One of the Nintendo Switch’s best adventures is getting an expansion in the shape of the colossally long-titled Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World. There’re expansions to the original game plus an all-new story DLC to get into, so without further ado here’s 15 things to know before you buy Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World.
Exclusive new story
Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Switch 2 upgrade comes packed with Star-Crossed Land – an exclusive new story which coincides alongside the pink puffball’s original Switch adventure. Here, the surprisingly ruinous Forgotten Land is struck by a heart-shaped meteor; a strange volcanic island rises out of the ocean whilst a shimmering blue sheen transforms the once-familiar locations. Scattered throughout the world are crystal star fragments – dubbed Starries – which Kirby must collect to seal away an impending evil. However, there’re more troublesome changes beyond The Forgotten Land’s newfound icy hue which we’ll describe throughout this feature.
Switch 2 enhancements
Playing Kirby and the Forgotten Land on the Nintendo Switch 2 means enjoying the original game and its story expansion with higher quality graphics and improved frame rates, the latter up to a buttery-smooth 60 fps. Discussed during a recent Nintendo Treehouse Live presentation was a targeted 1080p resolution for tabletop and handhold modes alongside 1440p resolution when docked, bumping up the original Switch version’s 720p and 1080p resolution respectively.
Upgrade path available
If you’ve already purchased the original Kirby and the Forgotten Land on the Nintendo Switch then you’re in luck – an upgrade path exists. Retailing at £16,99 / $20, the price is a little higher than the Switch 2’s usual upgrade price but this reflects the Star-Crossed Land’s inclusion as an expansion. If you’re looking to purchase the upgraded Switch 2 game outright then you’ll need to fork over £66.99 / $80.
What is Kirby and The Forgotten Land?
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the pink mascot’s first true 3D platformer within which he explores a post-apocalyptic world of abandoned structures that are jutting out verdant pastures. Guiding Kirby through stages packed with enemies, puzzles, and collectibles, players can use his trademark Copy Abilities to transform him into the enemies that he inhales. The Forgotten Land won a lot of fans with its blend of classic Kirby charm with open, exploratory level design.
What is Kirby and The Forgotten Land’s story?
The opening of a mysterious vortex transports Kirby to a strange world where Waddle Dees have been captured by the Beast Pack. Teaming up with new companion Elfilin, Kirby journeys through The Forgotten Land’s diverse regions to battle enemies and bosses. The goal of each stage is to rescue the imprisoned Waddle Dees, who go on to help rebuild Waddle Dee Town.
Starry Stages
The meteor’s impact has changed aspects of The Forgotten Land beyond its crystalised appearance. Previously inaccessible buildings can now be ascended; oceans can clear, exposing the sea floor. Break crystals and new paths are revealed, with areas once-hidden becoming explorable. To progress through the Starry Stages Kirby must rescue each of the Starries nestled inside. The story within the Starry Stages triggers once Natural Plains, the opening area in The Forgotten Lands’ base game, has been completed, and flows alongside the game’s main campaign.
New Mouthful Modes
In the Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World overview trailer, Nintendo introduces three exciting new Mouthful Modes: Spring Mouth, Gear Mouth, and Sign Mouth. For those unfamiliar, Mouthful Modes first appeared in the original Kirby and the Forgotten Land, where Kirby envelopes himself around inanimate objects to gain unique abilities based on the item. These modes are some of the most inventive ways the game expands Kirby’s powers, enhancing everything from traversal to exploration and combat.
Spring Mouth
Boing boinging Kirby super high, the first Mouthful Mode exclusive to Star-Crossed Land is Spring Mouth whereby Kirby wraps himself around a spring, forcing him to bounce continuously. When Spring Mouthing, Kirby can make one especially high jump to scale lofty platforms and clear large gaps. Furthermore, when midair Kirby can smash downwards to break cracked ground, shatter crystals, or squash enemies beneath him.
Gear Mouth
The second of Star-Crossed Land’s three Mouthful Mode’s is Gear Mouth, involving Kirby wrapping his mouth around a gear which then allows him to roll across the ground, latch onto, and scale vertical surfaces and walls. Kirby can also launch a forward dash when in Gear Mouthful Mode.
Sign Mouth
Sliding down slopes is much funner when Kirby has a sign in his mouth. In the third of Star-Crossed World’s Mouthful Modes, by wrapping his gob around a sign Kirby can slip and ski throughout the land, spinning through enemies and obstacles in his way whilst sliding up ramps to launch himself into the air to clear chasms or grab otherwise unreachable objects.
Enemies are tougher
It isn’t just the landscape that’s been affected by the meteoric crystals but the enemies of The Forgotten Land too. Put simply, the enemies occupying the Starry Stages are tougher, the crystals appearing to make them stronger in attack whilst needing more hits to defeat. This extends to the Beast Pack too, with mid-bosses such as Wild Frosty transforming to Crystal Wild Frosty. Star-Crossed World also harbours new enemies and mid-bosses, one in which resembles a Starry; a flower of some sort adorning crystallised armour is visible in Nintendo’s Star-Crossed Land overview trailer.
Starry Coins
Starry Coins are dotted throughout each Starry Stage, and much like the main campaign’s Star Coins can be collected by Kirby and spent in Waddle Dee Town, where there’s a specific trader interested in these coins – Astronomer Waddle Dee. His stock? A collection of Star-Crossed World-exclusive EX figures obtainable through the Gotcha Machine EX.
A new challenge awaits in The Colosseum
For the most part, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a stately, largely unchallenging experience, except when Kirby steps foot in The Colosseum. The boss rush modes in there were brutal, and Star-Crossed World looks to be catering to those even more hardcore players with its new challenge: The Ultimate Cup Z EX. Details are limited, but it seems likely The Ultimate Cup Z EX is unlocked after both the main campaign or the DLC’s true ending is reached and The Ultimate Cup is beaten. With The Ultimate Cup Z from the original The Forgotten Land tasking Kirby with defeating phantom versions of the game’s bosses, it’d be safe to assume The Ultimate Cup Z EX will feature a gauntlet of the Star-Crossed Land’s more powerful enemies.
The expansion is playable in co-op
Co-operative play is already a feature of Kirby and The Forgotten Land, with a second player assuming control of Bandana Waddle Dee. Now, Bandana Waddle Dee doesn’t have the same abilities as Kirby but there are some unique manoeuvres under his hat from mid-air multi-jumps to sweeping spear attacks and shockwave finishers. There’s no word on whether Bandana Waddle Dee’s moveset has been expanded in Star-Crossed World, but he’s playable as a side-character to Kirby all the same.
No information on new Copy Abilities
Copy Abilities in Kirby and The Forgotten Land allow our pink protagonist to mimic the abilities of enemies that he swallows, and together with the Mouthful Modes encompass an imaginative array of powers. Given Nintendo have given us a close look of everything new that is coming in Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World but hasn’t disclosed any information on new Copy Abilities it might be that there’re no new Copy Abilities coming. We’ll be keeping our eyes open for any update on this before the game’s release on August 28th.
