Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Kirby and the Forgotten Land EnglishJapanese Key art for Kirby and the Forgotten Land in two languages. Details Developer(s) HAL Laboratory Publisher(s) Nintendo Release date(s) March 25th, 2022 Platform(s) Nintendo Switch Rating(s) ESRB: PEGI: CERO: Game size 6.2 GB

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	Notice: This article contains details of a game that has not yet been released.
	As such, information in this article may be of a speculative nature. If adding content, please make sure to reference it. Unverifiable information will be deleted! Release date(s): March 25th, 2022

	Notice: Stop right there, stubby little pink thing!
	Spoilers abound! If you do not wish to read them, skip ahead to the next heading or find a different article.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an upcoming main-series Kirby game for the Nintendo Switch, set to be released on March 25th, 2022. In this game, Kirby is sent through a dimensional rift to a new world full of the crumbling ruins of a long-lost civilization, where he has to free Waddle Dees who have been trapped by a new villainous force called the Beast Pack. Accompanied by a flying mouse-like creature named Elfilin, Kirby uses his familiar Copy Ability along with evolved enhancements to said abilities and a new power to wrap himself around large objects to gain their properties.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first main-series title to take place in a full 3D environment, rather than a side-scrolling 2D space, though still maintaining the largely-linear level and stage format. The game was announced in a Nintendo Direct on September 23rd, 2021, with its proper release date being given in a separate video on January 12th, 2022. A playable demo for the game was released on March 3rd, 2022.

Story

A scene from the first stage of the game where Waddle Dees are being captured by the Beast Pack.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land takes place on a mysterious world different from Popstar. While flying through the skies of Dream Land on a Warp Star, Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee, and other Waddle Dees are sucked into a star-shaped rift (similar to those from Another Dimension) and wash up on the shores of an abandoned land, filled with decaying structures from an ancient civilization. The world, described as a "mix of civilization and nature", is populated with many creatures both familiar and new. Kirby's journey through the rift gives him a strange new ability which makes his body even more malleable than usual: Mouthful Mode.

After exploring the world for a moment and trying out his new ability, Kirby finds a ruined town where he sees a blue sprite-like creature and some Waddle Dees being trapped by the Beast Pack. After defeating the enemies in the town, Kirby frees the blue creature, who reveals his name to be Elfilin. Elfilin explains that all the resident Waddle Dees of the town have been kidnapped, and Kirby agrees to help him save them. As Kirby frees them, they repopulate and rebuild the town, which serves as a rest stop for Kirby and his friends.

At some point later in the game, Kirby runs into and fights King Dedede, who has a new look and appears to also be part of the Beast Pack. King Dedede is shown to kidnap Elfilin using a cage and abscond with him. It is not yet clear exactly why Dedede is doing this.

Gameplay

A gameplay scene, showing Kirby exploring an overgrown city.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first mainline Kirby game to take place in a 3D setting, albeit with Kirby having much of the same moveset as in the 2D games. He can walk, dash, and jump to move around each level. He can hover as always, but it has a limited height and duration in this game, unlike most 2D titles. Kirby can also guard against incoming attacks and dodge out of harm's way, as well as crouch and slide. Lastly, he keeps his trademark ability to inhale objects, including larger ones, and spit them out as projectiles. Unlike in previous games, an alternate setting can make it so that Kirby swallows ability-yielding objects automatically.

Screenshot showing Kirby using Car Mouth - one of the new Mouthful Modes - to traverse a stage.

The familiar Copy Abilities also return, now with expanded attacks that take advantage of the third dimension. The Ranger ability in particular allows Kirby to target enemies from a distance. Kirby also has a new ability, separate from Copy Abilities, called Mouthful Mode, which allows him to inhale oversized objects and use their properties. A second player can join the game and play as Bandana Waddle Dee, who utilizes his spear as his main form of attack.

The game is not open-world; it is structured like other Kirby platformers, with stages and levels. Stages are much more open-ended than in previous installments, however, and doors are fewer in number. In each regular stage, Kirby rescues Waddle Dees by finding them trapped in cages, and by fulfilling certain missions specific to each stage. In addition to regular stages, special challenge stages can be found through dimensional rifts, as part of a series called Treasure Road. In these stages, Kirby has a limited time to clear a set of areas similar in look to stages from Kirby's Blowout Blast using a specific Copy Ability. These stages are reminiscent of the Challenge Stages from Kirby's Return to Dream Land.

