#game-review #finishedgame2022
# Kirby and the Forgotten Land
[Console:: Nintendo Switch]
[Status:: Beaten]
[Approximate Start Date:: 2022-04-15]
[Finish Date:: 2022-10-20]
[Clear Time:: 12h 30m]
[Total Play Time:: 12h 45m]
[nReplays:: 0]
## [Rating:: 84]
It's a great first entry for 3D Kirby, there's some part of it that aren't as neat, like the gripe I have, but I can overlook them when the game is very fun!
# Playthrough Notes
Ended up playing this off and on and only a few levels at a time, as I do with most Kirby games these days. Part of that boiled down to being slightly overwhelmed with all these things I meant to collect or missed in levels, and debating whether or not I wanted to go back and get them or move onto the next level. There was also the fact that I didn't want to spend extra time on things if I could help it, since I felt like I could be doing *other things* instead of playing the game, probably some general anxiety there.
I've been really dragging my feet on finishing this one, and I think it's strictly because I want to 100% it but I don't to spend too long with it? I worry that if I stay too long replaying levels over and over immediately after I finish them that I'll get more bored.
# My Thoughts
The levels in this game are deceptively short. Whereas [[Kirby Planet Robobot]] has levels that are obviously short, only a couple screens, Forgotten Land has levels that are short, but have a lot of diversions that make the game feel longer. As someone who is easily distracted, this makes the each level feel very long and the gameplay loop notably drawn out, especially with the four hidden Waddle Dees per level, some of which are hidden behind *other* hidden items.
I wish Kirby moved faster. Or at least felt like he moved faster.
## Visual Aesthetics - Nature Reclaims Infrastructure
I really love the level aesthetics in the snow world of this game. I think the first three worlds were pretty interesting in and of themselves. The overgrown grass area, the industrial sea area, and then the abandoned amusement park all were interesting, but I really liked the snowblown city ruins that reminded me of London in the 1900s, the same way we see cases 1-4 and 2-2 in [[The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles]] and the cold Lodon air. I like it a lot. Especially as we get into the later zones in the game, I love the idea of a highway just surrounded by fire and lava, and it's such a cool scenery choice. *Burning Churning Power Plant* is easily a favorite of mine that takes clear inspiration from Kirby 64's Factory Investigation level, but now in a fire space. I love that. Also apparently the person who composed the level's music track is the same one who composed "Factory Investigation" (Jun Ishikawa)!
It's an interesting concept, this aesthetic of overgrown cities and factories and amusement parks. Man made creations being reclaimed by nature. Especially when we consider that during the pandemic that the quality of nature went up and pollution levels decreased the moment we all went indoors to hide from COVID, I feel that these designs are ominously yet amusingly accurate. I really adore this style of post-apocalyptic design and have often incorporated it into my twitch branding (see [[Why Pink is in my Twitch Branding]] for more on that.)
## GRIPE
I hate it when the levels have missions that they hide from me and only reveal after the level is over and if I miss more than one it takes a whole second playthrough without revealing them all. It's actually fucking frustrating. See [[Lack of Clear Communication of Objectives Leads to Frustration - A Gripe about Kirby and the Forgotten Land]] for more details.
## Bosses
When it comes to Combat, Kirby games have slowly but surely evolved to be complex and interesting, given the variety of ways there are for players to approach conflict. Kirby and the Forgotten Land has 10ish actual usable base Copy Abilities, but there's evolutions to each which makes fighting bosses interesting. the bosses in this game find a way to translate the Kirby combat to the 3D space quite nicely.
### Gorimondo
Gorimondo is a great first boss since he initially stays far away from Kirby while throwing projectiles.
### Tropic Woods
Tropic Woods is the new evolution of Whispy Woods, which I think is the only boss that doesn't translate very well into 3D, but I think Tropic Woods' new spins with the roots and the Grate make for aat least a moderately interesting boss fight.
#### Unrelated Thought
It would be cool to see a new 2D Kirby game boss fight with a Whispy-esque fight where Kirby is thrown way far to the left and you have to play the boss fight as if it were one giant level.
### Clawroline
Great way to make a boss that isn't attackable until the exact right moment. I'm not a fan of this kind of boss fight since it forces a lot of waiting, but this fight's at least interesting enough.
### Dedede
Excellent translation of DeDeDe into 3D. I love that he ends up using a PILLAR to attack Kirby after breaking 2/3s of his health. After the evolution of Masked Dedede to Big Hammer, to Axe in Triple Deluxe, to a Tank in [[Kirby Planet Robobot]], to giant arms in Star Allies, the pillar makes for a hugely fun new weapon to fight DeDeDe
### Sillydillo
An Actually hard boss in a Kirby game, incredible. This is the first boss where I actualy had to use the defense and dodge techniques, and once I did it became so much easier to manage these attacks in the later stages of the fight.
### Forgo Dedede
Good, but feels very much like the regular DeDeDe fight initially until he starts running around like a beast. Not sure what's up with that.
### Leongar
Cool but easy, I'll have to replay it more to develop an opinion
### Fecto Forgo
So that's why this game got the E10+ rating. Absolutely terrifying amalgamation horror akin to "The Blob" wherein Leongar's far is plastered on a cyan mass of gooey flesh crawling towards Kirby while extremely Psycho-esque music plays
### Fecto Elfilis
Excellent final boss, though it once again has that gripe of mine where it goes to a high spot where you simply are unable to attack it no matter what you do. But also the fact that this guy heals himself in a fight is actually just nuts for A Kirby game, you'd think they would have done it before. the end sequence after beating it is also spectacular, and you destroy this critter with a semitruck. Love it.
### Post-Game
We'll see if I do it? It's the common Kirby adage of getting the player to play all the levels again, but with a new objective. This is essentially the "Meta Knightmare" or "DeDeDe tour" that the previous games have had. I think it's fun, and I'm thankful that this mode at least tells you once you get all the souls in a space.
# Favorite Moments / Memories
- Hopping over the clock tower in the winter level and there actually being an achievement there. It's a really fun time getting visit level set pieces that otherwise appear in the background.
- Burning Churning Factory's music rocks. The music in this whole game rocks. Metro on Ice and Burning Churning Factory are great
- The Final Boss sequence is phenomenal, and beating Fecto Elfilis with a SEMI TRUCK is outstanding.
# What were you doing when not playing this?
- Chris and Lyndsey's wedding, playing this in the hotel in Iowa City
# Relevant Links