Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the newest in the Kirby series and it is incredible! It takes all of the best elements from the previous installments, humor, excellent color design, remarkable transformations and dials it all up to a ten. Much of the playstyle and level design feel influenced by Nintendo’s other franchise: Mario. Specifically, I get a lot of hints of Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario 3D World.
The game, and the series as a whole, is straightforward for new players to pick up. You don’t need to know the lore or play any previous titles to enjoy Kirby and the Forgotten Land, but there are still a few things that will help make starting your adventure easier!
Crouching
Kirby and the Forgotten Land drops you right into the middle of the action with very few pointers. One thing you might not realize if you are new to the series is Kirby has a crouch ability to help you take less damage. You just have to tap either the left or right trigger to activate it! This works even in normal mode when you don’t have a copy ability. If you push up on the joystick after crouching, Kirby will do a little back handspring too. Very impressive!
Tracking Progress
It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out you can check your mission progress without opening the level menu. Instead of going to each level individually to check for your missing waddle dees, you can simply open an area overview. When you are in the overworld, press Y to easily scroll through the individual levels and world overviews!
Faster Travel
Something else that isn’t immediately apparent is that you can speed up your warp star when you are in the overworld! If you want to move quickly through the map, just hold either the left or right triggers and tilt the joystick forward to satisfy your need for speed.
Bonus tip: You don’t have to manually travel back to town on the map. Either tapping the B button or opening the menu will allow you to fast travel back to Waddle Dee Town! If you fast travel, you don’t get to hear Elfilin yell “weeeee” as you speed across the map, though.
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Look for Sparkles
If you see a cloud of sparkles, walk into it! These invisible items can be uncovered by walking through the mist. They are usually just coins or food, but sometimes they even reveal a hidden path. You will find them scattered throughout the level maps, but some are also in Waddle Dee town! These hidden coins can be collected several times and reset when you leave.
For example, one behind the chair on the roof where Waddle Dee sits (if you are not using a second player) will give you a red coin.
Hidden Levels
Playing a level map all the way through will unlock the next level and sometimes even bonus star levels. These bonus levels are based on a certain copy ability and grant you upgrade material for the copy shop upgrades. But did you know there are more on the map than are initially revealed? If you fly around the map, sometimes a prompt will appear for you to search an area. You’ll do so by pressing A, which will reveal either hidden coins or a bonus level.
Figure Collecting
Kirby and the Forgotten Land has introduced a gachapon-style figure collecting system that I simply adore. There are several different ways to collect the figures. Most you will find in world levels by discovering their capsules, but some must be obtained in other ways. Gachapon machines will open in town, fittingly in the alley, that will contain other figures you cannot find on your adventures. I haven’t completed my entire collection yet, but I have found some special ones!
For example, when you unlock the Wise Waddle Dee, he is introduced as a stats-keeping character that can also give you hints for missing upgrade blueprints. But, did you know if you talk to him enough, he will reward your studious nature with a figure of himself?
Mr. Sandbag
Mr. Sandbag is an old, dear friend that has returned to Kirby and the Forgotten Land to help players practice their copy abilities. I’ve never used him much before this, but with the upgraded abilities, I was glad to see him! The trouble is, he was a little tucked out of the way, so I ended up tormenting the town before I found him. If you need some practice, go into the copy shop and go all the way to the right, the room is off-screen. There you will find everyone’s favorite punching bag!
Bonus Tip: If you don’t have a copy ability but need a way to break boxes/items that cannot be sucked in, Kirby can break them with a puff of air. Just inflate up like you are going to fly and puff it out to break the object.
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Present Codes
This mechanic confused me when it was first introduced. Many Nintendo games have a present code system, but most codes are found online or even on special give-away card events in stores, but not Kirby! There are codes hidden within the game, actually in town. When you are close to a code, Elfilin will start chattering and bopping around to get your attention. The most important this is the codes must be entered in ALL CAPS.
There are only two codes (so far) that you need to look outside of the game for that were awarded for completing the demo. I won’t spoil the fun of finding them, but I’ll list the demo codes here:
- CLEARDEMO
- NEWADVENTURE
Amiibo Compatibility
Upon starting Kirby and the Forgotten Lands, I was too excited to save the waddle dees and swallow a car to even think about Amiibos, but they do work! When you scan in an Amiibo to a stage, it will grant you various coin amounts or consumable items. You can do the levels without the extra help, but it certainly never hurt!
- Kirby (any)-30 Star Coins/1x Health Bonus
- King Dedede (any)-26 Star Coins/1x Attack Bonus
- Meta Knight (any)- 26 Star Coins/1x Speed Bonus
- Waddle Dee- 12 Star Coins/ 1x Energy Drink
- Other Amiibos- 2 Star Coins/ 1x Cherry/ 1x Car-Mouth Cake
The Little Things
We can talk strategies and tips for the game all day, but don’t forget to enjoy the little moments! The game developers packed the world with tiny details to make the world feel more full and cheery. Kirby might be in strange lands and away from his beloved Planet Popstar, but that’s no reason not to stop to survey the scenery! There are a few adorable little activities you can do in-game like:
- Wave at your neighbors by pushing UP on the D-Pad or get excited by pushing LEFT on the D-Pad
- Light a cozy fire at home.
- Dine in! (This one is my favorite)
- Take a nap; it’s good for your health.
- Take it all in. Get up high to survey the scene or look around with RIGHT on the D-Pad.
We hope that this list helps get your adventure off on the right foot. Did you learn anything new? Did you spot anything we missed? Comment below!
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