I'm pretty well known as a big Kirby fan - I've had some variant of Kirby as my online profile icon for over 15 years at this point - but the last Kirby game, Star Allies, left me feeling a little deflated. Part of me was wondering if I was just getting tired of the formula.
But then Forgotten Land comes along, and I'm suddenly reminded of how often Kirby as a franchise reinvents itself to stay relevant. It's a big reason why I've always liked the games, and Forgotten land strikes that perfect balance of feeling new and ambitious while still fundamentally feeling like a Kirby game.
There's been a lot of debate over time whether Kirby could lend itself well to a 3D format, and I think the decision they went with this one - linear levels with a world map similar to Mario 3D World - was the right choice. The levels are still designed like 2D Kirby levels, there's just...more stuff in them. And in this case, more is good!
The post-urban landscape has fantastic art design, and the "Mouthful Mode" abilities add fun puzzles to the mix instead of just being a gimmick. I appreciate the pro-environment tone to the story and the final boss is cool as hell.
My only real complaints with the game are that it drags a bit in the post-game content (I'm not really a huge fan of combining each world into giant levels) and I don't like how you're not told of all of the sub-objectives until you beat the level once.
Overall, a really great return-to-form for Kirby, and I'm excited to see what they do next.
But then Forgotten Land comes along, and I'm suddenly reminded of how often Kirby as a franchise reinvents itself to stay relevant. It's a big reason why I've always liked the games, and Forgotten land strikes that perfect balance of feeling new and ambitious while still fundamentally feeling like a Kirby game.
There's been a lot of debate over time whether Kirby could lend itself well to a 3D format, and I think the decision they went with this one - linear levels with a world map similar to Mario 3D World - was the right choice. The levels are still designed like 2D Kirby levels, there's just...more stuff in them. And in this case, more is good!
The post-urban landscape has fantastic art design, and the "Mouthful Mode" abilities add fun puzzles to the mix instead of just being a gimmick. I appreciate the pro-environment tone to the story and the final boss is cool as hell.
My only real complaints with the game are that it drags a bit in the post-game content (I'm not really a huge fan of combining each world into giant levels) and I don't like how you're not told of all of the sub-objectives until you beat the level once.
Overall, a really great return-to-form for Kirby, and I'm excited to see what they do next.