Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

I remember the first time I stumbled across the existence of Kirby. It was in a Nintendo Power magazine, promoting the NES game, and I knew I just had to play it. The whimsical designs were so different compared to a lot of other platformers at the time, and once Kirby Super Star rolled around, I became a fan for life. For the most part, Kirby has been good to me throughout its 20 year existence. Kirby and the Forgotten Land keeps that streak going.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: March 25, 2022
MSRP: $59.99

Kirby and the Forgotten Land keeps the same "pick up and play" simplicity of past games in the serie??s, but it also had the added ability to keep s??urprising me.

Forgotten Land's secret ingredient is that it's as relaxed or as involved as you want. Levels have hidden tasks to do so you can rescue all of the Waddle Dees (the main "collectible") in any given zone, but you don't need to do them. Worlds provide ample challenge rooms that task you with mastering individual forms (both of the copy ability and Mouthful variety), but they're optional. Going har?d on the former will open up more of the hub village (which includes shops, minigames, and such), and the latter will provide more copy ability evolutions, which level-up and alter Kirby's powers.

It's a loop I can really sink my teeth into, and adapt to. If there's a particular level I really dug, I was happy to go back and comb over every nook and cranny. If there was a location I didn't feel the need to do again immediately, I'd move on, and feel like I missed nothing. The pacing is absolutely mesmerizing, and when you add in the ability to do drop-in/drop-out co-op at any time, Kirby's your uncle.

While scurrying around the map you'll take on core levels and optional challenges, culminating in a boss fight that unlocks the next world. The formula is straight-forward, but there's a lot of layers involved at each step. That said, I’ve always appreciated the simplicity of a level based map. Galaxy 2 did this wonderfully and Kirby traditionally does t??oo, so I'm glad they kept it.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oTBOQ5rp58

The secret Waddle Dees are where things start to get more complicated. During the course?? of a level you'll typically see "???" prompts showing you that some of them are available to find, and only when you actually uncover them or finish a level will those question mark prompts reveal themselves, or provide a hint, respectively. It's a chill vibe that encourages you to seek out the road less traveled, but doesn't force you to tediously run down every path if you don't want to.

Some of them are skill-based (like "don't drive off the edge during this portion of the level where you're controlling a car"), some of them are seek and finds ("eat three snacks off tree stumps"), and others are straight-up "find this hidden area." Many of them are so well hidden you'll miss them the first run through, and I love the idea of people potentially using a guide for a Kirby game.

Hidden Waddle Dee challenges even apply to boss battles, including a time trial "finish the boss before this time" requirement, or "kill the boss with [x] copy ability." It drives the replay value up and compliments the hassle-free gameplay. These quests/missions for each stage add some depth to the otherwise straight forward foundation of the Kirby formula.

Those challenge rooms I was talking about earlier are actually called "Treasure Road Challenges," and they're timed courses centered around one power: they remind me of the Mario Sunshine FLUDD-less levels, but less intense. Because they're timed you can try and get the best possible score, and although t??here isn't much pressure to actually clear them, the "recommended" par times for b?ragging rights can get pretty tight.

The Waddle Dee Town hub is a lot more fun than I expected, and I found myself going back every few levels or so just to check it out. You can dine at the local cafe (and do a Diner Dash-esque minigame with three difficulty levels and co-op support), go watch movies in a to??wn theater, buy items to take with you at a store, challenge the colosseum, fish, collect gacha (the other main collectible)??, upgrade your copy abilities, and a few other surprises.

It feels like everything funnels into one clear path of progression, since levels innately reward Waddle ??Dees and provide you with a little extra oomph for unlocks without even trying to laboriously finish every secret challenge. Upgrading? (evolving) abilities is another huge hook. Initially I skipped over a lot of challenges, but around the second world or so I after I had started acquiring "blueprints" to unlock more copy alterations I got addicted and cleared all of the Treasure Road levels out.

Copy ability evolutions are incredibly fun to experiment with, and you can even set a "default" option for them when swallowing up enemies. In other words you don't need to worr?y about needing to find "Blade Knight B" enemies to use the second evolution of the Blade Knight: you can just swap to it in the hub town, go into a level with it, and get it back every time you swallow any form of the Blade Knight. By the game's end I had a wide array of evolution defaults that I mixed and matched.

