Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Star-Crossed World Review – Short but Sweet

Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Star-Crossed World Review

Kirby and the Forgotten Land was an excellent 3D platformer for the original Switch. This upgraded version is the best edition yet, though I’m unclear about how much of an upgrade it actually is. If nothing else, the DLC, Star-Crossed World, is a delightful addition to the original game. On the other hand, if you’ve never played Forgotten Land before, the complete Switch 2 bundle might not be the best possible entry point.

If you’ve already got Forgotten Land in your library, the upgrade/DLC is a modest purchase, totally worth it. But the full bundle is another story. I’ve resigned myself to the high prices of huge AAA games like Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World. But Forgotten Land confuses me. This is a Switch game with some extra content added. If there’s a performance upgrade, or a resolution bump, I haven’t noticed it. I guess I just don’t understand why this is a Switch 2 release.

In spite of all this, Star-Crossed World is a great time. Instead of a single isolated region you have to travel to, the new content is built into the worlds we’ve already explored. The stages are new, though the environments are all familiar. Crystals burst from every surface, new enemy variants are running around, and new challenges are everywhere. Said challenges feel like organic additions to an already well-crafted world.

New Levels Look Awesome

That is to say, these stages feel like a natural extension of Forgotten Land. The new puzzles slot in perfectly, the new enemies feel natural, and the stages are growing directly out of the original maps. From a design perspective, this is an ideal way to build a DLC release into an existing game. On the other hand, these new levels are lacking a certain spark. They don’t distinguish themselves from the 2022 game enough for me.

You’re still working with the original set of powers Kirby had in Forgotten Land. So the existing abilities can be integrated more effectively into the new content, which is nice. But this also means that there’s less that’s new about this DLC. The enemies are crystallized versions of their former selves. Their behavior is slightly modified, but they’re essentially the same monsters you encountered in Forgotten Land. While it’s initially pretty exciting, Star-Crossed World starts feeling familiar fast.

Still A Great Game

Although the shine wore off faster than I would have liked, I still played a ton of Star-Crossed World. Forgotten Land is still an excellent Kirby game. I wanted more new content, but that base game has some long legs. I even found myself wrapping up post-game business I’d left behind after finishing Forgotten Land. It turns out the DLC is the perfect excuse to just play more Kirby in general. I had stages to master and copy powers to level up, after all.

This persistently compelling mindset extends to Star-Crossed World as well. You’re still incentivized to max out every stage, and it’s quite satisfying to do so. The new levels are full of their own secret goals, some of which are downright devious. Again, this DLC is perfect for anyone who’s played Forgotten Land already. Anything you neglected to finish in the base game is somehow even more tantalizing. New players will also love this game, to be clear. It’s just that the price of entry is pretty steep.

While I didn’t think there was quite enough that was new about Star-Crossed World, I still had a lot of fun. The new stages are well-crafted and full of optional goals. The new enemy designs are cool and clever. And I ended up getting sucked back into the base game. On the other hand, the Switch 2 of it all is lost on me. The game looks and performs just as it did back in 2022. I hesitate to recommend something so expensive, but the game is still a lot of fun. Returning fans won’t want to miss this one, however. Star-Crossed World is a delightful addition to an already excellent Kirby game.

***A Nintendo Switch 2 code was provided by the publisher***