Kirby and the Forgotten Land | Switch Review

Kirby games have always been a weird anomaly in my gaming history. I played the original on NES, and I played Canvas Curse on the DS back in the day. I’m pretty sure I even made my way through Epic Yarn at some point. I might have been slightly older than the target age for the pink puffball when he originally hit the scene. Most of my experience with him comes from Smash Bros., and even then he was a character I rarely used. I jumped into HAL Laboratory‘s Kirby and the Forgotten Land with very little prior knowledge about the lore. Is there really in-depth Kirby lore? But the trailer was way too charming for me to pass up, and I’m glad to say that I’m more than glad that I took the plunge. Although it offers very little challenge, I found it difficult instead to put down this charming title.

You Were Right For Believing So Long

The story of Kirby and the Forgotten Land is pretty basic, even by Nintendo standards. A vortex sucks Kirby and all of the Waddle Dees from Dream Land into the New World. It’s up to our hero to rescue these friends and defeat a number of enemies known as the Beast Pack who have kidnapped them. He’s accompanied by a chinchilla-like creature by the name of Elfilin as well. As expected, Kirby will face against King Dedede towards the end of his adventure. But that’s not all, as even grander enemies show up for the finale. But I’ll save those details for those who are actually into the universe of these games.

As someone not invested into the world of Kirby, I found this plot serviceable, but not overly interesting. The ending was a bit out there, and I felt very confused by the events that transpired. In all honestly, I didn’t hop into this game for its rich narrative. I played it for the clever gameplay and rewarding exploration.

It’s difficult to come up with a better word to describe Forgotten Kingdom than charming. Each level does something unique while never requiring a high level of skill to reap rewards. Those rewards still feel satisfying, however, which is why I couldn’t stop playing.

Carry Your Smile In My Heart

As expected, Kirby can inhale enemies and absorb their powers. This is nothing new to the franchise by any stretch. What’s added, however, is “Mouthful Mode”, in which Kirby can inhale larger objects like traffic cones, soda vending machines, and even a car. Discovering each of these pieces of the environment put a smile on my face immediately. It’s adorable watching him waddle around shooting soda cans out of his now rectangular body or rolling down a hill like a huge metal pipe jumping ramps. It’s whimsical and severely fun. The only problem is those moments run out a couple worlds into the game. Once the newness wears off, you’re kind of going through the motions in a repetitive fashion, but the mechanics still work in a functional level.

The best part is that Kirby doesn’t have to give up his other ability when entering Mouthful Mode. If you’ve acquired an enemie’s ability already, Kirby’s giant form will still don the hat of said bad guy. That way you can still use it after you’ve traversed whatever obstacle you need to overcome.

Speaking of enemy abilities, this time around you can upgrade them. At any time, Kirby can make his way back to the Waddle Dee village. There he can purchase upgrades at a shop that give each ability a second version of the attack. It’s fun to experiment with them in the levels, but I honestly found them somewhat useless against the bosses. It always seemed like the best way to take them down was to dodge attacks and inhale stars to spit back at the boss. This was a bit disappointing, especially since most of these encounters were more or less repeats of previous battles. The only newness was the enemy itself.

Make Me Believe What Tomorrow Could Bring

Kirby and the Forgotten Land hearkens back to a simpler time when developers weren’t obsessed with the open-world formula and complex mechanics. It’s not afraid to be cute and charming while managing to appeal to original fans as well as younger audiences. Despite less than impressive boss fights and an uninteresting story, it’s hard to not recommend it. Even after playing the main game, there’s still plenty to do. Each level has a number of secret Waddle Dees to find as well as hidden objectives. These are checklisted at the end of each level where you can learn a hint to help you on your next playthrough of the level. You can even unlock a fun playable character and enjoy some post-game content.

Much like the recent Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Kirby and the Forgotten Land has a younger audience in mind. While older fans of the series will love it, the game doesn’t quite have the same appeal as space wizards. But if you’ve got a young child in the family, the game is still fun to play. The co-op limits the second player a bit, but still allows them to be a part of the gameplay.

It’s an easy recommend for kids. Your mileage may vary depending on your love of the series. But it’s worth checking out just to see what happens next. Take a deep breath, and give it a shot.

To hear me talk more about Kirby and the Forgotten Land, be sure to listen to Episode 390 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast around the 55:45 time stamp.

This review is based on a purchased copy of Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Nintendo Switch. It is exclusive to this platform.