Back in the bygone days of 2022, Kirby and the Forgotten Land blew me away on the Nintendo Switch with its intricate 3D environments, oversized enemies, and the introduction of the inspired new Mouthful Mode. Fast-forward to August 2025, and Forgotten Land is one of the first crop of original Switch titles to get a full upgrade on the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World—available both as an all-in-one release ($79.99) and as a Switch 2 Upgrade Pack ($19.99) for those who own the Switch title—further gussies up an already beautiful experience with improved resolution and a faster framerate, not to mention some great new content.
The Star-Crossed World story kicks off after completing the Natural Plains, the initial area in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This means that first-time players can experience it as a parallel narrative, while returning fans (who’ve likely already beaten the game) can just as easily jump back into Star-Crossed World as a fresh new experience.
It all begins when a meteor crashes into the Forgotten Land. Its impact raises a menacing volcanic island, and the meteor’s scattered remnants transform the terrain and inhabitants at their landing sites with their powerful ice crystals, thus offering interesting new changes to some familiar levels and foes.
To combat the meteor’s chilling effects, Kirby (along with flying companion Elfilin) must rescue the Starries, personifications of those scattered star fragments, hidden throughout these frosty stages. Previously inaccessible areas, like the floor of a now frozen ocean, can be explored, with additional paths opening up as Kirby breaks crystals in his trek across these transformed Forgotten World locales.
Not only have the members of the Beast Pack been upgraded with icy might, but new mini-bosses appear intent on preventing Kirby from collecting the Starries needed to breach the volcanic island. Thankfully, three new Mouthful Modes are also included to aid our pink puffball on his precarious journey across these Starry Stages.
Spring Mouth allows Kirby to high jump to faraway platforms and to smash enemies and broken terrain. Gear Mouth augments Kirby with a new climbing ability, letting him roll vertically across surfaces to achieve similar heights. My personal favorite, Sign Mouth, opens up various downhill racecourses while also equipping our hero with an enemy-crushing spin attack and a dynamic new glide-jump.
All that said, Star-Crossed World knows better than to try to fix what was never broken. The core tenets of Kirby and Forgotten Land remain unchanged; you’ll still collect Starry Coins (used to acquire cool new collectable figures), gobble down life-restoring food and helpful copy abilities, and complete in-stage missions to be rewarded with even more valuable Starries. In short, it supplements an already outstanding Kirby adventure, adding in some enjoyable new variations without upsetting the game’s delicate balance.
With its 12 Starry Stages scattered throughout the various areas of the Forgotten Land—as well as those additional collectables and the challenging Ultimate Cup Z EX available at the Waddle Dee Town Colosseum—Star-Crossed World does a nice job of spreading its exclusive content around throughout this lively game world.
Admittedly, it’s fairly easy for a returning player to plow through the Star-Crossed World story in just a few hours, if one were so motivated, but this both does a great disservice to the intricacies inherent in Kirby and the Forgotten Land‘s overall design and neglects the consummate completionists in our midst. Still, I do rather envy those who get to experience the totality of the expanded game, in all its Switch 2 glory, for the very first time.
The bottom line, though, is that there’s no wrong way to approach this particular title. The added Star-Crossed World content should help ease a bit of the sticker shock for those picking up the retail release, and for the old heads, I’m confident you’ll get well more than twenty bucks’ worth of enjoyment from the Upgrade Pack.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World will hit retail shelves this Thursday, August 28. You’ll also be able to download the full release and the Upgrade Pack via the Nintendo eShop on the same day.
Review materials provided by Nintendo of America. This post contains affiliate links. The Ranger copy ability still slaps!
Fonte: GeekDad - Leia mais