Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the newest game starring Nintendo’s most destructive character and it’s set to release on March 25, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land will mark Kirby’s first free-roaming 3D outing and trailers have shown us an abandoned urban landscape that looks like a family-friendly version of The Last of Us, with brief glimpses other biomes such as a desert and a more coastal area, suggesting we’ll be exploring more than just the city ruins.
Beyond that, we can expect Kirby’s typical antics but in 3D – absorbing the powers of enemies by inhaling them, and exploring new areas, and finding hidden collectibles. Nintendo has released a demo for the game and we’ve had a great time with the game’s Mouthful Mode because who doesn’t want to watch Kirby inhale cars, vending machines, and other everyday items for special abilities?
Read on for everything we currently know about Kirby and the Forgotten Land, including the trailers released so far, its release date, and the latest details.
Kirby and the Forgotten Lands: Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next game in the Kirby series, Nintendo’s pinkest platformer
- When can I play it? March 25, 2022
- What can I play it on? Kirby and the Forgotten Land will release exclusively on Nintendo Switch
What is Kirby and the Forgotten Land?
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a 3D action-platformer releasing exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo is home to multiple platforming mascots but what sets Kirby aside from plumbing duo Mario and Luigi is his ability to absorb enemy powers. By inhaling a foe, Kirby can gain special abilities that allow him to throw fire, wield swords, grow spikes and so much more.
Using these powers Kirby can solve hidden puzzles or more easily defeat certain enemies on his quest to thwart the plans of villains like King Dedede – an oversized penguin-like being that wields a giant mallet.
Beyond the gameplay, Kirby is generally known to adopt a very cutesy cartoony art style that seems to have continued into Forgotten Land. It'll be interesting to see how well this blends with the darker abandoned settings of the new game, but what we've seen so far has us excited.
What's new this time around is Kirby will be entering 3D for the first time – normally his platformers stick to a two-dimensional plane. This new dimension should hopefully add some new possibilities for puzzles and abilities that might not have worked in a flat world, but we'll just have to wait and see what's in store.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land release date
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is scheduled to release on March 25 2022 as a Nintendo Switch exclusive.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land trailers
Overview trailer
Get stuck into the latest trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Running at over five minutes, this overview trailer gives you a good look at some of the gameplay that you can expect to encounter in the game when it releases on March 25.
A trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land aired during February's Nintendo Direct livestream. It showed the pink puffball up to their usual antics, which mainly consists of inhaling lots of objects and jumping across platforms.
More excitingly, it also demonstrated the new ‘mouthful mode', which lets Kirby inhale humongous real-world objects like vending machines, traffic cones, and entire cars. As you'd expect, you'll be able to absorb their powers for yourself after fitting them inside your mouth. So, if you fancy racing around the map, inhale the nearest car and you'll be drifting in no time.
The trailer also showed off a few features of Waddle Dee Town, the main settlement of the game. You'll be able to expand the town as you progress, and upgrade its features by returning its inhabitants, Waddle Dees, home.
As the central hub of the game, you can use its many shops to upgrade your abilities, which will come in handy during the more challenging areas of the game.
The first trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land dropped during the September Nintendo Direct presentation last year. It opens with an abandoned urban world that looks like a cute version of The Last of Us, and then a shot of Kirby waking up on a beach surrounded by jungle.
We won't just be stuck to one area, though, as we briefly see clips of desert, coastal and wintery biomes.
It looks like Kirby has borrowed aspects of other franchises too, the next most obvious being the expansive 3D worlds that seem inspired by Super Mario Odyssey. This will be Kirby's first 3D platforming adventure and we're excited to see how Nintendo uses the new dimension to mix up his traditional gameplay.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land news and rumors
Demo available now
For those looking to try out Kirby and the Forgotten Land before they commit to their purchase, Nintendo has made a free demo available on the Nintendo eShop. The demo allows players to experience the first three levels of the game and its first boss fight. It also gives access to Mouthful Mode and we’ve had a pretty good time watching Kirby gobble up everything from staircases to water tanks.
Even if you’re pretty committed to getting Kirby’s next adventure, it’s worth giving the demo a go as those who complete it will receive a Present Code to unlock extra items in the final release.
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