Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby spin-offs have been 3D before, but Forgotten Land marks the first time the main platformer series has made the jump. Its open areas and possession mechanics feel inspired by Super Mario Odyssey, and though the pink puffball doesn’t quite reach the same highs, Forgotten Land still has a lot of charm, challenge, and creativity in its DNA. The Mouthful Mode in which Kirby tries to devour things he can’t quite fit in his gaping maw and then uses them for his own goals is still one of the funniest things to be announced during a Nintendo Direct, and it’s a clever feature that riffs on Kirby’s most recognizable trait: eating people and things and using them or their defining characteristics to his own advantage. Forgotten Land is a great spin on old ideas, and I can’t wait to see the series get even more creative as it further explores a 3D design space.
