2022 was arguably one of the most significant years in the history of the Nintendo Switch. It had numerous titles that sold many millions and were highly-anticipated titles that gamers couldn’t wait to get their hands on. One of the early titles that kicked off the year was Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The game pushed Kirby to new heights and limits on an adventure that would become the best-selling game in its line! Some even felt it was worthy of Game of the Year nods, despite them not getting any. But fear not! The team understands just how important the game is to the series as a whole.
In a chat with IGN, two key dev team members noted that Kirby and the Forgotten Land was their franchise’s version of Breath of the Wild. By that, they meant that the title was a “game-changer” for how the series is perceived and how it can grow:
“If we’re talking about what Breath of the Wild perhaps did for the Zelda series in that it was a revolution, revolutionized the series, I think Kirby [and the] Forgotten Land was kind of at a turning point,” Shinya Kumazaki said in the interview. “I think you can consider it as the first step in our kind of ongoing moving forward challenge of now also creating 3D Kirby games.”
That may sound like a “bold claim,” but it’s really not. The team had recently noted that Kirby’s games remained in the 2D space but with 3D models because they had to work out a way to make Kirby feel like he was really moving in the 3D plane due to his roundish figure. But now that they’ve figured that out and developed new gameplay abilities that work to their advantage, they have more of an expanse to play in.
As for what the team has in mind next for Kirby, Kumazaki highlighted that it’s about the gameplay experience and ensuring that players can and will enjoy it.
There were many new features in the game that players enjoyed. Not the least was Mouthful Mode, where Kirby would partially absorb objects and then use them to solve puzzles, beat monsters, or travel across the land. We’d be shocked if that mode didn’t make a return appearance.
There were also new powers, the ability to upgrade powers over time, the Waddle Dee village, and more that they could pull from or expand on. One can only wonder what Kirby’s next adventure will be!
