Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a Nintendo Switch platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. This game involves Kirby traveling in three dimensions, a change from the usual two dimensions the character's platforming titles have been known for. It was released on March 25, 2022, as the fourth Kirby series game to be released for the Switch.

Plot
As Kirby rides along with Dream Land on his Warp Star on another peaceful day, the skies darken as blue star-shaped rifts open and start sucking everything in the area into the other side. Kirby tries to flee but is struck by a tree and sent into the vortex, losing consciousness. When he awakens, he is now on the shore of a mysterious new world where urban architecture has been reclaimed by nature. Teaming up with Bandana Waddle Dee and a floating chinchilla-like creature named Elfilin and armed with Mouthful Mode (which allows him to stretch over objects he inhales and gains their properties), Kirby sets out through the Forgotten Land to save the Waddle Dees captured by an army of fierce animals known as the Beast Pack and explore the various mysteries of this new world.

Why You'll Never Forget It

 * 1) The change from 2D to 3D gameplay is a great innovation for the Kirby series and the usual Kirby gameplay translates flawlessly into the new dimension.
 * 2) * To account for the 3D space, the usual Kirby gameplay adapts splendidly. For example, if Kirby spits something out and is angled close to (but not exactly) where an enemy is, the star bullet will be directed straight at the enemy regardless. By default, he will also automatically swallow any enemy with a copy ability.
 * 3) The game is visually stunning and breathtaking. The mix between bright colors and atmospheric settings is amazing, and almost every object, from the stitches on Sword Kirby's green cap, to the scales on reptile-like enemies, have very detailed textures. It gets even better in cinematic cutscenes, where you can see individual blades of grass, the fur of the animals, or the clear waters of Dreamland.
 * 4) Neat new copy abilities are introduced in this game such as Drill (which allows Kirby to tunnel underground to attack) and Ranger (which gives Kirby a blunderbuss to shoot stars with).
 * 5) * You can now upgrade copy abilities in this game, and their evolutions are really cool. Most of these upgrades range from attack speed boosts (Toy Hammer, Meta Knight Sword, etc.) to moves that can cut entire areas in half (Dragon Fire, Space Ranger, etc.).
 * 6) * Ice (especially its two upgrades) is the best ability in the game, as it lets you skate through dangerous liquids, like goo, poison, and lava (unless it's lava that is meant to be a bottomless pit, that is), and lets you freeze any enemy.
 * 7) ** You can freeze bosses, and it does a lot of damage, but you have to press and hold the attack button for long enough while still being able to dodge attacks, and if you lose the ability, they break out of the ice without getting big extra damage.
 * 8) ** If Frosty Ice or Blizzard Ice hits nothing, they make either a snowman or a big chunk of ice to throw at a foe.
 * 9) Mouthful Mode is not only hilarious in concept, but also offers some real creative potential in terms of level and puzzle design. A lot of the Mouthful Modes are easy to control, offer some decent puzzle sections, and the best part is you don't have to drop your copy ability to enter Mouthful Mode; a button prompt will appear for you to switch into the mode once you get close to a compatible object, and you'll still have your copy ability once you exit Mouthful Mode.
 * 10) The controls for Kirby are incredible tight, solid, and well-fit in a 3D game.
 * 11) * Sure, the controls are much more limited here than in other games, it makes the game much more difficult while still being fair.
 * 12) ** If Kirby could gain unlimited height, then you won't be able to appreciate the game's level design.
 * 13) ** If Kirby could last in the air forever, the platforming would be way less challenging.
 * 14) The game makes unique use of action game mechanics while still feeling like a Kirby game. One example is that Kirby can now slow down time by perfectly dodging a boss' attack to score more damage in the same vein as Bayonetta and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
 * 15) Most levels have unique side objectives for Kirby to do to rescue more Waddle Dees such as making tulips bloom and breaking certain objects, which helps the game break further away from the linear objectives from the other games in the series.
 * 16) Co-op play is great since, like Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee's moveset translates neatly into 3D. His inclusion as a co-op character also feels more organic here, as one of the main goals of the game is to save his species from the Beast Pack.
 * 17) You can now select difficulty settings. This means you can either take it easy with Kirby's usual difficulty to get a hang of the mechanics (Spring Breeze Mode) or challenge yourself with a harder difficulty (Wild Mode).
 * 18) Much like Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Kirby: Planet Robobot and Kirby Star Allies, there's another set of collectibles, those being figurines, which are hidden in capsules hidden though out the levels.
 * 19) Wondrous soundtrack that embodies the vibe of exploration encouraged throughout the game. The main theme, "Running Through The New World", in particular, is an adventurous and whimsical track that makes the discovery of the dilapidated city in the introductory level all the more exciting. There's also the game's epic vocal theme, "Welcome to the New World!", which sets the tone nicely for Kirby's future adventures through the New World.
 * 20) Properly Balanced and fair difficulty, not too easy, not too hard for the most part.
 * 21) Unlike other games with a post-apocalyptic environment that have a gloomy and depressing tone with serious themes from start to finish, this game subverts this trend with a friendly and charming environment that is really fitting and done right to help the narrative of the game and it also feels like you're playing The Last of Us, its sequel, and Nier: Automata, but without anything depressing and for kids. This helps make way for what the Kirby series has been known for: becoming darker in the endgame.
