Kirby and the Forgotten Land facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kirby and the Forgotten Land |
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| Developer(s) | HAL Laboratory |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Designer(s) | Yuki Endo |
| Programmer(s) |
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| Artist(s) | Riki Fuhrmann |
| Writer(s) | Shinya Kumazaki |
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| Series | Kirby |
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| Release date(s) | Nintendo Switch
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| Genre(s) | Action, platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (also known as Hoshi no Kābī Disukabarī in Japan, meaning "Kirby of the Stars: Discovery") is an exciting action-platform game released in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch. It was created by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. This game is a big step for the Kirby series because it's the first main game to feature full 3D gameplay!
In this adventure, players control Kirby as he explores a mysterious "forgotten land." His main mission is to rescue the Waddle Dees who have been captured by a group of creatures called the Beast Pack. To succeed, Kirby uses his famous copy abilities to battle enemies and overcome challenges in each level.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land was very popular with game critics. They loved its colorful graphics, clever level designs, fun gameplay, and catchy music. Many even called it one of the best games in the Kirby series! It was also a huge success, selling over 7.52 million copies by March 2024. This makes it the best-selling game in the series and one of the most popular games on the Nintendo Switch.
An improved version of the game, called Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, was released for the Nintendo Switch 2 on August 28, 2025. This edition offers better performance and includes a brand-new story adventure called Star-Crossed World.
Contents
Discovering the Forgotten Land
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first main game in the series where you can move Kirby freely in a 3D world. Your goal in each stage is to guide Kirby through different areas to save the captured Waddle Dees.
Exploring the World
Just like in other Kirby games, Kirby can jump, slide, and inhale enemies or objects. He can then spit them out as projectiles or swallow them to gain special copy abilities. This game introduces two new copy abilities: Drill and Ranger.
A super cool new feature is "Mouthful Mode." In this mode, Kirby can swallow much larger objects, like cars or vending machines, and control them! This lets him solve puzzles and move around in unique ways. If you want to play with a friend, a second player can join in as Bandana Waddle Dee, who uses a spear to attack.
Powering Up Kirby
You can make Kirby's copy abilities even stronger at Waddle Dee's Weapons Shop in Waddle Dee Town. Upgrading abilities gives them more power and new attacks. To upgrade, Kirby needs special "Rare Stones" and a "Blueprint" for the upgrade. You can find Rare Stones by completing special "Treasure Road" levels. Blueprints are hidden within the main levels. After finishing the main story, you can use Rare Stones to boost your copy abilities even further, making them deal more damage.
Waddle Dee Town: Your Home Base
The main goal of each stage is to rescue Waddle Dees. You'll find them trapped in cages or by completing specific challenges in each level. Once rescued, they return to Waddle Dee Town, which is your central hub in the game.
As you rescue more Waddle Dees, the town grows bigger and unlocks fun mini-games. You can even compete with other players online for high scores! These mini-games include fishing, working at the Waddle Dee Café, and a puzzle game similar to Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble. The game also supports Amiibo figures, which can give you helpful items.
The Story of Kirby's Adventure
One day, a mysterious portal opens over Planet Popstar, pulling Kirby and many other things into a new, unknown world. Kirby finds himself in a land filled with ancient ruins. He soon discovers that the Waddle Dees from Dream Land have been captured by the local wildlife, known as the Beast Pack.
The Mystery of the Beast Pack
Kirby finds a damaged Waddle Dee Town and meets a small, chinchilla-like creature named Elfilin. Elfilin explains that he and the Waddle Dees tried to fight back but were overwhelmed. Kirby bravely offers to help Elfilin rescue the missing Waddle Dees, and their adventure begins! (Sometimes, