When Nintendo made the jump from 2D to 3D they brought along many of their mascot characters with them. Mario, Link, Samus, Donkey Kong, and others all got huge 3D experiences with massive worlds to explore. One longtime mascot however didn’t get quite the same treatment, as everyone’s favorite little pink puffball, Kirby, continued to live in the 2D space. While Kirby got an experience that used polygons with Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards it was still a side-to-side linear experience. While Mario and Link’s worlds got bigger, and Samus re-imagined the FPS genre, Kirby stayed true to a formula that was very successful. However, Kirby’s biggest fans always had one wish of giving them a 3D experience just like the one Nintendo’s other IPs received.
On Thursday, Nintendo made an announcement that finally gave everyone what they had been asking for. Kirby is getting a 3D experience and the world looks massive. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is coming to the Nintendo Switch in Spring 2022 and it looks fantastic. Obviously, it’s just the first trailer, so we don’t want to put too much stock into it, but the early signs pointed to an experience that was exactly what everyone had been asking for. It still looks and feels like Kirby, but the game is set in a 3D world. It’s a simple wish, but a wish Kirby fans are finally having fulfilled.
As for the trailer itself, it begins with Kirby awaking on a beach somewhere, which sure doesn’t look like his usual world of Dreamland. Not only that, but the setting looks very post-apocalyptic, which is a surprising change of tone and direction for the usually upbeat Kirby games.
Considering the title “Forgotten Land” we might be seeing Kirby transported to an entirely new world to explore. One fully of mystery to explore and understand. That’s exciting! They’ve already done the plots around Dreamworld to death already so marking his first true 3D experience with an entirely new world to explore is a fun idea. We can’t wait to learn more in the upcoming months as new information comes out about the game.