[Review] Kirby and the Forgotten Land — A truly unforgettable Kirby adventure

If you’re like me, you’ve been waiting for this moment since the days of the Nintendo 64. Finally, after more than 25 years, Kirby takes his first true steps into the realm of 3D with his latest game, Kirby and the Forgotten Land. 

Is it everything we’ve dreamed of though? Yes. I can’t even force myself to build up fake suspense right now. Yes, this game is amazing. Let me tell you why.

The Story: Kirby’s Awakening

Most Kirby games have a level of mystery surrounding their plots, and Forgotten Land is no exception. While Kirby is minding his own business enjoying another beautiful and peaceful day on Planet Popstar, a dangerous wormhole starts sucking everything and everyone on Planet Popstar into itself. Kirby tries his best to flee, but he too is taken away.

On the other side of the wormhole, we find Kirby doing his best impression of Link by being passed out on the beach of an also unknown land. The pink puffball comes to, but he has no idea of where he is, so all he can do is push forward and explore this strange place in hopes of finding his way back home.

Along the way, Kirby makes a shocking discovery: Ferocious though adorable beasts have been kidnapping all of the Waddle Dees that were drawn into the wormhole. They also kidnapped a strange blue creature, who Kirby is able to rescue before the beasts can escape. The creature, who introduces itself as Eflilin, wants to rescue the poor Waddle Dees, and Kirby agrees to help it, because that’s the kind of guy Kirby is (we don’t deserve him). Together, Kirby and Elfilin set out to brave this new world and save everyone.

Honestly, while the story does its job to set the stage and prompt the player to progress, it is probably the game’s most noticeable (though still subjective) shortcoming. There are times when you forget exactly what is happening in the tale, and you don’t really notice or mind. The plot definitely won’t captivate you the entire way through, but that’s fine. Kirby games are supposed to suck you in (get it?) via their gameplay anyway. 

A Forgotten Land You’ll Always Remember

Forgotten Land is an ironic name, as there’s nothing forgettable about it. You can find proof of this in the game’s regions and levels.

The Forgotten Land is a wide, beautiful world. You can’t explore every square inch of it, but this is a 3D adventure game, not a sandbox game. And Kirby should never have that much free reign on the world, anyway. He’d just eat everything. 

As is the convention for adventure games, the world is split into various sections, and each section has a different theme. For example, the starting point for the game is Natural Plains, which is a fairly conventional grassland. From there, you move to other staple video game terrains such as a frozen tundra and an abandoned city. Each region is beautiful and packed with details, which, of course, allow for some truly creative levels.

Floating Through Each Fun Level

Each level has the same main objective: Reach the end of the stage and rescue the Waddle Dees waiting for you there. Of course, along the way you can also find other, optional Waddle Dees and a number of bonus prizes. These are all hidden though, and some of them require you to complete specific tasks to obtain them. 

In one of the boss levels, for example, you might need to defeat the boss within a specific time limit. The thing is, you won’t know about this objective till you’re done. My best advice is to keep a close eye on your surroundings and analyze each situation you’re in to deduce if the game wants you to do something. But don’t worry if you fail though. You can always replay the level to try again. 

If you think that searching for secrets might make things tedious or boring, don’t worry. It doesn’t. Each level has engaging and clever objectives and allows for a brisk and steady pace. The levels reminded me of the ones in Super Mario 3D World in many ways. Every level plays differently and makes the absolute most of Kirby’s abilities. You don’t have to worry about things getting stale at any point.

Extra Bounties On Treasure Road

And the main levels aren’t the only source of action. You also have Treasure Road. The Treasure Road is a collection of mini-levels that challenge you to complete an objective while under a time limit. Plus, each of these levels requires you to use one of Kirby’s power-ups to win. Clearing any of these levels will earn you a Rare Stone, which you can use to evolve Kirby’s copy abilities.

All of these levels are technically optional, but there are two reasons you shouldn’t skip them. First, they are simply fun. They don’t take long and provide a lot more gameplay. Second, evolving the copy abilities will help you tremendously as you progress through the game.

A Mouthful Of Extraordinary Abilities

Kirby wouldn’t be Kirby without his uncanny ability to turn every problem into a solution – by eating them. I’m referring to his ever-useful copy abilities, but this now also includes his brand-new Mouthful Mode ability.

The copy abilities are back and better than ever in Forgotten Land. No, I’m not using a cliche. They are literally better because you can make them better. Kirby can use most of his staple abilities from across his game series, including Bomb, Sword, and Cutter, but he can also upgrade them. 

By visiting a store in Waddle Dee Town (more on that later), you can evolve the copy abilities. Though, you can’t do it right away. As you explore the levels, you’ll occasionally find blueprints for the abilities. When you find a blueprint, take it to the store and hand it and some Rare Stones over to evolve a power-up. 

These upgrades generally perform better than the original versions and have more attack power. Though, some of them have abilities that are different from the first versions. Luckily, if you’d prefer to use the original copy abilities, you can return to the store to switch back to them.

Mouthful Mode: The Big Upgrade For A Big Adventure

Kirby’s new Mouthful Mode is the most prominent new feature in Forgotten Land. When Kirby sucks in a larger-than-normal object, he won’t be able to swallow it. Instead, he’ll stretch his body over it, which actually grants him useful and powerful abilities. 

Generally, you will use the Mouthful Mode to successfully traverse portions of the environments, but there will also be times when you use them primarily to defeat enemies. They also have their own levels on Treasure Road.

Many times, when you use one of these abilities, you’ll find yourself a section of the level that seems like it is built for it. Now, that’s because it is, but this realization doesn’t affect the fun factor. My favorite mode probably was Car Mouth. There’s just something about hitting the gas and blasting through every obstacle and enemy in your path as you race down a road with pitfalls and sharp turns.

Live Your Best Life In Waddle Dee Town

What happens when you save the Waddle Dees? They return to their homes in Waddle Dee Town, of course. When the game starts, Waddle Dee Town, which appears to have been drawn into the wormhole, is in ruins. But as you save the Waddle Dees, they’ll work together to rebuild everything. When that happens, you’ll gain access to a plethora of new places to explore and new things to do.

Some examples of what you can find in Waddle Dee Town include:

• Waddle Dee Cinema: Here, you can re-watch any of the cutscenes you’ve seen already during your adventure.
• Weapons Shop: This is the store where you upgrade your copy abilities. You can also stop here whenever you want to pick up one of those abilities.
• Gotcha Machine Alley: Figurines are one of the main collectibles in the game. You can find them while exploring levels, but you can also test your luck with multiple gotcha machines to try to find them all.
• Bandana Waddle Dee: Forgotten Land has two-player co-op. The first player uses Kirby, and the second player uses Bandana Waddle Dee.
• The Colosseum: This is a boss rush mini-game. When you’re ready for a challenge, enter this arena to face previously defeated bosses one after another. The rewards are worth it, and so is the chance to encounter a certain mysterious swordsman who is waiting for you to challenge him.

Again, these are only some examples of what awaits you in Waddle Dee Town. Be sure to return and see what’s new every time you rescue a bunch of Waddle Dees.

Kirby Live Symphonies When?

While I don’t have much to say about the music, I want to make it clear that if you love the soundtracks from previous Kirby games, you’ll love Forgotten Land’s music as well. Honestly, if you love good video game music in general, you’ll love what’s in store for you in the game. 

Every song is packed with that cheerful yet energetic joy that makes Kirby games so charming, and the songs for the bosses and other “tense” moments add exactly enough urgency. From the opening cutscene to the final credits, there are no low points for your adventure’s accompanying track.

Conclusion 

Is Kirby and the Forgotten Land the best Kirby game ever? I prefer not to make objective statements like that by using my subjective opinion (unless it’s to purposefully start a debate). All I can say is that this is now my favorite Kirby game. Nothing was lost in translation from 2D to 3D. Kirby and the Forgotten Land has it all. 

The difficulty is appropriate for a Kirby game, and you can pick between two settings. I played on the harder Wild Mode throughout my entire playthrough of the game and only died twice. And those two times were because I was being dumb, reckless, and was testing things. The game keeps you alert, but it never buries you with the difficulty.

And then there’s the post-game content. I won’t spoil things by going into the details, but what you have to do after the credits roll is plenty. The main game isn’t super long, around eight to twelve hours to complete, depending on how thorough you are with finding everything. So, if you get to the end but are still craving more, the game has you covered. Again, Kirby and the Forgotten Land really does have it all.

Score: 9.5/10