Kirby and The Forgotten Land Demo Impressions
Kirby and The Forgotten Land is a title I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced. While in my opinion, the 2D formula for the games had gotten a little stale, I thought switching to 3D definitely had potential. On top of that, the Waddle Dee town was adorable and sold me on at least giving it a shot. Then the demo dropped, and wow. I am now one hundred percent sold on playing this game.
The Kirby and The Forgotten Land demo is about 45-60 minutes long and features three stages–two typical stages and one boss stage.
Overall, and this should be no surprise, it feels like a 3D platformer in the best way possible. I felt teleported back to the days of my youth and the magic of playing Spyro. This may seem like weird praise, but all too often I’ll pick up a 3D platformer and wonder…why did I ever like them. (Yooka Laylee I’m looking at you.) This one reminds me of why I do.
The first thing that stood out was how much there was to interact with in the world of Kirby. Kirby has always had its secrets, and even though it shifted from 2D to 3D, this is still very much the same. There are also sorts of little things in the world to be interacted with. Dandelions could be stepped on, cans can be kicked, and often doing so would net a reward–even if it’s just a gold coin. Building from that, there are various different collectibles, such as trophies and waddle dees, which can be gained by finding secret areas or completing objectives.
The combat itself feels smooth, fluid, absolutely lovely. And at the very least, while simple, the boss fight is the most fun I’ve had playing a game in a while.
The demo features the new mouthful mode, where Kirby takes over various machines and objects. The addition adds some interesting depth to the areas, with different objects having different abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. For example, the vending machine allows you to shoot cans from a distance at enemies, but it’s slow and has a limited number of shots. Often these objects are used to solve puzzles in the overworld, such as the traffic cone shattering cracked spots in the earth.
My biggest disappointment with the demo was the fact that I did get to go to the main hub town. I am extremely excited about this feature and was hoping to get a taste of what it was like.
Overall I’m pretty satisfied with the demo. I don’t think Kirby and the Forgotten Land will add anything game-changing to the world of 3D platformers but I’m not sure it really needs to. Being a quality 3D platformer is enough for me. If you, dear reader, want to check it out for yourself, give it a go! The demo will unlock some extra content for the game itself. Kirby and The Forgotten Land launches March 25, 2022.
JANETTE RECOMMENDS THIS DEMO