The base copy abilities feel great mechanically, and so does the new "Mouthful Mode," which basically amounts to Kirby choking on a car or vending machine temporarily �without being able to swallow it �to use it as a temporary means of travel or attack. The car is self-explanatory, as Kirby can drive around in the specific portions of the game that Kirby and the Forgotten Land lets you use Mouthful Mode, but other ?objects let him spew projectiles that can open up walls, glide, or fit in tight spaces.

I found that at its absolute worst, it never got in the way; especially since you can use Mouthful mode and keep your original copy ability (a good quality of life choice that makes it a lot less annoying). In all it reminded me of when Yoshi would occasionalyl morph into a vehicle in Yoshi's Island or I'd pilot animal friends in Donkey Kong Country. Often times, especially in the mid-to-late game, it would lea??d to a few interesting level designs.

Again, the entire game can be played in co-op after the short tutorial, and I played roughly 50% of the game with a Waddle Dee by my side (which has a limited moveset and can't use copy abilities). It's convenient, ??optional, and if the second player dies, their life bar slowly refills and they respawn: easy. It's a perfect way to involve a family member whenever they feel like joining you, but I can't help but wish that co-op had a meatier presence. It would have been even better if there was a character select option that highlighted different playstyles, as the person controlling Kirby is constantly swapping around and doing drastically new things multiple times per level.

If you try and do everything: as in finish all the evolutions, get every gacha toy, and save every Waddle Dee, it could take up a good chunk of time. Again, it's old school in that there's a lot of stuff to do in the base game, b?ut it has a new school approach of not gating a lot of it off. Sometimes HAL and Nintendo really show up a lot of the competition with a retro mindset.

I'm an easy sell when it comes to Kirby, but Forgotten Land is easily one of my favorite entries in the series, and possibly my top game outside of Kirby Super Star (an all-time classic). I came in expecting a very serviceable Kirby adventure and got a lot more, but with those same st?raightforward and effortless virtues that past games have commanded.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Kirby and the Forgotten Land appeared first on Destructoid.

Kirby-themed concert incoming

Kirby is one of the most beloved video game mascots out there, and for good reason �he's adorable and round, his games are fun, suction-filled romps, and his music always goes hard. That's why, to celebrate the little pink blob's 30th anniversary, Nintendo is putting on an official concert later this summer.

The event will feature a "large big band-style ensemble of 35 musicians performing in a variety of genres," as well as an LED screen with a giant moving Kirby. The concert kicks off on August 11, 2022 at 18:00 (JST) at the Tokyo Garden Theater, but don't worry, it will also be streaming?? live to Kirby's official YouTube channel free of cost. It's certainly one of those events we wish we could see in person, so it's nice that they thought to open it up to those who won't be able to make it.

//twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/150343831?7349654530?t=6LJDPjDPSibzXWiYrkZ7Zg&s=19

The 30th anniversary is officially on April 27, which was the Japanese release date of Kirby's Dream Land back in 1992. We're anticipating that the concert will also feature music from the newest mainline game, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, whose re??lease date is quickly approaching o??n March 25.

30 years is a staggeringly long time for a series to be around by video game standards, and it's not even Nintendo's oldest franchise by a long shot. Kirby is younger than Donkey Kong, Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Fire Emblem, to name a few other properties that are still hanging in there after all these years.

Kirby's music has already been making headlines recently, as a big band arrangement of "Meta Knight's Revenge" from Kirby Super Star by The 8-bit Big Band was nominated for a Grammy Award last year. Tunes have become one of the most iconic parts of the Kirby brand, especially after the theme song from Kirby's Dream Land became a meme in recent years. Personally, I can't think of ?a better way to honor our favorite circular video game protagonist.

The post Ninten??do is celebrating 30 year??s of Kirby with an anniversary concert appeared first on Destructoid.

Waddle dee is the latest

If you're keen on some Kirby amiibo restocks just in time for The Forgotten Land, Amazon h?as been getting some lately in waves, s??eemingly without warning.

Those Kirby amiibo restocks include the Smash edition of King Dedede, the blue base Kirby figure (on a star), blue base Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee. While several of those are out of stock or are now above MSRP, Waddle Dee is currently available with Japanese packaging. All of these are being recirculated as a result of recent CPSIA certificates, and extend to five total amiibo reprints (the aforementioned four, and Byleth). It's possible more will shuffle in, so keep an eye o??ut and set up some alerts.

Keep in mind that this PSA mostly impacts collectors, as the amiibo gameplay functionality as it relates to The Forgotten Land is very minimal. As we discussed in our preview writeup, tapping amiibo to the NFC point will grant you bonus item?s, which you can otherwise find in-game. You can tap five figures per level, and you can't repeat the same figure until you've finished a stage.

