Kirby and the Forgotten Land marks both the series’ 30th anniversary as well as its debut into the foray of 3D. While the mid-late 90s introduced Mario, Zelda, and Star Fox into 3D, Kirby remained on a 2D plane in his N64 debut, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. As such, generations later, Kirby would not find his way into the 3D realm until featured in 3D mini-games featuring the pink puffball.
Spun-off from a mini-game in Kirby: Planet Robobot, Kirby’s Blowout Blast took the 2D gameplay and put it into smaller stages on a 3D plane. Forgotten Land adds to that with fully-fledged worlds crafted into a 3D space. As such, Forgotten Land marks the long-awaited debut of Kirby in 3D.
However, this is unlike Super Mario 64 or Ocarina of Time where you’ll get a significant difference in gameplay. If anything, it plays just like Kirby’s Adventure — and every Kirby game following it — but with a new dimension. As such, if you’re largely familiar with recent Kirby titles, I assure you it’s more or less the same game you’ve been playing since Return to Dream Land or even Adventure. It’s just as easy with the challenge becoming more serious after clearing the game once and you have 2P co-op with Bandanna Waddle Dee.
If you’re not a large Kirby enthusiast, however, you may find the game to be less of the same experience you’re used to and find the 3D to be a nice touch. Keep in mind that I’m a longtime fan of the series and I do believe that its easy difficulty can hold it back from its potential as I find later challenges to be much more enjoyable. But if you don’t mind the repetition of the series’ lack of evolving challenges or mechanics and just want to chill with a fun Kirby game, then I…
