The Kirby franchise has been known for its unique approach to the 2D platformer genre and its originality, but it was about time we see our pink friend in full 3D. Kirby and The Forgotten Land is the first game in the franchise to bring us a complete 3D world just like Mario and Zelda did in the 90s. If you haven’t gotten the game yet, get it with some Nintendo eShop Cards at OffGamers here.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land feels like a fresh and needed new instalment but at the same time with all the new ways to interact, new abilities and mechanics that the 3D world allows, old-school Kirby fans might feel a little disoriented and could definitely use a helping hand. The same goes if this is the first time you are stepping into a Kirby game.
Don’t worry, this is why we are here. You can find every essential bit in our beginner’s guide below!
The Gameplay
Let’s start with the absolute basics you need to know about Kirby and the Forgotten Land. As we’ve already mentioned, this is the first time a Kirby game is released in a fully 3D perspective with the Switch being the first console to host it.
But who or what is Kirby? Well, he has a long history in the gaming world, but what you need to know is that he is a cute pink ball that can soar and float in the air. Kirby can also devour his enemies by breathing them in and thus absorbing their skills.
Completing a level is rather easy and will mostly require some platforming skills, puzzle solving, and wiping out some enemies. On the other hand, finding and saving a kidnapped Waddle Dee is far from being a piece of cake. What is a Waddle Dee? Waddle Dees are the most common folk that you will find in the Kirby Franchise. If you finish specific tasks in levels you will even find additional Waddle Dees.
Observe The Environment Carefully
There are tons of hidden stuff and Waddle Dees around you as well, so make sure to pay close attention to your surroundings. If something is looking weird to you or out of its natural place don’t hesitate to check it out. It won’t take up a lot of your precious time and the best-case scenario would be that you end up on a secret level or you find more Waddle Dees!
Look From Above
When you first arrive in Kirby and the Forgotten Land and you enter a new area, you should ideally use the option to fly around everywhere until you get the icon that says ‘Search’. Once you go for the search, you will get either coins or a treasure road. This is the only way to reveal certain treasure roads that are hidden on the map.
How would you know if you’ve discovered all of the treasure roads? Well, that leads to our next tip in our beginner’s guide!
Keep Track of Everything
While you are going around the zones simply press the Y button. Once you do so you will be taken to a sweet menu where you will be shown your current progress in that particular zone. You can easily see if you’ve missed out on a Waddle Dee in any of the levels there.
If you click further into a level where you’ve missed something, a menu will pop up to show you a question mark on whatever you’ve missed out on. With that in mind, you can go back to the level immediately and fully ace the level! This is a really useful feature if you consider yourself a completionist.
Additionally, you can easily see if you’ve missed out on a treasure road if you press X while at the overview of the zones. If you see question marks, that would mean that you’ve missed out on some treasure roads and you might want to go back to hoard them all.
Copy Abilities
If this is your first time getting your hands on a Kirby game, you need to know that the copy abilities are essential for almost every game in the franchise so far. Kirby can copy the abilities of his enemies by losing his ability to inhale.
In return, you can become almost anything you see. Being able to burn or freeze your enemies, cutting your adversaries with a sword, being a ranger and shooting with a rifle, or even becoming a Bomberman impersonator, just to name a few.
Apart from giving you better chances for defeating your adversaries, you need to know that the copy abilities are an absolute must if you want to solve most of the puzzles and actually beat the whole game.
Blueprints
Waddle Dees are not the only collectables in the game. The other really important collectables are the blueprints scattered all over the levels. Blueprints are used to get the copy abilities upgraded. Once you find a new one you need to give it to the Waddle Dee in the Armory so that he can do his job and give you a sweet upgrade for your favourite copy ability.
Trust in Kirby
Even if you are a beginner, you’ve probably already tried Kirby’s copy abilities. They are quite fun and usually deliver bigger damage to enemies. But the copy abilities have their downsides as well. One such is the fact that most of them lock you in place when you put them to use and that makes you an easier target.
It is a good thing to remember that Kirby’s own abilities and damage output are not to be underestimated. The simple tactic of sucking up stars and spitting them at bosses might be your best friend in many cases.
Not The Right Copy Ability?
If you have some experience with older Kirby games, you bitterly know that if you don’t have the right copy ability you won’t be able to pass some of the puzzles. In Kirby and the Forgotten Lands you don’t have to stress yourself with that kind of worry.
Just before each and every upcoming puzzle, you will be given the chance to obtain the copy ability that will let you pass it hassle-free. This makes everything significantly easier, especially if you’re new.
Co-Op Mode
If our beginner’s guide above is not enough for you to handle the game alone, you can always get a helping hand from a friend! Yes, just after finishing the tutorial mode you can bring a friend to help you with completing the game. They will be simply controlling a Bandana Waddle Dee instead.
Conclusion:
Kirby and the Forgotten Lands is a game that you can fully enjoy whether you are a newcomer or a die-hard Kirby fan. Despite giving you a beginner’s guide so that you don’t feel lost once you start, keep in mind that this wonderful platformer won’t be pulling your nerves with impossible-to-beat levels. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a challenging game but extremely fun and quite relaxing at the same time.
Being the first fully 3D game in the franchise, Kirby and the Forgotten Land will surely split the fan base in two. Some would agree with the new game design and gameplay mechanics and some will want the old-school Kirby games back. What are your thoughts on this, should Nintendo always strive to keep their franchises up-to-date with current trends or stick to their solid traditions? Comment below and let us know!
I am a junior content outreach writer for OffGamers. I foster relationships between gaming enthusiasts and gaming developers to create relevant content for gamers worldwide. I also happen to be a passionate writer and a certified night owl.
