While we are all waiting for Nintendo and HAL to deliver the next 3D flagship entry in the franchise, they have revisited this Switch classic and updated it for the Nintendo Switch 2. Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star Crossed World says everything you need to know about it on the tin – this is a Switch 2 updated version of the excellent Forgotten Land, with a new campaign bundled in for good measure.

Let’s talk about those updates first. The Switch 2 has excellent enhanced backward compatibility that will play most Switch 1 games better out of the box. Some Switch 1 games can get free updates to make them run and look better on Switch 2; Nintendo has released about a dozen of those patches. But when the work into updating a game for Switch 2 is extensive, and/or comes with new features and content, Nintendo usually packages the update as a paid upgrade under the Switch 2 Edition moniker – and that’s what Kirby and the Forgotten Land gets.

"It might be tempting to compare it to Bowser’s Fury or Shadow Generations, and in some ways, those analogies hold."

The updates here are excellent. The original game was, even in early 2022, pushing the boundaries of what could be done on the Switch hardware. The original game had very aggressive dynamic resolution scaling, running anywhere between 810p to 1080p in docked mode, and frequently dropping below 720p in handheld mode. All of that is gone now, and Forgotten Land on Switch 2 runs at a very clear 1440p image that looks clear and crisp, and does justice to the game’s lovely art style.

More importantly, the original game ran at 30fps. It was a locked 30fps, but for a platformer, the frame rate can and does matter, and as great as Forgotten Land was at 30fps, it distinctly felt like it would be even better at 60fps. And lo and behold, it is. The Switch 2 version of theme runs at a locked 60fps. What’s equally important (at least for some players that I know), the distracting decimated frame rate effect is minimized or outright gone too. Players who played Forgotten Land on the Switch probably remember what I am talking about – objects a little further out from Kirby would run at reduced frame rates in a bid to save resources, so you could have things on the screen running at half the game’s already low baseline frame rate. In Forgotten Land, objects either don’t run at reduced frame rates at all, or if they do, they are much more distant from the player, and the reduced frame rate doesn’t seem to be as aggressive as on the Switch 1.

So those are all nice and necessary upgrades that allow this game to shine even more so than it did before. If you have been hankering for a replay of the game, these updates practically justify upgrading your Switch 1 copy by themselves. But as specified previously, this update also comes with a brand new mini campaign included.

It might be tempting to compare it to Bowser’s Fury or Shadow Generations, and in some ways, those analogies hold. Like those, Star Crossed World is a much smaller affair than a full new game, clocking in at 4-5 hours for completion at a leisurely pace. Like those, it uses the foundation of the base game to build something new.

"It is a shame, however, that the new content is all technically a remix of the existing content."

Where it differs from those two, however, is in how much it uses that foundation. Bowser’s Fury and Shadow Generations are both essentially entirely separate games that just happen to be bundled with their base games. Star Crossed World on the other hand is very much a part of Forgotten Land’s world and story, and even its levels take place in the same levels as the base game – technically. Each of these levels is remixed so thoroughly with new mechanics, new layouts, new aesthetics, and new enemies, that it ends up differing from the level it was originally based on substantially. I played each of the new levels back to back with the original levels they were based on, and while there were often commonalities, generally speaking the new levels felt appropriately “new”.

It is a shame, however, that the new content is all technically a remix of the existing content, and that the new content can be completed relatively quickly, because this is the part of the upgrade package that I am less convinced by. If you wanted to merely play the new levels, and that’s what you were buying the upgrade for, well, it’s not a bad purchase at all, but I do think the new content by itself can’t justify the price of the upgrade. The upgrades to the base game, with the content as a bonus, makes for a reasonably appealing proposition – wanting just the new content, on the other hand, changes that calculus.

Then too is it worth considering that right now, if you are someone who has never played Kirby and the Forgotten Land before, and you want to play it on your Switch 2, without the technical compromises of the original version, you will be spending $80 on the game – $60 for the 2022 original (which still has not had a price increase), plus $20 for the upgrade. Kirby is a marvellous game, but the price starts to get prohibitively high at that point – especially given that there are arguably better 3D platformers available on the Switch 2, from Nintendo themselves, for cheaper than that.

"Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an easy recommendation."

That pricing dynamic creates expectations and scrutiny on this upgrade that it doesn’t deserve. It’s a great graphical uplift with some bonus content thrown in – if that was all it was seen as, things would be fine; but, of course, some people will want to get it only for the new content, and some people will want to get the whole package for the first time now, and both of those scenarios are ones where the pricing ends up adding caveats to what should otherwise be an easy recommendation.

Because Kirby and the Forgotten Land should be an easy recommendation. It’s a top tier game, stuffed full of content and with oodles of charm and flair. This upgrade makes that clear, and allows the game to shine in the way it was always meant to. Nintendo will at some point need to reassess how it prices things, sure, and Kirby itself unfortunately has to deal with the fallout of that. But the actual game and upgrade we get here is an excellent update for an excellent game.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch 2.

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.

To outline the various changes, Nintendo has released a new overview trailer. Star-Crossed World focuses on the crash of a mysterious meteor and Kirby’s quest to collect Starries and prevent an evil presence from emerging. You’ll revisit old stages to do so, but the meteor’s influence has opened paths into new areas that were previously inaccessible and added new abilities to the Beast Pack.

Even the bosses are powered up, though new threats also await. Kirby has some new Mouthful Modes, including Spring Mouth for higher jumps, Gear Mouth for latching and rolling on walls, and Sign Mouth for sliding on slopes. Other collectibles include Starry Coins, which can be spent on new figures, and a new Arena challenge, the Ultimate Cup ZEX, also awaits.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World launches on August 28th for $79.99. An Upgrade Pack for Switch 1 owners is also available for $19.99.

Kirby sets out to investigate familiar levels which have been remixed and revamped with new routes (though you can still choose from the originals on the world map). For example, the starting level sees the iconic skyscraper damaged by a meteor fragment. Enemies have also changed to have new attacks, and sections require activating new switches to generate platforms.

Star-Crossed World will feature new Mouthful Modes, including a spring for jumping high and dropping down with a heavy slam on enemies. If that weren’t enough, players seeking a challenge can opt for Wild Mode to earn more coins.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World launches on August 28th for the Switch 2. It’s also a paid upgrade for owners of the Switch 1 version.