Kirby and the Forgotten Land is both a fantastic entry in the series and a fresh start for it. Like the previous Kirby titles, Kirby and the Forgotten Land aims to be accessible to all players. This is most apparent in Forgotten Land having the series' first difficulty settings— Spring Breeze and Wild Mode— but things go much further beyond that.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is more accessible than ever before because of the options it grants players. Forgotten Land has course objectives and bonus stages, challenging time limits to go for, and even some under the hood changes that greatly improve the game's flow. Kirby and the Forgotten Land opens itself up to players regardless of their play style— whether they are newcomers to the 3D action game genre or hardcore gamers who want to do and collect everything for 100% completion.
Forgotten Land's Difficulty Choices and Course Objectives
Of all the many accessibility features in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the game's difficulty options as well as its course objectives are the most apparent. The two difficulty options featured are Spring Breeze Mode and Wild Mode, with Wild being the harder of the two. Spring Breeze mode is great for newcomers to the series, as it doubles the length of Kirby's health bar. Enemies typically do not pose a huge threat in Forgotten Land, but there are times when many are thrown at the player alongside some boss fights where the extra HP comes in handy.
Series veterans are more likely to choose Wild Mode, which rewards players with more coins in exchange for Kirby's lower HP. This goes hand in hand with wanting to fully complete the game, as the greater number of coins allow players to upgrade Kirby's copy abilities and collect the game's figurines sooner.
Stage objectives also bring many options to the table. Each stage has five objectives, which rewards players with saved Waddle Dees. The Waddle Dees go back to construct buildings in Forgotten Land's Waddle Dee Town, but they also are used to unlock each world's boss area - with an increasing amount needed in each world. This system allows players to pick and choose which optional objectives to complete. Newer players can achieve the bare minimum by just running through stages with little to no backtracking, but those wanting to fully upgrade Waddle Dee Town will have to scour and even replay most of the game's stages.
Treasure Roads and Optional Time Challenges
Kirby and the Forgotten Land contains Treasure Roads, which are new optional stages that are designed around Kirby's many abilities. Treasure Roads are incentivized, though, as completing one provides Kirby with materials to upgrade copy abilities. Since they are not required, players can pick and choose to complete certain stages just to unlock evolutions for their favorite abilities.
Completing each Treasure Road takes more than going from point A to point B, as every one has a challenge clear time. These times get tough for even the most seasoned Kirby fans, especially in the puzzle-oriented Treasure Roads or the ones focused on defeating multiple waves of enemies. The handful of coins as a reward for doing so is disappointing, so the real satisfaction comes from figuring out the fastest route through each stage.
These goal times are also carried over to Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Colosseum, as well as one of its mini-games. The Colosseum challenged players with multiple fights in a row, giving better rewards for better times. The one mini-game with strict time limits is called Kirby Tilt-and-Roll, a game in which players use motion controls to guide a ball through a maze. The reward for completing the hardest stage within the allotted time is 999 coins, though results may vary considering it has taken some players countless attempts to achieve it.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Deeper Changes
Aside from the explicitly stated accessibility options, Kirby and the Forgotten Land also has some hidden mechanics that make the game more beginner-friendly than ever. Some of these changes are easily spotted, like the fact that Kirby and the Forgotten Land has no bottomless pits that result in instant death. This reduces the amount of time spent replaying stages and improves the flow of the game. Other changes are hidden, designed to not be noticed by players.
One of these changes is fairly major, as it can change how 3D action games work as a whole. Kirby and the Forgotten Land's hit detection is unique, as it all depends on the camera angle. Let's say Kirby launches an attack that may not hit an enemy on a strictly physical plane. As long as it looks like the attack connects according to the game's camera angle, it will. This make's Forgotten Land's satisfying combat all the more accessible, as it takes out the accuracy that would typically be needed in a 3D game.
Overall, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is accessible to players of any skill level because of the amount of options it has. New players can select Sprig Breeze Mode, go through the main stages paying little mind to the side objectives, take on the occasional Treasure Road, and still have a great time. On the other hand, more hardcore gamers can select Wild Mode, go for every side objective, all the Treasure Roads and their clear times, and complete Waddle Dee Town for a satisfying 100%. Video game accessibility is important, so it is great to see Kirby and the Forgotten Land take so many steps in the right direction.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is out now on Nintendo Switch.