Kirby and the Forgotten Landhas finally arrived, and so far, the response has been glowing. Critics and fans seem to agree thatKirby and the Forgotten Landis a major landmark in the franchise. It sounds like HAL Laboratory’s innovations have paid off; for months, fans have looked forward to Copy Ability evolutions, Mouthful Mode, and other new mechanics, and now they seem to be living up to expectations.Kirbywas hardly on the ropes, butKirby and the Forgotten Landcould still be a rejuvenating force for the franchise, renewing interesting in old games and creating more demand for new games.
Luckily, it sounds like HAL Laboratory is paying attention to that response. In a recent edition of Nintendo’s Ask the Developer interview series, HAL Laboratory developers commented onKirby and the Forgotten Land’s design and suggested that the future is full of further innovations.HAL Laboratory’s generalKirbydirector Shinya Kumazakiexpressed interest in developingKirbygames that are even more “wild and free” than the newly released title. That’s really saying something, considering how many ideas are packed intoKirby and the Forgotten Land.It sounds like the game’s bold design could be the newKirbystandard, rather than a one-off.
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Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Impact on HAL
AsKirbygames go,Kirby and the Forgotten Landis already significantly more “wild and free” than most entries in the franchise.Kirby and the Forgotten Landfeatures a wide variety of side objectives for players to clear, such as Treasure Roads, andForgotten Land’s new 3D platforming allows players to wander more than ever before. Kirby’s own abilities have reached new heights of variety too.Every Copy Ability has powerful evolved formsthat change up the gameplay, and Kirby also has several Mouthful Modes that let him capitalize on objects in his environment. Considering just how much contentKirby and the Forgotten Landadds, making an even wilder game is a tall order.
Kumazaki’s comments are especially important because it wasn’t clear ifForgotten Land’s design was meant to set a new bar forKirbyor not. EveryKirbygame adds a new mechanic or bends a franchise staple in order to be unique, but few of these design choices becomenew core elements ofKirby.It’s rare that aKirbygame fundamentally shifts the way that the franchise plays.Kirby and the Forgotten Land,however, will apparently dictate the way that HAL develops the franchise in the near future. Positive response toForgotten Landseems to have encouraged HAL to keep experimenting aggressively, and it’s great to hear that kind of ambition from the developer of a classic franchise.
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Borrowing From Forgotten Land’s Ideas
There’s no shortage of elements that futureKirbygames could borrow fromForgotten Landin order to be wild and push boundaries. Copy Ability evolutions could return and expand in the future, incorporating Copy Abilities that didn’t make the cut inForgotten Landwhile providing additional evolutions for Fire, Sword, andForgotten Land’s other abilities. City building would also be a great mechanic to bring back. It’d be great if HAL came up with another hub with far more customization options, minigames, and amenities. Above all,Forgotten Land’s 3D platformingopens the door for all kinds of design opportunities. HAL could even consider making a fully open worldKirbygame with 3D exploration someday.
SinceKirby and the Forgotten Landis such a fresh release, it’ll probably be a long time before fans get a look at whatever’s next for the franchise. HAL Laboratory will likely take its time todevelop aKirbygameeven more loose and creative thanForgotten Land.In the meantime, though, fans can take solace in the knowledge thatKirby and the Forgotten Landhas changed the direction of the franchise for the better. This strong entry in the franchise may only be the first of many.
Kirby and the Forgotten Landis available now for Nintendo Switch.
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