Kirby and the Forgotten Land was so lovely and adorable until I approached the final few worlds and was greeted by the literal gates of hell. This is the same cycle for most Nintendo platformers, and has been for decades. You begin the game in luscious green fields where the basic mechanics are learned, before moving to harsh deserts, gorgeous snowy vistas, and perhaps a couple of original ideas squeezed in for a treat, then you end up in the lava. Kirby is no exception, and its overly formulaic approach might be its biggest downfall. Yet it’s still pretty great.
Granted, much of the game has Kirby trouncing through the apocalypse, but there was a loving warmth to the abandoned ruins and overturned cars, offering so many cool ways to find new collectibles and do away with enemies. The first time I sucked up a car and drove it around like some sort of sentient poltergeist was a joy, and this deserted world didn’t stand a chance against the pink menace. It is the character’s first true foray into 3D, and seeing all his staples come to life in a new dimension is so rewarding, albeit a little too predictable in how it all unfolds. I hoped for the final worlds to wow me, but instead I was underwhelmed.
Lava levels are positioned near the game’s end, so their rather unflattering scenery is complemented by a sharp rise in difficulty that doesn’t make navigating them all that fun. I’m asked to dig beneath the ground and avoid dodgy pools of lava, all while making sure meteors crashing down from above don’t flatten me into a pinkish pancake. There’s some creative puzzle design and a few worthwhile secrets to be found, but there has to be a more interesting way to express a villainous threat beyond fire and brimstone all over the shop.
Bowser has been trading on this nonsense for years, and even Super Mario Odyssey can’t resist a flaming castle or two before the credits roll. 3D World - the game which Forgotten Land takes the most inspiration from - has a handful of overly finicky lava levels with dramatic music that, at least compared to its more imaginative flourishes, just aren’t that fun. It often feels like game designers and artists are merely filling an archetype because it’s necessary, instead of thinking outside the box about how villainy can be expressed.
Kirby has some great ideas, such as entire levels set within haunted facilities without light, where the only way forward is to turn into a light bulb and flicker occasional pockets of light before you. Abandoned shopping malls and theme parks are inspired settings for a platformer, but much too often this game falls back on old habits and suffers for it. My chief complaint here can be applied to the entire genre though, and my eyes never fail to roll when I’m forced to work my way through five or more levels that all basically look and feel the same. It’s time to cancel lava.