Kirby has long been one of Nintendo’s most iconic characters, even though he falls outside of the company’s most iconic franchise, Super Mario. For as long as he’s been around, Kirby has held a special place in the hearts and minds of many gamers, and those gamers are about to be rewarded. Nintendo announced Kirby and the Forgotten Land during today’s Direct, and it looks ambitious.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a fully 3D game, as opposed to the 2D Kirby sidescrollers that fans typically get with the franchise. Coming in spring 2022, the new Kirby game looks like one of the biggest that fans have gotten out of the franchise, with the gameplay trailer showing off some of the environments and enemies that players will be met with as they journey through what it has to offer.
Clocking in at just over two minutes, the trailer shows Kirby exploring the dilapidated streets of an old civilization’s city. Interestingly, the ruins are a downtrodden version of a modern urban setting, which makes the game look a bit like a bizarrely vibrant take on The Last of Us rather than what Nintendo games are usually presented as, visually. It’s striking, but it looks impressive.
Of course, the trailer also shows off some of the game’s combat. Kirby’s iconic suction mechanics are returning, as well as the pink puffball’s ability to shapeshift into versions with unique abilities. The swordsman form of Kirby is specifically shown in the gameplay trailer, as Kirby battles with a large enemy. The combat looks like a natural evolution of the character’s ability in a 3D space, which is promising.
Earlier today, a Kirby game leaked, though under a different title. While it could’ve simply been a red herring, the “leaked” game was dubbed Kirby: Discovery of the Stars. It’s unclear what the exact reason for the discrepancy is, though. Notably, the leak did come directly from a ResetEra user that found the game on Nintendo Japan’s release window, so it’s possible that the subtitle is a mistranslation or simply a last-minute change.
Regardless, this is an exciting development for Kirby. The game looks like it could bring an entirely new spotlight to the character, thus opening him up to a larger audience. The spring 2022 release window isn’t that far away, either – at least relatively speaking for how triple-a games are usually announced.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is in development for Nintendo Switch.