Kirby and the Forgotten Land Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos, Replayability

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an excellent jumping-in point for players new to Kirby as the franchise celebrates its 30th anniversary, and most certainly for players who are accustomed to the Kirby experience. 

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a wonderful and charming game filled with creativity, which excels at combining exploration with Kirby's unique gameplay style. Although not the open-world style that many thought when the game was initially revealed in 2021, many levels offer great depth that will lead to players replaying to find hidden paths and secrets to fulfill all of the hidden objectives to complete the game.

With dense levels, an abundance of abilities, a plethora of mini-games, multiple difficulty options, collectibles and co-op play, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a complete package that offers a ton of replayability.

         

Gameplay, Level Design, Waddle Dee Town and Replayability

The best part of a Kirby game is experiencing and experimenting with all of the different abilities Kirby can steal from (most of) the enemies in the game. Not only are there different abilities, but they can be evolved at the weapons shop in Waddle Dee Town, which is a separate hub for the player to explore as it evolves by saving Waddle Dees in the story mode. 

Different abilities have different move sets/powers, which all have unique animations and is really impressive. Not only does this impact combat encounters, but also how the player can interact with the different environments/locales during levels. This is a major reason exploration is such a joy and will keep players on their toes wondering about possibilities and which abilities are necessary for certain objectives.

Players could choose to go through a level mostly using just one ability, but then decide to use a different ability during a separate run to switch up the experience. Naturally, some sections are locked to certain abilities to advance, but it does allow for experimentation in battles and other exploration possibilities. For example, some players may prefer ranged combat, while others prefer to be up close with a sword.

Inherently because there's so many abilities, some boss battles will be easier depending on which ability the player chooses to equip. However, there may be different hidden objectives based on playing with a certain ability, which drives replayability for boss battles during the story levels. 

Abilities can be upgraded with coins found in levels, so stocking up is essential and provides incentives to grab every single coin. Instead of having "lives," the player instead loses coins after losing all of their health in a level. This is a smart system that keeps Kirby accessible for all gamers while still providing consequence to losing. Since there are so many abilities to upgrade and they cost a lot of coins, it is extremely important to seek out as many coins as possible, but also make sure not to lose all of Kirby's health to prevent losing valuable coins.

In addition to general campaign levels, there are time trials tied to specific abilities that require precision and may take several runs to nail down the perfect timing and line.

As expected from a Nintendo game like this, there are great locations to vary the scenery. They're the usual locations players expect from something like a Super Mario 3D game, but with a unique spin because of the post-apocalyptic nature that helps drive curiosity and make for fun exploration opportunities.

This extends beyond levels as players can unlock hidden areas on the world map. Levels are quick but packed with secrets and will often require additional playthroughs of a level as players question where the hidden objectives are. Even after thinking a level was thoroughly explored, there's often still one hidden objective left to complete after an initial run. Secret areas and objectives help replayability but also keep the player on their toes from the start of every level. 

Waddle Dee Town is full of options to explore and discover. The Colosseum is a great feature to fight bosses and rivals to unlock more prizes while also experimenting with different gameplay styles.

In general, there's a good amount of mini-games at Waddle Dee Town, plus access to uncover more collectibles reminiscent of trophies in Smash Bros. Many of the mini-games are actually far more challenging than one many initially envision in a Kirby game. For example, Cafe Manager can get very chaotic with several options to choose from during the game, plus a fast-moving clock to deliver food to customers.

One of the best features in Waddle Dee Town is the access to rewatch previously unlocked cinematic movies. It's ironic that this exists in a Kirby game while some of the most cinematic games in the industry don't have this option. Hopefully more developers take note of this and allow players to watch their awesome cinematic scenes without having to look it up on YouTube.

Regarding performance, Kirby is a smooth experience throughout. The art style is perfect for Switch and almost feels like playing a cartoon. The game looks vibrant, especially when playing on the Switch OLED. The different camera angles go a long way in smartly breaking up the flow of the game to avoid things becoming stale.

Nintendo knows how to maximize its games through fantastic art direction and animations to compete with some of the most graphically intensive games in the industry.

      

Conclusion

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a joy to play. It's a well-polished game without glitches that runs smoothly whether playing on handheld or docked mode. It is a much more thoughtful, creative and explorative experience than some of the more recent entries in the Kirby franchise.

There's a plethora of features and gameplay options, whether playing solo or with a partner, to make it a complete package. It is the perfect game to introduce somebody new to gaming, especially a child. Kirby and the Forgotten Land should definitely be in the running for Best Family Game of the Year at The Game Awards in December.

For players looking to finally experience the Kirby franchise or just looking for a relaxing experience that still has ways to offer plenty of challenge, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an excellent choice for Switch gamers.