteor hits the world, and its shiny crystals infect some of the familiar stages you’ve already played. The new stages are fresh takes on these old levels, with new shiny crystals surfaces blocking old routes and taking you in whole new directions. It’s a really cool idea that’ll remind you of the fun you had with the original stages while giving you an entirely new platforming experience.
The way the crystal affects the various locations is really very cool. The beach stage has the crystal entirely drain the ocean and leaves you hopping around the seafloor, and all the extra shiny platforms in the theme park make for some thrills and chills. It feels like Nintendo deliberately chose this beautiful reflective material to infect Kirby and the Forgotten Land just to show off the power of the Switch 2, and it works because these stages especially are absolutely gorgeous.
The entirety of this Switch 2 version of Kirby and the Forgotten Land runs perfectly on the new hardware, with the buttery smooth framerates and incredibly quick load times you’d hope for in a console upgrade. Perhaps the only slight disappointment this version brings is the lack of new copy abilities, which would’ve been cool to see even if they aren’t particularly needed.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star Crossed World is without a doubt the best Kirby game ever made, and hopefully it’ll help convince people that the Pink Puffball is just as important as his Nintendo peers. If you missed it the first time around then this Switch 2 upgrade is a great way to right this wrong, because this is one charming platformer that it’d suck to miss out on.
