Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the next mainline game for Nintendo’s cute pink puffball, will release on March 25.
The release date comes alongside a new trailer showing the game’s sugary post-apocalyptic world, some of Kirby's new abilities, many familiar characters, and the game’s two-player co-op mode in action.
Of particular note is the new Drill ability, which lets Kirby submerge into the ground to attack enemies from below, and the Ranger ability, which has Kirby attack enemies from a distance. Alongside that, the trailer gives glimpses of the ‘Forgotten Land’ hub area and some of the minigames you’ll be able to play in it, such as fishing or tending shop.
A second player can also join as sidekick Bandana Waddle Dee, who comes equipped with a spear and gets quite a bit of attention in the new trailer.
Watch it in full below.
Analysis: a Kirby for all occasions
We knew Kirby and the Forgotten Land would be rearing its head sometime in Spring 2022 (that's between March and June), although many expected an April release date to align with the 30th anniversary of the series. A March release date is fine by us, though. After all, it’s been nearly four years since the franchise’s last mainline release, with Kirby Star Allies launching back in 2018.
This upcoming title should squeeze some fresh juice into the character, too. Not only will Forgotten Land be an open-world adventure, but it’s also the first Kirby game to be fully 3D. That extra physical dimension should hopefully add a new twist to the mascot’s platforming and puzzling, too.
Maybe the weirdest, and most enticing aspect of the upcoming game is its setting. In Kirby's post-apocalyptic world, you won’t find any zombies or nuclear fallout here, but instead overgrown shopping malls and appropriately cute critters to inhale.
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