Collectibles along the way include food, Gotcha capsules, Star Coins, blueprints for Evolved Copy Abilities, and Rare Stones, which are found in Treasure Road. Star Coins and Rare Stones can be used to make purchases in Waddle Dee Town. There is no extra life system, with Kirby instead losing Star Coins and restarting the current segment when defeated.

There are two difficulty modes to select from: Spring-Breeze Mode, which gives Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee extra health, and Wild Mode, which adds more enemies, but rewards more Star Coins at the end of stages. The difficulty is first selected upon starting the game, and can be freely changed outside of each stage.

Hub areas

Kirby and his new friend Elfilin in Waddle Dee Town.

In-between playing through stages, Kirby has a hub area to return to called Waddle Dee Town. Here, he can get tips from the Wise Waddle Dee, play Sub-Games with the other Waddle Dee inhabitants, relax at home, evolve his Copy Abilities by visiting Waddle Dee's Weapons Shop, and collect figurines from Gotcha Machine Alley. The town grows and gains more features as more Waddle Dees are rescued.

Stages themselves are visited via a level hub where Kirby flies to each area on a Warp Star, similar to the level hubs for World of Miracles - Planet Popstar and Far-Flung Starlight Heroes in Kirby Star Allies. Unlike those previous examples, the level hub in Kirby and the Forgotten Land is more expansive and continuous.

Controls

There are two control types to choose from in the Control Options. Type A is the default one, and Type B resembles the control in Kirby Super Star.

If using a single Joy-Con, it must be placed horizontally: only the stick does the motion control, the four round buttons (→/↓/↑/←) become A/B/X/Y respectively, and SL and SR function as L/R/ZL/ZR (L/R/ZL/ZR does nothing if using a single Joy-Con).

General controls
Control	Type A	Type B	Notes
Move / Dash	L-Stick		Kirby's movement speed is determined by how far the stick is tilted, with a full tilt being a dash and a lesser tilt being a walk.
Attack	B	Y	Kirby can walk slowly, rotate 360 degrees or fix his direction by holding L/R/ZL/ZR when inhaling (similar mechanics from Kirby 3D Rumble and Kirby's Blowout Blast). Kirby can still obtain the Mouthful Mode via inhaling even if he already has a Copy Ability.
Jump	A	B	Kirby will get tired after hovering for 5 seconds. Kirby can only hover up to a certain height, and can't go any higher, even if he isn't tired yet. The same limit also applies to Bandana Waddle Dee's Infinity Jump.
Use Stock Items	X		Kirby can consume a stocked takeaway food or temporary boost item in a similar manner to the Assist Star.
Drop Ability	Press and hold Y, or press -	Press and hold A, or press -	This is also used to drop the Mouthful Mode (prioritized to drop before Kirby's Copy Ability). Unlike in previous title, Kirby can drop multiple ability hats.
Swallow	Press L/R/ZL/ZR after inhaling an object		An option for Auto Swallow is available so Kirby will automatically swallow an enemy or a hat that gives a Copy Ability (Default: On).
Crouch Guard	Press and hold L/R/ZL/ZR
Slide	Guard + A	Guard + B	Sliding lightly homes in on nearby enemies. Can be cancelled with Jump.
Dodge	Guard + L-Stick in any direction		Kirby dodges by performing a handstand bounce in the direction indicated. The bounce distance is determined by how far the stick is tilted. When an enemy attack is dodged successfully within 10 frames (about 0.16 second), the game will momentarily slow down for 100 frames (about 1.66 seconds).
Appeal	Direction Buttons		Kirby performs an appealing pose responding to the pressed Direction Button. Similar to Taunt in the Super Smash Bros. series.
Camera Control	R-Stick		Hold down the R-Stick button to zoom in. Press the R-Stick button to reset the camera.
Pause	+		If using the left Joy-Con, - also functions as Pause.

Copy Abilities

Screenshot showing one of Needle Kirby's new moves which takes advantage of the 3-D space.

The following Copy Abilities have been revealed:

