Since its launch, the Nintendo Switch has proven its mettle in revitalizing many long standing series you grew up with. From the wide-open world of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to Mario teaming up with the Rabbids in an XCOM-like strategy game, there is no shortage of Nintendo trying or allowing new things in their franchises. Unless it’s F-Zero, there is some kind of attempt to revitalize many beloved games.
In Kirby’s case, it took 30 years, but we are finally getting a massive change to the mainline series by shifting to 3D, a long-desired jump since the GameCube days. While I am not the biggest Kirby fan, I do enjoy the pink puffball’s games. Outside of Star Allies, which took the game’s difficulty to a stupendously boring level because of the constant aid you got from AI teammates, I can find a lot of charm in the cutesy world, the simple platforming, and oddly dark story beats. Taking all of that and converting it to a 3D game can breathe a lot of breath into the series. By no means has the Kirby franchise been struggling, but it could bring in a lot of new fans that originally would pass on it if pulled off right.
A bigger playground for our favorite pink boy
By no means do I expect Kirby and the Forgotten Land to be a revolution for Kirby games. Especially when thinking of all the past series that have had learning curves when jumping from 2D to 3D, I think there is a good chance there are some missteps in this game that will bring it down a little. Still, you can’t really argue that this isn’t an exciting release. A 3D Kirby environment can lend itself to so much more exploration than 2D can. Think of all the secrets you found in a 2D Kirby game. It almost always has to do with finding a hidden opening behind a wall. With a 3D game, not only will HAL Laboratory be exercising some new level designs that it never could before in a Kirby game, but the title will feel grander because of it. Just look at the amazing trailer shots of Kirby simply walking through the sandy and winter environments. From the lighting to the simple presence of Kirby strolling through a place that used to be bustling with life, the game looks great which isn’t really a thing I ever thought I would say about a Kirby game.
At the end of the day, the gameplay here will likely be similar to what we’ve been playing for 30 years. Kirby will still copy the powers of enemies he eats, and the game will undoubtedly be easy to beat. Reach the end of the course to see him dance and do it all over again. It’s a simple blueprint that will make this adventure feel more like Super Mario 3D World than Odyssey. However, just the fact that Kirby can move in all directions for the first time will be the only ingredient we need for this to feel completely new. This is especially true for the boss fights. Putting Kirby in an arena where he has more freedom to move around adds to making the game feel larger. It also will bring freedom to his movement, which has been hampered because of the ceiling it appears he has when floating. If he can’t go vertical, horizontal directions will be key.
We built this city on an apocalypse and good feelings
For as focusedly cute of a series Kirby is, some dark tones pop up every now and then. I have to say, though, I can’t think of a past game that solely took place in an area that suffered some kind of terrible fate.
The “Forgotten Land” of this title looks like it could easily fit in with The Last of Us if it were not the stomping ground of a little pink ball and his cute enemies. The overgrown city is a nice change-up from the cheery Dream Land that doesn’t lose the Kirby charm. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards explored a similar idea in a much smaller scope with a level that took place on an Earth that was stuck in a perpetual nuclear winter. If this ends up being the remains of a human civilization, I am interested to see how far they go in filling in the lore of what happened to the inhabitants.
Of course, there are still a lot of story questions out there: like who is the main bad guy, and with the Waddle Dees being kidnapped, where is King Dedede? Not to mention we don’t even know how Kirby arrived on that beach at the beginning of the reveal trailer. Like the general gameplay, I don’t expect the story to be so much deeper than we’ve seen before, but just the simple 3D direction makes the story for this game more exciting.
During his 30 year anniversary, Kirby is taking the jump to another dimension. This is no small deal for this franchise, and I hope everyone else is as excited as I am to play it. The expanded use of horizontal space, the unique setting with a gluttony of potential to tell a story of a doomed civilization, and the excitement of one of the biggest Nintendo properties going in a new direction should earn your gaze during a time where a lot of mega blockbuster games are releasing.
Published: Jan 15, 2022 03:13 pm