Kirby and the Forgotten Land has finally arrived, and so far, the response has been glowing. Critics and fans seem to agree that Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a major landmark in the franchise. It sounds like HAL Laboratory's innovations have paid off; for months, fans have looked forward to Copy Ability evolutions, Mouthful Mode, and other new mechanics, and now they seem to be living up to expectations. Kirby was hardly on the ropes, but Kirby and the Forgotten Land could still be a rejuvenating force for the franchise, renewing interesting in old games and creating more demand for new games.
Luckily, it sounds like HAL Laboratory is paying attention to that response. In a recent edition of Nintendo's Ask the Developer interview series, HAL Laboratory developers commented on Kirby and the Forgotten Land's design and suggested that the future is full of further innovations. HAL Laboratory's general Kirby director Shinya Kumazaki expressed interest in developing Kirby games that are even more "wild and free" than the newly released title. That's really saying something, considering how many ideas are packed into Kirby and the Forgotten Land. It sounds like the game's bold design could be the new Kirby standard, rather than a one-off.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Impact on HAL
As Kirby games go, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is already significantly more "wild and free" than most entries in the franchise. Kirby and the Forgotten Land features a wide variety of side objectives for players to clear, such as Treasure Roads, and Forgotten Land's new 3D platforming allows players to wander more than ever before. Kirby's own abilities have reached new heights of variety too. Every Copy Ability has powerful evolved forms that change up the gameplay, and Kirby also has several Mouthful Modes that let him capitalize on objects in his environment. Considering just how much content Kirby and the Forgotten Land adds, making an even wilder game is a tall order.
Kumazaki's comments are especially important because it wasn't clear if Forgotten Land's design was meant to set a new bar for Kirby or not. Every Kirby game adds a new mechanic or bends a franchise staple in order to be unique, but few of these design choices become new core elements of Kirby. It's rare that a Kirby game fundamentally shifts the way that the franchise plays. Kirby and the Forgotten Land, however, will apparently dictate the way that HAL develops the franchise in the near future. Positive response to Forgotten Land seems to have encouraged HAL to keep experimenting aggressively, and it's great to hear that kind of ambition from the developer of a classic franchise.
Borrowing From Forgotten Land's Ideas
There's no shortage of elements that future Kirby games could borrow from Forgotten Land in order to be wild and push boundaries. Copy Ability evolutions could return and expand in the future, incorporating Copy Abilities that didn't make the cut in Forgotten Land while providing additional evolutions for Fire, Sword, and Forgotten Land's other abilities. City building would also be a great mechanic to bring back. It'd be great if HAL came up with another hub with far more customization options, minigames, and amenities. Above all, Forgotten Land's 3D platforming opens the door for all kinds of design opportunities. HAL could even consider making a fully open world Kirby game with 3D exploration someday.
Since Kirby and the Forgotten Land is such a fresh release, it'll probably be a long time before fans get a look at whatever's next for the franchise. HAL Laboratory will likely take its time to develop a Kirby game even more loose and creative than Forgotten Land. In the meantime, though, fans can take solace in the knowledge that Kirby and the Forgotten Land has changed the direction of the franchise for the better. This strong entry in the franchise may only be the first of many.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available now for Nintendo Switch.