Kirby and the Forgotten Land won the 2022 Game Award for Best Family game, beating out Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, Nintendo Switch Sports, and Splatoon 3. This award comes after the critical and commercial success of Kirby's latest outing, but more importantly, it was the series' first foray into the 3D space. As one of Nintendo's most beloved series, it's no surprise to see the success of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which could mark a change in the franchise formula moving forward.
With its roots as a 2D platformer, seeing Kirby break from the norm and embrace the third dimension was a breath of fresh air for many fans of the series. It's clear this transition was the right choice for the series, as Kirby's win at the Game Awards demonstrates that innovation pays off. The stage has been set for an even larger sequel in the future that needs to iterate upon the successes of Kirby and the Forgotten Land if it wants to live up to the high bar that's already been set.
The Kirby Series Desperately Needed a Refresh to its Formula
Prior to the release of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the Kirby series had been beginning to stagnate and fans were taking notice. Mainline Kirby games had been receiving mediocre reviews for a while, and its spin-off games weren't fairing much better. The most well-received Kirby game of the past 10 years—not including Kirby and the Forgotten Land—was Kirby: Planet Robobot on the 3DS. While this was a great entry in the series, the main addition it brought to the Kirby formula was the ability to pilot a mech suit, which was a cool feature, but nothing with series-changing implications.
Kirby received a handful of spin-off multiplayer games following the release of Kirby: Planet Robobot. These all received mediocre scores and left little impact for fans of the series leading many to hope the next mainline would be the spark the franchise needed to put Kirby back in the spotlight. Kirby Star Allies was not the game to do this, as it fell back on tired mechanics from past games without doing too much to stand out. It would not be until the announcement of Kirby and the Forgotten Land and its use of 3D movement that fans' hopes would be renewed that the pink puffball would finally have the chance to shine once again.
The Transition to 3D Movement Opens Kirby Series Up to Even More Possibilities
With Kirby and the Forgotten Land taking a lot of inspiration from Super Mario 3D World with its approach to level design and movement, many are speculating as to how future Kirby games could draw from other Mario titles. An obvious comparison is Super Mario Odyssey and translating Kirby into a fully-open 3D world would be the dream for many fans. The excellent level design of Super Mario Odyssey could inspire a unique, charming world worth exploring using Kirby's various copy abilities.
Another Mario title worth looking towards for inspiration could be Super Mario Galaxy; its challenging levels and interesting gravity mechanics have the potential to translate into a unique Kirby experience. Kirby games often have cosmos-shattering storylines, so putting him in a gravity-defying adventure based on that of Super Mario Galaxy would be a natural progression for the series. The wide variety of options provided by 3D movement creates many avenues for the Kirby series to go down with future titles. With how successful Kirby and the Forgotten Land has been, including its Game Awards win, HAL's possible future plans should get fans very excited about his next adventure.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available now for Nintendo Switch.