Base Copy Abilities in Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Ability	Image	Provider(s)	Description	Notes
New Abilities
Drill		Digguh	Kirby gains a drill hat that he can use to bore into the ground and burst out to attack enemies or uncover buried treasures.
Ranger		Unnamed sheepdog enemy	Kirby gains a small blunderbuss that he can use to fire star bullets at enemies, including from very far away.
Returning Abilities
Bomb		Poppy Bros. Jr., Foley	Kirby can pull out bombs and toss them at his opponents.	Bomb Kirby's hat and bombs have been updated in appearance slightly.
Crash		Bomber	Kirby can create a giant explosion to wipe out nearby enemies.	Limited-use
Cutter		Sir Kibble	Kirby can throw a bladed boomerang to attack enemies and grab certain objects.	The cutter boomerangs can be charged up after they're thrown to make them more powerful on the return trip.
Fire		Hot Head	Kirby can breathe fire at enemies and burst forward as a fireball through the air.	Fire Kirby's hat has been updated somewhat.
Hammer		A variant of Bonkers, unnamed ape-like enemy	Kirby wields a big wooden hammer that can pound enemies and stakes down.
Ice		Chilly, Wild Frosty	Kirby can skate along the ground and freeze enemies with his breath, then kick them forward.	Kirby can also skate on the surface of water when using this ability.
Needle		Needlous, Totenga, unnamed hedgehog enemy	Kirby can shoot out lots of needles from his hat, and turn into a rolling spiky ball to catch enemies.
Sleep		Noddy	Kirby falls asleep for a moment, and cannot do anything until he wakes up.	Limited-duration
Sword		Blade Knight, Wild Edge	Kirby gains a sword and can use it to battle opponents.	The design of the sword has been updated somewhat.
Tornado		Twister, unnamed swan-like mid-boss	Kirby can spin around like a tornado to cover lots of ground and catch enemies in the gale.

Evolved Copy Abilities

Main article: Evolved Copy Ability

New to Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby can find blueprints and then spend Star Coins and Rare Stones to have his Copy Abilities upgraded at Waddle Dee's Weapons Shop in Waddle Dee Town. The following evolved abilities have been shown:

Evolved Copy Abilities in Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Ability	Image	Description	Notes
Chain Bomb		A more powerful version of Bomb. The bombs Kirby throws get connected and explode after the sixth bomb is thrown.
Unnamed evolved Bomb	File:KatFL Unnamed Evolved Bomb Artwork.png	A more powerful version of Bomb. The bombs Kirby throws are now drone-like and home in on enemies.	Named オートサーチボム (Auto-Search Bomb) in Japanese.
Time Crash		A more powerful version of Crash that allows Kirby to freeze time. The size of the explosion increases the duration of the slowdown.
Chakram Cutter		A more powerful version of Cutter that allows Kirby to throw a pair of chakrams, blades that tend to curve in a direction when returning.
Unnamed evolved Cutter	File:KatFL Evolved Cutter Kirby artwork.png	A more powerful version of Cutter that resembles a power saw. The sawblades that shoot from the hat can rebound off of walls at a mirror angle.	Named フルメタルカッター (Full-Metal Cutter) in Japanese.
Pencil Drill	File:KatFL Evolved Drill Kirby artwork.png	A more powerful version of Drill, resembling a pencil in a pencil sharpener. When Kirby pops out of the ground, he shoots the pencil out as an additional projectile.
Unnamed evolved Drill	File:KatFL Unnamed Evolved Drill Artwork.png	A more powerful version of Drill that gives Kirby two drills. This lets him attack above-ground enemies while underground.	Named ツインズドリル (Twins Drill) in Japanese.
Volcano Fire		A more powerful version of Fire that allows Kirby to blast enemies with pyroclast from a distance.	Similar to Burn-Stone from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.
Dragon Fire		A more powerful version of Fire that allows Kirby to soar through the air like a dragon.
Toy Hammer		A more powerful version of Hammer that allows Kirby to hit more quickly with larger strikes.
Wild Hammer		A more powerful version of Hammer which gives Kirby a stone hammer. It is slower, but stronger.	Based on a variant of Bonkers.
Frosty Ice		A more powerful version of Ice which allows Kirby to conjure snowmen with his breath, and leave a trail of them behind while sliding when using Ice Storm.	Based on Wild Frosty.
Unnamed evolved Ice	File:KatFL Evolved Ice Kirby artwork.png	A more powerful version of Ice with sharp icicles. Not yet known what it does.	Named ブリザードアイス (Blizzard Ice) in Japanese.
Clutter Needle		A more powerful version of Needle with multiple sharp implements, which allows Kirby to do several spinning strikes in the air.	This ability's design and function are very similar to those of Needle-Needle.
Crystal Needle	File:KatFL Evolved Needle Kirby artwork.png	A more powerful version of Needle with spiky crystals, which can leave spike traps on the ground.
Noble Ranger		A more powerful version of Ranger with a pair of blunderbusses that can rapid-fire cannonballs at enemies.
Unnamed evolved Ranger	File:KatFL Unnamed Evolved Ranger Artwork.png	A more powerful version of Ranger with a laser gun that can rapid-fire lasers at high speed.	Named スペースレンジャー (Space Ranger) in Japanese.
Deep Sleep		A more powerful version of Sleep, which lets Kirby sleep in a bed. After waking up, Kirby is fully healed and powered up.
Gigant Sword		A more powerful version of Sword that has extra range and can hit much harder. Kirby also gains a shield with which he can move forward while holding up.	Based on Wild Edge.
Meta Knight Sword		A more powerful version of Sword, which gives Kirby a sword similar to Galaxia. This lets Kirby strike rapidly and fire sword beams at full health.	Based on Meta Knight.
Unnamed evolved Tornado	File:KatFL Evolved Tornado Kirby artwork.png	A more powerful version of Tornado. Its vortex grows over time. It also appears to have longer travel time than the standard Tornado.	Resembles one of the as-of-yet unnamed mid-bosses in the game. Named スワロトルネイド (Swallow Tornado) in Japanese.
Storm Tornado		A more powerful version of Tornado. This lets Kirby strike enemies with lightning while spinning.

