Common Sense Media Review
By Jeff Haynes
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Nintendo's puffy hero soars in friendly adventure.
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Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 8 parent reviews
What’s It About?
KIRBY AND THE FORGOTTEN LAND starts one day as Kirby is happily exploring his world, only to find himself and his friends sucked into a mysterious storm that appears out of nowhere. While everyone attempts to flee, the storm is far too strong and swallows them all up, depositing them in a strange new land. For some reason, this location is full of ruined buildings, abandoned equipment, and hostile creatures that capture every Waddle Dee they can find, placing them all in cages. Kirby leaps into action, but only manages initially to save Banana Waddle Dee, a spear wielding friend, and an odd creature named Elfilin, who advises the pink blob on what to do and where to go. In single-player stages, gamers will direct Kirby across a wide variety of levels as he attempts to free the captured Waddle Dees, bringing them back to their village so that they can rebuild and restore their lives. Kirby will also attempt to fend off attacks from a group of characters known as the Beast Pack, thanks to his ability to swallow objects or enemies to absorb and copy their powers. That means that by inhaling hammers, pistols, swords, and other items, Kirby gains new skills that he can use against his opponents in battle. But Kirby will also be able to swallow items like cars, parking cones, and fallen signs, turning them into new weapons against opponents. Players can team up with a friend taking on the part of Banana Waddle Dee to clear levels together. What mysteries lie in this new land, and can you save the kidnapped Waddle Dees before it's too late?
Is It Any Good?
This accessible adventure will make you smile, but the additional gameplay, challenges, and hidden extras will keep you coming back for more. The true appeal of Kirby and the Forgotten Land is finding all of the secrets buried in each stage. Discovering hidden Waddle Dees are standard objectives in every level, but you can also perform tasks along the way like knocking down wanted posters or staying out of sludge to rescue additional citizens. Each Dee that you save and each goal that you complete helps you rebuild Waddle Dee town, giving the captured creatures a place to live. In return, their buildings give you access to mini-games, statues, shops, and power-ups. That constantly provides motivation to explore and replay levels, especially as you gain new abilities. Each copy ability has a standard attack and a powered-up strike. With enough coins and stars earned from mini-games, these can be evolved into stronger versions, providing new tactics that can be used in a stage. In fact, there are some level goals you can't even accomplish without specific skills, so there's loads to do and plenty of things to unlock. Whether you're playing alone or wandering the world in co-op play, exploring ruins like abandoned shopping malls is a ton of fun as you hop, jump, and blast through.
Notable hiccups during play don't ruin the game but do detract from the action. For example, Forgotten Land isn't very hard to play through by yourself, and it becomes easier with co-op, since one player can draw fire while the other takes out or injures opponents. Unless you have trouble coordinating with your partner, you should be able to sail through the stages. Additionally, while you gather figurines during stages and from the in-game ball machine, the use of actual amiibos for gameplay is underwhelming. Tapping one usually results in coins, fruit, and the occasional power-up (depending on the figure). If, instead, they provided a substantial boost to a copied ability, or an invincibility power-up, it would feel more useful than decorative. Instead, it seems like a missed opportunity. That being said, though, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a lot of fun, and adventure fans young and old alike will love exploring its world.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in Kirby and the Forgotten Land affected by the lack of blood and gore in the game? Is the violence acceptable because it's cartoonish and laughable that a character could inhale an opponent and spit them out?
Do you feel the need to buy amiibo to access some of the hidden features of Kirby and the Forgotten Land? Does the inclusion of this feature add to the gameplay, or is it simply being used to sell figurines?
Game Details
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
- Pricing structure: Paid ($59.99)
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release date: March 25, 2022
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Friendship
- ESRB rating: E10+ for Cartoon Violence
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: August 26, 2022
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