So you can skip them! But if you don't own many amiibo yet, grabbing a Waddle Dee fo??r under MSRP at the moment isn't a bad deal, as long as your expectations are in check.

2022 confirmed Kirby amiibo reprints (and others) so far:

• Kirby (Kirby line)
• Meta Knight (Kirby line)
• King Dedede (Smash line)
• Byleth (Smash line)

The post Kirb?y amiibo restocks are popping up pe?riodically on Amazon appeared first on Destructoid.

It's just coins and power-ups

Itching to see how Kirby and the Forgotten Land amiibo functionality is handled?

Well if you were worried that it would gate off some content or be crucial in some form, you can rest easy. It's just as we expected based on the info from the official Japanese site.

The gist is that they are entirely used for menial power-up bonuses.

You can scan amiibo immediately after starting the game, ev??en in the tutorial area. All you need to do is press the "+" [start] button, then select "amiibo" ?from the menu. That pause menu can be seen above.

After selecting the amiibo option, the above screen will pop up, and it ?will ask for a confirmation prompt.

You just press the amiibo against the scan/NFC point and it??ems will pop out around Kirby.

I test??ed all of the "supported" amiibo and some random ones.

Without further ado, here is how Kirby and the Forgotten Land amiibo tapping worked out, on a figure by figure basis:

• Rosalina (as a test) - Dropped coins and fruit in an area around Kirby, that you can immediately pick up off the ground
• Meta Knight Smash line - Coins and a speed boost power-up
• Meta Knight Kirby line (blue base) - Same thing as the Meta Knight Smash amiibo
• Kirby Smash line - Coins and a life up power-up
• Kirby blue base - Same thing as the Kirby Smash amiibo
• King Dedede Smash - Coins and an attack boost power-up
• Dedede Kirby line - Same thing as the Dedede Smash amiibo
• Waddle Dee - Coins and health potion
• Qbby - Coins and fruit

A few notes:

As you can see, it's a lot like how amiibo chest drops were handled in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but with even less intensity.

There's also a temporary limit to the madness. If you try and use an amiibo twice in a row (or multiple times in the same level), the game will tell you that you need to clear a stage before you use it again. If you ??use ??five amiibo in succession, the game will also tell you that you need to clear a stage before you can use more

And that's pretty much it. If you have some figures lying around, have at it! If you don't, no ?worrie?s.

The post Here’s how Kirby and the Forgotten Land amiibo functionality works appeared first on Destructoid.

It's three levels long

"A Kirby and the Forgotten Land demo is coming to the eShop today" is just the phrase I needed to hear right now. And having played a bit of the game so fa??r, I'm happy with how it's turning out.

You'll get to see the very light and lightning-quick setup of Kirby getting whisked away to the titular Forgotten Land after being sucked into a ?black hole on his homeworld of Planet Popstar: then it's off to ?the races. Upon booting up the three-level demo (full stages with secrets in tow, and a boss fight), you're greeted with a prompt: wild mode (normal difficulty), or spring breeze mode (you get more heath, and according to a Nintendo spokesperson, you can "play through the game at your leisure").

The demo showcases Kirby and a Bandana Waddle Dee (with the classic spear), who can cooperate via two-player local co-op (Player 1 is always Kirby, and Player 2 is always Bandana Waddle Dee). While co-op technically opens up after the 10-ish minute tutorial in the core game, in the demo, you can play it immediately as Kirby enters the extremely Crash Bandicoot 1-esque beach intro zone. A N?intendo spokesperson stresses that co-op is l??ocal only, in case you were wondering.

As far as copy abilities go, the demo gives us tried and true access to powers like sword, cutter, ice, and bomb. Bandana Waddle Dee doesn't use copy abilities, and adopts mo??re of a sidekick format. It wields a spear which it can use to poke people, or fly around with a helicopter move that rains spears below it. If it dies, it comes back after a timer (which doubles as its health bar) ticks up. Just like classic Kirby games you can "share" health via bumping up against one another and high-fiving.

Kirby is the real star here of cour?se. There's a full dodge suite that players can utilize to accommodate the 3D shift, but HAL has done a fantastic job at not breaking too far from [good] tradition. There's classic boss battles where the game lets you choo??se between two copy abilities, but this time instead of shifting into a locked 2D screen, it cordons off the arena. Later on in the game, copy abilities can be evolved through the main Waddle Dee town hub (mouthful mode doesn't have the same evolution track): something I'm really eager to find out more on.

