Kirby and the Forgotten Lands goes full anime – Review

gamepur.com:

Kirby and the Forgotten Lands is a game of big swings, and I’m not just talking about Hammer Kirby. This is the first game in the series to introduce full 3D worlds for the pink puffball to explore. It’s also implemented a new feature called Mouthful Mode that reminds me of Mario’s Cappy from Mario Odyssey. The team at HAL Laboratory is even taking the adventure away from Planet Popstar and dropping Kirby onto a post-apocalyptic new world, fittingly called New World. 

It’s a formula that gives the developers tons of room to play around with and leads to some innovative, new ideas for the franchise. That, of course, doesn’t mean everything works perfectly, but I can’t help appreciating a long-time series that’s willing to switch things up and take a few risks.

My favorite Kirby game is Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. The love for that game largely comes from the introduction of Power Combos. The ability to mix and match abilities was always a treat, and the game quickly became my most-rented game during the N64 era. When I first saw the Forgotten Lands, I was hopeful that Mouthful Mode would provide similar good times.

Fortunately, the mode is a hit. HAL Labs uses the feature to provide players with several new ways to play Kirby. By now, most have seen Kirby inhale a car and drive around, but the opportunities for fun don’t end there. I won’t spoil too much, but I will say my personal favorite implementation is the levels where Kirby swallows a lightbulb and has to traverse a dark room. These slow down the pace and, in some respects, turn Kirby into a pseudo horror game. You can’t fight, you can’t run, you just have to creep through the dark, hoping an enemy doesn’t see your bright bulb.

Outs