The Kirby franchise will soon be celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, and fans are ready to celebrate with them because everyone’s favorite adorable, pink puffball is back and better than ever. “Kirby and the Forgotten Land” is the latest installment in the Kirby franchise, releasing exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on March 25. “Kirby and the Forgotten Land” will be the first ever game that is part of the mainline to feature true linear 3D gameplay. The series has come a long way in its venture from being 2D on the Game Boy, or even 2.5D on the Nintendo 64 to now being fully 3D on the Nintendo Switch.
When the trailer was released, it was instantly met with an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from the community. The trailer opens with Kirby being transported through an unknown area after being pulled into a portal that opened up in the sky. While being transported through the rift in time, Kirby blacks out and finds himself waking up on a beach with a lush forest in front of him. Confused as to his current location, Kirby decides to venture through the forest, eventually stumbling across a city of ruins. The camera pans through the city, showing Kirby roaming the city’s abandoned streets, buildings, malls and amusement parks that were taken over by creatures and overgrown plants after being reclaimed by nature. The trailer concludes by showcasing a variety of unique biomes, as well as Kirby using different abilities to defeat any strange creatures that stand in the way of his mission of saving the Waddle Dees.
Over the last few years, we have seen Kirby eat many absurd and questionable things; however, with the introduction of “Mouthful Mode” the list of things he can devour has just gotten a bit weirder. Mouthful Mode is a new mechanic which also debuted in the latest trailers. With Mouthful Mode, Kirby gains the ability to inhale objects however, instead of being able to completely swallow the objects, Kirby will stretch to take the shape of the object, as well as gaining the power and properties of the object. In the Nintendo direct trailer, we see Kirby take the shape of a traffic cone, staircase and vending machine to defeat enemies and overcome various obstacles. This trailer would also be the lovely introduction of the new fan favorite form Karby. Karby is a form that Kirby, by some miracle, manages to utilize by taking the shape of a car. Fans instantly took to social media to express their love with this form, and although this transformation doesn’t have an official name, it will forever be known as Karby in the hearts of the community.
