Nintendo revealed Kirby and the Forgotten Land as part of its Nintendo Direct event, releasing a full 3D Kirby title for the first time.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land will be the pink puffball’s first foray into full 3D territory. So far, the game will have Kirby in a post-apocalyptic landscape, which feels like a far cry from past titles’ colorful worlds. The title gets its announcement hours after a leak of its existence circulated online.
Kirby finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world
From the trailer, Kirby will be moving around a weird new landscape. Instead of the usual pastel colors available in his adventures, he will now peruse a seemingly dead world. The world is not only dead and bleak, it’s also a semi-realistic world reminiscent of Super Mario Odyssey.
“Join Kirby in an unforgettable journey through a mysterious world in a delightful 3D platforming adventure,” said the game’s official description. “Take control of the powerful pink puffball, Kirby, and move around freely in 3D stages as you discover a mysterious world with abandoned structures from a past civilization—like a shopping mall?!
“Copy enemies’ abilities like Sword and Ice and use them to attack and explore your surroundings! What journey awaits Kirby? Take a deep breath and get ready for an unforgettable adventure!”
From the looks of the trailer, players will be able to roam the landscape freely. Like former Kirby installments, he has to contend with familiar enemies in a weird Earth-like land. Everything’s still cute but you can see the overgrowth in this vast world.
New title adds into growing list of Kirby games
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a unique take on the traditional cutesy world of the puffball. He seems to be out of his comfort zone but his all oblivious self is still enjoying the weird world. The game will be joining a growing list of Kirby titles for the Switch, including Kirby Fighters 2, Super Kirby Clash, and Kirby Star Allies.
Earlier this week, the Western games media got wind of the game after Nintendo Japan accidentally updated their release calendar. The game title translates to Kirby: Discovery of the Stars, which is a weird translation considering that Kirby himself is an alien from the stars.
From the trailer, Kirby’s post-apocalyptic landscape shows off malls, cities, and our pink hero beached and dazed. The entire world feels open to explore, much like a cuter Fallout or The Last of Us. As for the gameplay so far, it takes a lot from Super Mario Galaxy.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land will come out Spring 2022. There’s no clear date apart from this estimate as of yet.
Featured image courtesy Nintendo/Youtube Screenshot