I’m not a Kirby fan. That’s not a diss on the pink puff – I had just not played a single Kirby game until Star Allies on the Switch, and most of that I played on and off with my son. I never understood what the appeal was, if I’m being honest. A blob that can eat things and fly around incredibly slowly. Of course, I had just yet to experience Kirby properly. I’m now all in, with an absolute mouthful of Kirby goodness in Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Switch. Kirby has gone full-3D platformer at last, and Nintendo has delivered quite the tasty treat.
As has been the way in Kirby games since before you were born (if you’re under 30 years old), Kirby is a pink blob who eats things to “copy” their abilities. Eat/vacuum up an enemy with a sword, and you’ll be sword Kirby; consume a snowman and you’ll become ice Kirby; down a fire enemy and you’ll become… yes, fire Kirby. It’s a simple mechanic, but it works, and gives you plenty of options to rotate through or slight puzzles to solve where you need to use the correct copy ability to reach a hidden item or area.
Now, Kirby fans (Kirbians?), you can do all that in full 3D – not 2.5D side scrolling with 3D backgrounds, or isometric grid-like areas to explore, but full 3D levels. This isn’t, as I first thought from the reveal trailer, a sprawling adventure with huge areas like Mario Odyssey, but large 3D platforming levels that are more like the stages in Super Mario 3D World. Each one has multiple things to find off the beaten path, multiple collectibles, and a checklist of tasks to complete – some of which are initially kept secret.
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