Mouthful mode, one of the main gimmicks that lets Kirby eat huge objects that take up his entire body, starts early. Yo??u have a car that can dash to get around and discover secrets through slamming into walls, and co-op makes this whole mechanic even better; as Waddle Dee rides on the back and throws spears. Sometimes mouthful mode is a formality, like eating a dome and ripping it off of a structure to uncover a secret. When Kirby drops mouthful mode (in this case, a car), the object po??ps out, and you don't lose your copy abilities when eating things: thank goodness.

The second level of the Kirby and the Forgotten Land demo opens up and starts to show people the main gameplay loop. You have five different objectives. There's a core goal of finishing a level, which saves three captured Waddle Dees. Then you have secret one??s that aren't revealed on the first run, of the "break this pipe" variety. It's a clever way to implement some form of replay value in each stage without getting too collectathon-ey. A few examples in the demo involved seeking out mouthful mode abilities to break open walls and unlock optional new areas.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B-qk4_V2jY

As a note, the demo grants "present codes" that you can use in the full version to connect online and get a few innocuous items from (think mystery gifts in Pokemon). A Nintendo spokesperson clarified that you don't need a Switch Online membership to use this feature, but you will need one in the final version to access Forgotten Land's leaderboards.

The final part of the demo showcases boss battles, which, when cleared in the full game, open new chapters. The Gorimondo gorilla boss takes place in a bigger arena, and you're constantly able to attack it and whittle down its huge health bar. It's here that you get to see the nuance of the copy abilities, as ice freeze bosses with a visual effect that impacts gameplay. Bosses also have phases, where they do an animation and gain an extra ability. I can see this getting repetitive over time, but the bosses themselves are fun, unique looking, and well animated. In true Nintendo fashion, it has that first-party polish and puts some other titles on the platform to shame. Forgotten Land sports bold and crisp colors, and the close-ups are detailed. There's still a lot of personality pres??ent with Kirby and this is definitely another example of that.

I'm not surprised that it's turning out well so far, because it's really hard to mess up a Kirby game. Stay tuned for our coverage in the future beyond the Kirby and the Forgotten Land demo.

The post Surprise! A Kirby and the Forgotten Land demo is out today with co-op, and based on what we’ve played, it’s worth checking out appeared first on Destructoid.

I hear a resounding 'good' from many of you!

In case you were wondering what Kirby and the Forgotten Land amiibo functionality would entail, we now hav?e details from the offi??cial Japanese site. And like most modern amiibo features, it's kept to a? minimum?.

Here's the very quick sentence blurb: "With every amiibo, you can get items that are useful for your adventure." That seems to be it! We have the typical "tap the figure and get a quick power-up you can normally get in-game" formula that Metroid Dread most recently used.

And here's the full Forgotten Land amiibo functionality list so far (and possibly the complete list):

• Kirby (Smash)
• Kirby (Kirby series)
• King Dedede (Smash)
• King Dedede (Kirby series)
• Meta Knight (Smash)
• Meta Knight (Kirby series)
• Waddle Dee
• Qbby

So that's eight amiibo in all, and five unique characters (Kirby, Dedede, Meta Knight, Waddle Dee, and Qbby). As a reminder, some of these are getting reprints ahead of the March worldwide launch of Forgotten Land. A few of them, Qbyy included, are not. So why Qbby? Well, it's probably included as an Easter egg given that HAL Laboratory produced the BoxBoy series.

If you were hoping for more Forgotten Land amiibo functionality, you're out of luck. But I have a feeling most people are over amiibo in general these days, so not linking a crucial feature or mode to them is probably a good idea not just now, but going forward.

The post It looks like Kirby and the Forg??otten Land amiibo functionalit??y will be kept light appeared first on Destructoid.

Nintendo kicks off the year with some big surprises

Today's Nintendo Direct has concluded, and dang, that was a pretty good Direct. From known upcoming games to comp?lete left-field reveals, it felt like it flew by at a blistering ??pace.

The company has become quite good at pulling a few surprises out for every stream, but usually a few items leak out ahead of time. There were certainly rumors around this one, same as any other, but the lineup is honestly still baffling to look at. Live A Live, Chrono Cross, Front Mission; heck, even a Wii Sports follow-up! And some of the best meme fuel in town thanks to Kirb??y's new Mouth?ful Mode.

