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Kirby and the Forgotten Land Review: Postapocalypse Nintendo Done Right

It isn't as good as Super Mario Odyssey, but it's still the best Switch platformer I've played in a while.

Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
Scott Stein
4 min read
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Boom! Kirby's a car. Or Kirby sucked up a car.

Screenshot by Scott Stein/CNET

Hours into Kirby and the Forgotten Land, I realized I may never end up knowing why Kirby, Nintendo's adorable shape-shifting puffball hero, is wandering through a series of half-rotted, abandoned worlds. And I was fine with that. Kirby is still in many ways an enigma, exactly as we've always known him. And after weeks of playing the latest highly anticipated Kirby game for the Switch, I'd say it's mostly lived up to the hype.

Nintendo hasn't had a big 3D-type gaming platformer in a while. Super Mario 3D World, which came out last winter, was a port of a Wii U game from 2013. Super Mario Odyssey came out nearly five years ago, in 2017. Luigi's Mansion 3 -- does that count? -- might be the most recent game, and it came out in 2019.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land reminds me of all three games, combined in a Kirby shape-shifting world with very familiar enemies. It's absolutely worth it, especially if you have a friend or kid to play along in co-op. It's not necessarily better than any of those other games, but in the words of my 9-year-old son, this is the best Kirby game he can remember. (I still love Canvas Curse, but I think he's right.)

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Water-filled Kirby is excellent.

Screenshot by Scott Stein/CNET

This game isn't fully open-world, as you may've discovered by playing the free demo. Its individual levels, which come about five to a world, are self-contained and pretty linear. But they get bigger and a bit more sprawling as the game goes on. Some of the levels feel as long as four Super Mario 3D World levels strung together, if that gives any perspective.

While the level structure, which has a fixed camera perspective, reminds me of the zoomed-back 3D style of Super Mario 3D World, the new Mouthful Mode power-ups, which let Kirby take over objects to solve puzzles in different sections of the game, remind me of the way Mario's hat takes over objects in Odyssey. Odyssey has a far more open and experimental style to it, while Forgotten Land makes only a certain number of objects available, and only at certain times that fit certain level goals.

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Glider Kirby! (Some brief flying-through-rings adventures: I'd love more.)

Screenshot by Scott Stein/CNET

Taking over a car is fun, especially when it means racing through challenge courses and breaking through walls. Becoming a glider and flying through rings, or taking over a roller coaster, is even better. A water-filled Kirby balloon that splashes water on things conjures up Super Mario Sunshine or Splatoon. I wish the game had more of these moments, but you'll also simultaneously be sucking up enemies to gain additional powers, just like most other Kirby games. Those powers can be leveled up if you find additional scrolls, which means discovering where they're hidden on each level.

Which brings me to the secrets and surprises part of Kirby: There are a lot of bonus level goals, some obvious, some that aren't shared in advance. Hunting around for the secret areas reminded me a lot of Luigi's Mansion, and its clever, extremely detailed room layouts. These Kirby levels are sometimes surprisingly detailed, too, with features you'll need to look at carefully. I love this part of the game the most. Besides the sprawling main game levels, there are dozens of smaller challenge stages that unlock stars, which you need to get power-ups for your attacks.

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Kirby becomes a lightbulb. Brilliant.

Screenshot by Scott Stein/CNET

What I liked the least were all the boss battles, which start to ramp up considerably later in the game. Having a co-op partner helps a lot, and there's a less challenging difficulty mode (I played in the harder Wild Mode). I just found the timing of attacks and moves a little hard to pull off, because... the game's frame rate isn't all that fantastic. I found my control timing ended up feeling less precise than I'd prefer, or the graphics were sometimes too detailed for even the 7-inch OLED Switch screen. I had trouble (it's not Elden Ring, but some later battles got annoying).

Co-op mode ends up with the second player as a spear-carrying friend, Bandana Waddle Dee. But Dee can't absorb abilities or use Mouthful Mode, which leaves the second player out of a lot of the chaos and fun -- but it does offer a useful brawling teammate to take on enemies, find secrets and defeat bosses.

Would a more powerful Switch 2 with better graphics have helped this game feel more fluid and flawless? I have no idea. When I first played it, I thought about the game's control challenges more than I'd prefer. I didn't have these feelings playing Super Mario Odyssey or Mario 3D World or Luigi's Mansion 3. 

I haven't even mentioned Waddle Dee Town, a home hub where extra power-ups and collectible items are found, and mini-games get unlocked. The mini-games are charming, but so far there aren't as many as I'd have liked. Also, the story starts to get really weird later on (no spoilers here). Still, the secrets and extras in this game should keep players going for a while. After about 10 hours or so, I finished the first part of the main game... but there's more after that, and I still have lots of bonus goals I didn't check off. It's probably the best Mario alternative you'll get this year, and yes, it may be the best Kirby game I've ever played. I'm looking forward to heading back.