Mouthful Mode

Kirby inhaling a car to gain one of the new Mouthful Modes.

Main article: Mouthful Mode

New to Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a mechanic that allows Kirby to wrap himself around various objects to gain their properties. The following modes have been revealed:

Mouthful Modes in Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Mode	Image	Obtained from	Description
Arch Mouth		An archway	Contorts Kirby into a paraglider shape, allowing him to glide long distances.
Car Mouth		A blue buggy-like car	Allows Kirby to drive along the ground quickly and ram into enemies.
Cone Mouth		A traffic cone	Allows Kirby to pierce various objects by falling onto them upside-down.
Dome Mouth		A dome	Allows Kirby to open a dome.
Light-Bulb Mouth		A light bulb	Allows Kirby to illuminate dark areas while walking through them and power certain devices that are sensitive to light.
Pipe Mouth		A pipe	Allows Kirby to roll around.
Ring Mouth		A large metal hoop	Allows Kirby to fire gusts of wind, which can be used to power watercrafts and cause fans to spin.
Scissor-Lift Mouth		A scissor lift	Allows Kirby to ascend up to certain otherwise inaccessible paths.
Stairs Mouth		Stairs	Allows Kirby to move stairs from one place to another.
Storage Mouth		Set of lockers	Allows Kirby to move a set of lockers out of the way.
Vending Mouth		A vending machine	Allows Kirby to spit food projectiles at his foe, similar to the Ice-Spark Power Combo from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.
Water-Balloon Mouth		Water from a pipe	Fills Kirby with a large glob of water, which he can use to spray at enemies and clean up toxic goo.
Unnamed roller coaster mouthful mode	File:KatFL Roller Coaster Mouth screenshot.png	A roller coaster car	Allows Kirby to follow a roller coaster track, and lean to the sides to collect items on the track as he goes. Named ジェットコースターほおばり, Roller Coaster Mouthful in Japanese.

Characters

Kirby's new friend, Elfilin.

The following characters have been revealed:

• Kirby

• Waddle Dees
  • Bandana Waddle Dee
  • Café-Staff Waddle Dee
  • Commentator Waddle Dee
  • Usher Waddle Dee
  • Weapons-Shop Waddle Dee
  • Wise Waddle Dee
• Elfilin

Enemies

Kirby avoiding one of the game's new enemies while traversing a beachside.

The following enemies have been revealed:

New enemies

Note: Please do not replace with Japanese names until after release and only if we still haven't received English ones. Feel free to add Japanese names (with original script alongside translation) after the original description if you have them, but not as a link. Thank you.

• A giant toxic frog-like creature
• Buffahorn (named バッファルホーン, Baffaruhōn in Japanese)
• A large crocodile-like creature
• A blue rabbit-like creature with ears stemming from its nose
• Awoofy (named ガルルフィ, Garurufi in Japanese)
• A scruffy brown version of Awoofy
• A large seal-like creature that balances a bomb on its nose
• A large snake-like creature
• A long, bar-shaped Gordo
• Digguh (named ディグー, Digū in Japanese)
• A sheepdog-like creature, wearing a mining helmet, who provides the Ranger ability (named バーナード, Bānādo in Japanese)
• A small red gorilla-like creature, similar to Oohroo, who wields a hammer
• Tortorner
• Tortuilding

Returning enemies

• Blade Knight
• Blipper
• Bomber
• Boulder
• Bouncy
• Bronto Burt
• Cappy
• Chilly
• Corori
• Dekabu
• Foley
• Fuwa Rover
• Gabon
• Gigatzo
• Glunk
• Gordo
• Horror Tramp
• Hot Head
• Kabu
• Mr. Sandbag
• Mumbies
• Needlous
• Noddy
• Pacto
• Poppy Bros. Jr.
• Scarfy
• Shotzo
• Sir Kibble
• Squishy
• Totenga
• Twister
• Walf

Mid-Bosses

Kirby battling Wild Edge, one of the new Mid-Bosses.