 * 22) Kirby's new ally, Elfilin, is adorable and his friendship with Kirby is heartwarming, especially during the side activities in Waddle Dee Town. Unlike Kersti and Huey from mh:crappygames:Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Paper Mario: Color Splash respectively, the idea of gaining a partner for an adventure is well executed and he is far more tolerable than the two (though the latter is likable). In fact, Elfilin is also like Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey in a way.
 * 23) The game really challenges you to master each Copy Ability outside of puzzles. The Treasure Road stages are a good example, as you not only need to use a given Copy Ability/Mouthful Mode to solve puzzles and reach the Rare Stone at the end, but there's even an optional target time for you to complete for a few coins.
 * 24) Waddle Dee Town is similar to the hub from Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, where completing missions will add more Waddle Dees to your town, allowing you to develop the town faster than otherwise just blowing through the stages. The results of building the town are very rewarding, such as Waddle Dee's Item Shop (where you can buy speed, attack, and health posts), Waddle Dee Cafe (where you can buy food to keep in stock until needed), and the Colosseum (where you can battle prior bosses and unique ones like Meta Knight for exclusive prizes).
 * 25) There are three fun and neat mini games to play in the Waddle Dee Town.
 * 26) The boss fights also carry over well to a 3D environment and are just as incredible and intense as ever. They start off testing everything you've learned up to that point while going easy (Gorimondo), then quickly transition to battles where you need to be quick on your feet to survive (Sillydillo).
 * 27) The plot twist regarding Elfilin's relation to the final boss is truly shocking. It turns out that Elfilin is the second half of a destructive being named Fecto Forgo, aka Specimen ID-F86, born of Forgo's limited capacity for compassion, and the Beast Pack was brainwashed into helping hunt him down so that Forgo could be whole again. This is a surprise since it’s a twist that hasn't been done before in the series regarding Kirby's allies (who, up until now, have either been truly good or betrayed him in the end).
 * 28) Like always, the final boss is fantastic. The battle against Fecto Elfilis descends into delightful chaos not long after it starts as the boss makes quick attacks with their spear, fires energy lasers/beams and summons large debris to attack Kirby with. Afterwards comes the climax, where Fecto Elfilis tries to bring Planet Popstar down onto the New World. To combat them, Kirby inhales a big-rig and charges up to Fecto Elfilis to an epic remix of the Invincibility Candy theme. Afterwards are two quick-time events and another beam battle between a large chunk of debris sent by Fecto Elfilis and Big-Rig Kirby powered by Elfilin. The rematch with him in the Ultimate Cup Z known as Chaos Elfilis ups the challenge by increasing the scale, amount, and damage of his attacks. He even has a second form that in which he fires numerous beams from spheres he summons and incorporates 3D versions of attacks used from "Soul" bosses in previous Kirby games.
 * 29) This was the second time in a Kirby game, the "Extra Mode" in Post Game is canon to the main story, as such, it makes Kirby and the Forgotten Land feel more bigger then it is.
 * 30) The game handles the Arena's really well, as the Colosseum treats the battles like the Arena/True Arena.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) While the side objectives in levels are neat, the fact that they are hidden from you until you either complete them or complete the level is frustrating as it will likely force you to play the level again to get those remaining Waddle Dees.
 * 2) Outside of Treasure Road, there is no real in-game guide for the Copy Ability movesets, leaving players stumped as to how to perform moves such as Drill Stab with Sword.
 * 3) Some of the Copy Abilities have been neutered in the transition to 3D. For example, Bomb is not as reliable as a rapid-fire attack method as it was in the 2D games. Tornado also feels too finicky to control in 3D and isn't as effective on bosses as it was in previous games.
 * 4) Once again, the game reuses the now-tired trope of King Dedede being mind-controlled by the main enemy faction to justify him as a boss, and he gets fought two times over the course of the game.
 * 5) Padding: Challenges are hidden from the player before the level is completed. As challenges aren't officially marked as complete until the player completes a level, this makes the task of saving Waddle Dees more tedious than it should be.
 * 6) The fifth boss of the game, Sillydillo, while not as annoying as Pyribbit from Kirby: Triple Deluxe, is still a pretty nasty difficulty spike as the moves he uses give Kirby little time to hit him and practically require the player to know how to dodge to survive.
 * 7) Abilities such as the Morpho Knight Sword or Time Crash can be way too overpowered.
 * 8) * Every third hit with a small sword heals you a bit, and every fourth hit with a big sword heals you a bit more.
 * 9) * It's even more overpowered with both Life Up and Attack Boost items activated, as you can still take many hits, until you are back to normal health and still shoot beams that do decent damage to enemies. This also applies to Meta Knight Sword too.
 * 10) * Morpho Sword charged fully does too much damage to a boss and makes fire tornadoes.
 * 11) * Guard + Charge with attack button for Morpho Knight Sword lets you spawn two homing Forgo spirits that can deal decent damage to foes and don't go away when it hits an enemy right away.
 * 12) * Not to mention that you can evade attacks like a ghost when using its Dodge, and that you deal a bit of damage to enemies after appearing near or touching them.
 * 13) * As for Time Crash, the ability can deal an absurd amount of damage to bosses, making the no damage missions a "very funny" joke.
 * 14) * It's effect doesn't go away unless you have no other enemies to hit

