Kirby and the Forgotten Land Marks as his first 3D Adventure
Kirby and the Forgotten Land will mark the seventeenth appearance of Nintendo’s beloved character. Strangely, enough this new adventure will be the first time Kirby jumped into a 3D platform. Most games before this were pretty much a 2D affair. It has been a long time since the little pink puff has been on a solo journey and this new title by HAL Laboratory has all the signs of a classic. In this new game, Kirby finds himself washed ashore on a strange new place called simply “The Forgotten Land.” It’s a dystopian continent with vegetation overgrown on buildings, crumbling infrastructure, and a foreboding atmosphere. It’s definitely a heavy vibe for Kirby to take on. Not to mention that there are some baddies lurking in the shadows. The Forgotten Land has locals called “Waddle Dees” who are being kidnapped by a mysterious group called “The Beast Pack.” It’s up to Kirby to find out what’s going on and, ultimately, how to find his way home.
Luckily, Kirby won’t be totally alone in this new journey. He will be accompanied by a new friend named Elfilin. Together they will help each other discover new places hidden in this world and fight The Beast Pack along the way. This new installment for Kirby is a natural progression ever since his debut back in 1992. He made many appearances that range from his own solo adventures to being a selectable fighter in Smash Bros. Hence, Kirby and the Forgotten Land will take a little bit of everything that he learned throughout the last 30 years and implement it into the gameplay. This new game will feel very similar to Kirby’s other ventures, with some much-needed spice to help it feel updated. Fans of Kirby will definitely feel at home with this new offering and it’s nice to see him return to form.
Remembering The Forgotten
Kirby and the Forgotten Land will be dense with things to do and places to find. It appears it won’t be an open-world game, per se. Rather, there will be the main hub where Kirby can warp to other realms. This hub will be called “Waddle Dee Town.” The gameplay on the trailer showed off what kind of hijinx Kirby will get into and there is definitely a lot of variation. Nintendo tends to make platformers unlike anyone else. This new game is shaping up to be no exception. Surprisingly, enough this won’t be a strictly single-player experience, either. Players can have a co-op adventure of their own. The other playable character is named, “Bandana Waddle Dee.” He can tag along with Kirby and help him rescue his friends that are being held hostage by The Beast Pack. Bandana Waddle Dee will come with his own style of gameplay, including a spear as his primary form of attack.
The main goal with every level is to locate and free the Waddle Dees. Of course, there will be other collectibles to find, too. As more Waddle Dees are rescued, the more populated Waddle Dee Town will become. Therefore, with the locals returning to their homes, they will introduce a variety of mini-games for players to tinker with. Things like being a server in a cafe, fishing, and scoring toys in a machine will be available to help break up Kirby’s missions. Watching the town start from being a shell of its former self to becoming a bustling location will give players a sense of accomplishment. When it comes to the stages themselves, players will be free to explore the areas at their whim and discover hidden secrets without any restrictions.
The Courage of Kirby
The levels will come with all kinds of characteristics. Everything from icy landscape to mountainous regions, Kirby and the Forgotten Land will be platforming akin to the same greatness as Mario. To complement these levels, Kirby will also be returning with all of his signature abilities. Suckng up enemies and spitting them out will, of course, be standard. However, Kirby will still be able to mimic his enemies’ abilities along with some other surprises. He can put on a special hat this will give him a sword to swipe baddies with. Additionally, there is also a “spiked helmet” that he can put on to where he can roll across the level like Sonic The Hedgehog and stick enemies. Not to mention that he can also have a power-up to drill underground and erupt up to knock out enemies.
There also looks like there might be a “fast-travel” option to where Kirby can hitch a ride with a star that’ll safely float him from one point to the next. The levels in Kirby and the Forgotten Land seem to be rather immense and surely the developers implemented a feature to get around without much hassle. Speaking of hassle, Kirby will be going against The Beast Pack in the form of boss battles throughout the game. They seem to be rather formidable foes and they will take some considerable effort to take out. Kirby is going to need different variations of his power-ups to beat these bosses. Hence, some brain power could play a factor in figuring out their weaknesses and patterns during these encounters. In fact, every enemy in this game will pose a unique challenge for players to overcome.
Waddle Dee Delight
There is no doubt that Kirby and the Forgotten Land pose as another winner for Nintendo. This game is nearing completion in development and it won’t be long before fans of the little pink puff get reacquainted with each other. It has been a long time since Kirby has had his own story to tell and jumping into 3D platforming feels like the right move to make. It worked wonders for Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros., so who is to say it won’t work for Kirby? From how everything looks in the trailer, everything seems to be on the right track. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is scheduled to be released for the Nintendo Switch this spring.
