What The Critics Are Saying About Kirby And The Forgotten Lands
"Kirby and the Forgotten Lands" has been hyped up as the next evolution of "Kirby" games, giving the pink ball his own "Mario Odyssey" or "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." Overall, Kirby's latest adventure seems to be a hit. Completion time for "Kirby and the Forgotten Lands" has been set in the 8 to 10-hour range, with players looking to 100% it getting closer to 15 to 20 hours. Critics had mostly compliments for Kirby's first 3D outing, and many praised the new features "Forgotten Lands" introduces.
The big new feature in "Kirby and the Forgotten Lands" is Mouthful Mode, where Kirby can take control of different objects in the environment by attempting to eat them, but not quite succeeding. This power lets Kirby control cars, vending machines, traffic cones, and more, letting Kirby take control of his dystopian environment. This is also the first time in history that Kirby had been allowed to have a gun in his own game. Here's what critics think of "Kirby and the Forgotten Lands."
Critics love Kirby's level design and ability variety
GameSpot awarded the game a 9/10, with critic Steven Petite praising the game for its well-designed levels. Petite specifically called out that levels are filled with secrets, giving players a reason to run through them again. He also praised the high variety in Kirby's abilities between Mouthful Mode and the normal copy abilities. Lastly, he complimented the game for designing side quests and missions around specific powers, offering up a reason to try something new.
GamesRadar awarded the game a 4.5/5, with critic Heather Wald also praising the excellent level design. Wald specifically enjoyed the more open levels, allowing for a bit more variety in the platforming. She also called out the Waddle Dee Village as something that was enjoyable to see grow as Kirby rescued more Waddle Dee's. Wald's biggest criticism was for the co-op mode, which she described as being tacked on, since whenever Kirby had to do something with Mouthful Mode, the second player had to just wait around.
Inverse gave "Kirby and the Forgotten Lands" an 8/10, with critic Christopher Groux writing, "Even if its level themes and puzzle elements call back to concepts longtime fans will have seen before, the execution is charming and polished to an absolute shine. The oddities of Mouthful Mode alone are well worth the price of admission." While Groux noted that there are some problems with the game — like its insistence on backtracking — it's a fun experience overall.