//twitter.com/Kekeflipn??ote/status/1491539668889968651

With all that in mind, let's run down the quick list of? what got shown today.

Nintendo Direct February 2022 news recap

• Fire Emblem Warriors is back, and with a Three Houses setting in a new version called Three Hopes. It arrives on June 24, 2022.
• If you wanted more tactics than Warriors, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp arrives on April 8, 2022.
• The infinite void of No Man's Sky comes to Nintendo Switch this summer.
• Soccer is back in style for Mario sports spin-offs when Mario Strikers: Battle League hits the net on June 10.
• No firm date yet for Splatoon 3, but we did get a Summer 2022 window alongside a new trailer for this game's take on the co-op Salmon Run mode.
• The first two Front Mission games are getting remade. Giant robots? Tactics? I'm in. The first one's out this summer.
• Disney Speedstorm arrives this summer for Nintendo Switch, putting beloved Disney characters behind the wheel of their very own karts. Surely no other kart racer will show up in this Direct to steal Elsa's thunder.
• A few ports are in store: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is coming to Nintendo Switch on April 20,  Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection hits the Switch on Feb. 17, and mobile suits roll out when SD Gundam Battle Alliance hits Switch later this year.
• Chrono Cross is alive and well in 2022, and it's coming to the Nintendo Switch on April 7.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B-qk4_V2jY&t=40s

• Kirby shows off his, uh, "Mouthful Mode" that he'll get in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. The internet will never be the same. That's still set for March 25.
• MLB The Show cover star Shohei Ohtani showed up to spotlight this year's iteration, which is coming to the Switch.
• A few game collections are on the way. We already knew about Kingdom Hearts, but Klonoa and Portal are also getting Switch collections.
• Live A Live is finally coming to North America on July 22. Seriously, I'm still shocked this is happening.
• Wii Sports is back to break more televisions with Nintendo Switch Sports on April 29. There are even some more sports packed in with this version, like Soccer and Badminton.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ16-1YIRAc&t=50s

• The latest Taiko no Tatsujin game, Rhythm Festival, is coming to Switch this year. It has "Megalovania" from Undertale in it, so that's pretty rad.
• Triangle Strategy has a Prologue demo out today, and it will let you carry save data over into the full game.
• The Delicious Last Course of Cuphead hits Switch on June 30.
• Metroid Dread is getting two new difficulty modes, Dread and Rookie, later today. A Boss Rush mode is coming April.
• Both EarthBound and EarthBound: Beginnings are coming to the Nintendo Switch Online s??ervice today. Mother 3 hold-outs are still suffering.
• Next up is a sizzle reel of upcoming Switch games. Zombie Army 4: Dead War arrives April 26, GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is out today, the Demon Slayer game arrives June 10, Lego Brawls is coming in June, and Two Point Campus hits on May 17.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uZDbDoDAq4

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been an incredible seller for Nintendo, and it's finally getting an influx of new content. A ton of remastered Mario Kart courses are coming to the Switch racer, 48 in total.
• Finally, Nintendo closed the show with the reveal of Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

There was nothing new on Breath of the Wild 2, but overall, it was ??a pretty exciting Nintendo Direct. Let us know what you t?hought below!

The post Recap: Everything shown during today’s mouthful of a Nintendo Direct appeared first on Destructoid.

A new adventure through some mysterious ruins

After its leak earlier today, the new Kirby game from HAL has been officially revealed. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a 3D adventure coming to the Nintendo Switch in spring 2022.

Shown off during today's Nintendo Direct, Kirby's latest adventure is in full 3D, with the pink puffball r??oaming around a seemingly ruined world. Of course, Kirby is still doing Kirby things—sucking up enemies, absorbing powers like "Ice" and "Sword," and being an adorable and powerful ancient being.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3LAkr0ANgw

The existence of this Kirby game leaked out earlier this morning on Nintendo's site, albeit under a different moniker. Whi??le we d??on't know much more for now, this definitely looks like a cool step forward for Kirby, and I'm definitely digging the post-apocalyptic look.

Officially, lore-wise, this is a "mysterious world with abandoned structures from a past civilization—like a shopping mall," and that raises all sorts of questions. But if Kirby can survive the cataclysmic events of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, he can cut it here too.

We'll see what Kirby has in store as Nintendo puts more info out about Kirby and the Forgotten Land. 2022?? is shaping up to be quite a year for vid?eo games.

The post Kirby and the Forg??otten Land is a 3D Kirby adventure coming spring 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.