Reception
Kirby and the Forgotten Land received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Critics hailed it as one of, if not, the best Kirby game ever made.

Several reviewers gave high praise to the exploration-based level design, citing the optional challenges, collectibles, and Treasure Road as elements that gave each level a substantial feel. The upgradable copy abilities and Mouthful Mode were also heavily praised for the gameplay variety they provided while remaining a part of the game's core design, making the combat and platforming consistently interesting as a result. Boss fights were also lauded for requiring the utilization of copy abilities, with several praising the increased difficulty of Forgotten Land in comparison to previous entries in the franchise. The game's visuals and level themes were similarly commended, with the post-apocalyptic aesthetic of the game being cited as creative. Local co-op was praised for being fun and seamless while accommodating younger players. The Waddle Dee Town hub was praised for encouraging player exploration and was deemed a substantially rewarding experience.

Minor criticism was directed towards the sluggish movement, limited vertical movement, grounded environments, and the stale nature of recurring mini-bosses.

Critics who consider this the best Kirby game ever made are Nintendo Life, Gamespot, and Dot Esports.

Trailers
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Reviews
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Trivia

 * Much like with Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby Star Allies, the concept of this game (i.e. 3D exploration) dates back to the GameCube era as one of a few prototypes created for a Kirby game on the system.
 * This is the very first main-series Kirby game in the Kirby series to include voice acting.
 * The development team worked much more closely with the localization teams to preserve the game's original image to the point where the menus were designed in English first to account for text space.
 * This is the first Kirby game to have a fear warning issued by the PEGI.

Game Tips

 * 1) Remember: you don't need to drop your copy ability to enter Mouthful Mode.
 * 2) The sliding kick is initiated with the shield + jump buttons in this game. When Kirby has the Sword ability, this is necessary to perform Drill Stab, a move that is necessary to execute Upward Slash and Sword Dive.
 * 3) Listen very closely to your surroundings, as whenever you hear a feint "wawa! wawa!", that means there's a Waddle Dee close by
 * 4) The time-slowing dodge won't work with copy abilities with unique shields that don't allow for dodging (such as Ice and its evolutions, and Gigant Sword).
 * 5) All bosses (including mid-bosses) can be frozen with the Ice ability. Using it on them will slowly cover them in ice them until they're trapped. Once they break free, they'll take a load of damage in the process.