Kirby and the Forgotten Land looks like a big step forward for one of Nintendo's biggest franchises.The Kirby series is making its first full transition from 2D to 3D. For a long time, it stood alongside Super Mario as one of Nintendo's highly successful 2D sidescroller franchises, but Mario eagerly jumps into 3D platforming now, and Kirby will try the same thing soon. Kirby and the Forgotten Land also looks like it'll significantly expand upon Kirby's world. In this new game, Kirby finds himself stranded in a mysterious ruined city that seems to be far from the Planet Popstar he's familiar with.
Kirby games often involve travel, taking Kirby to different planets with unique environments. Forgotten Land's ruined world looks distinct, with Kirby possibly stuck there after washing up on its shores. The reveal trailer suggests Kirby is all alone, and it's up to him to find his way home. It's a compelling concept, but one that might come with a cost. If Kirby is stranded far from Planet Popstar in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, then players might not get to see many of the characters they know and love.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Isolation
Kirby rarely saves the world alone. Nowadays, he often collaborates with characters like King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Bandana Waddle Dee. Although many of these characters started out as Kirby's enemies, they're often more like friends now, teaming up with Kirby to stop whatever threat faces Dream Land or the entirety of Planet Popstar. As important as they are to the Kirby series, they may not appear in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The game's setting is presumed to be far away from Kirby's home, and there's no sign that Kirby's friends were traveling with him or that they also washed up in the titular Forgotten Land.
It has become a Kirby convention for King Dedede and Meta Knight to be involved in Kirby's adventures, whether they fight together or against one another. That makes it hard to imagine a new Kirby game without at least one of them. Still, Kirby and the Forgotten Land's premise doesn't make it seem likely they're involved. This is a journey of discovery that Kirby may have to make alone, and while that makes for a more unique premise, it's still an unfortunate price to pay. King Dedede and Meta Knight are such iconic Kirby characters that it'd be a shame if they didn't show up in Kirby's first fully 3D game.
Kirby and His Friends Belong Together
It's certainly hard to picture a Kirby game without many of these characters, especially because of how important they are to the franchise's multiplayer nowadays. Kirby games with multiplayer often star Meta Knight, King Dedede, and others as playable characters rather than making everyone into an extra Kirby. The potential absence of these characters from Kirby and the Forgotten Land suggests the game will be a solo romp. That makes sense because Kirby is only now experimenting with 3D platforming, but it's still a loss for Kirby's friends.
There's still some hope that the likes of Dedede and Meta Knight will show up in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Fans don't know exactly how Kirby ended up in this mysterious place, so maybe Kirby's friends washed up in different parts of the island and one of Kirby and the Forgotten Land's objectives is to find them. On the whole, though, this mysterious landscape suggests that Kirby will encounter totally new friends and enemies instead of familiar faces. If that's the case, hopefully the next 3D Kirby game lets King Dedede and Meta Knight in on the fun.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases in spring 2022 for Nintendo Switch.