The following Mid-Bosses have been revealed:

• A variant of Bonkers (named ワイルドボンカース, Wild Bonkers in Japanese)
• Wild Frosty
• An anthropomorphic swan-like creature who dances like a ballerina
• Wild Edge

Bosses

The following Bosses have been revealed:

• Gorimondo
• Tropic Woods
• Clawroline
• Sillydillo
• Meta Knight
• King Dedede

• 

  Kirby battling Gorimondo in the city to rescue more Waddle Dees

• 

  Kirby battling Tropic Woods using the Fire ability

• 

  Ranger Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee battling Clawroline

• 

  Kirby captured in a cage by Sillydillo

• 

  Sword Kirby dueling Meta Knight

• 

  Elfilin captured in a cage by King Dedede

Demo

The title screen for the demo version.

On March 3rd, 2022, a demo version of Kirby and the Forgotten Land was released to the public. This demo features the intro cut-scene for the game, as well as the three stages Point of Arrival, Downtown Grassland, and The Brawl at the Mall, accessible by a simple menu rather than a world hub. The demo ends after defeating Gorimondo in the last stage, and Kirby cannot visit Waddle Dee Town past its ruined state in the first stage. The four accessible Copy Abilities—Cutter, Bomb, Sword, and Ice—automatically become Evolved Copy Abilities once Gorimondo is taken down, allowing the player to freely test them out. This can be reverted on the menu if the player so desires.

Completing the demo gives the player two Present Codes: "CLEARDEMO" and "NEWADVENTURE", the latter only if the player completes all missions in the second stage, which will be redeemable at Waddle Dee-liveries in the full game.

Trivia

• The existence of the game was accidentally leaked on a schedule for the Nintendo Direct of September 23rd, 2021, only a few hours prior to being broadcasted. A similar circumstance previously happened with Kirby Fighters 2, nearly on the same date a year earlier.
• The internal files for Kirby Fighters 2 contain partially complete code for "Kirby3d", which may be related to this game.
• The Latin script logo for this game features a new version of the main Kirby series title font. It now uses the Seurat Pro EB typeface rather than the Helvetica Rounded Bold typeface, which had been used in all main Kirby games since Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land's release in 2002. The new logo font can also be seen in the 30th anniversary logo.
• Several parts of the game feature an alien language that, when deciphered, is actually a direct 1:1 translation to English. This reveals some details about the setting, in particular highlighting three corporations whose branding can be found on many signs: "Holine", "Alivel", and "Lightron". Put together, the first letters of these corporations spell out HAL.

Gallery

Main article: Kirby and the Forgotten Land/gallery

• 

  English logo

• 

  Canadian box art

• 

  Japanese box art

• 

  Artwork of Kirby

• 

  Waddle Dees caged by the Beast Pack

• 

  A Waddle Dee caged by the Beast Pack

• 

  Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee

• 

  Meta Knight

• 

  King Dedede

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	星のカービィ　ディスカバリー Hoshi no Kābyi Disukabarī	Kirby of the Stars: Discovery
Traditional Chinese	星之卡比 探索發現 Xīng Zhī Kǎbǐ Tànsuǒ Fāxiàn	Kirby of the Stars: Discovery
Simplified Chinese	星之卡比 探索发现 Xīng Zhī Kǎbǐ Tànsuǒ Fāxiàn
Dutch	Kirby en de Vergeten Wereld	Kirby and the Forgotten World
Canadian French	Kirby and the Forgotten Land	-
European French	Kirby et le monde oublié	Kirby and the forgotten world
German	Kirby und das vergessene Land	Kirby and the forgotten Land
Italian	Kirby e la terra perduta	Kirby and the lost land
Korean	별의 커비 디스커버리 Byeorui keobi diseukeobeori	Kirby of the Stars: Discovery
Polish	Kirby and the Forgotten Land	-
Latin American Spanish	Kirby and the Forgotten Land	-
European Spanish	Kirby y la tierra olvidada	Kirby and the forgotten land

External links

• Official website for Kirby and the Forgotten Land
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land page on Nintendo.com
• Japanese website for Kirby and the Forgotten Land
• Nintendo's first Japanese article about the game (9/24/2021)
• Nintendo's second Japanese article about the game (1/12/2022)
• Nintendo's third Japanese article about the game (2/10/2022)
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Kirby Informer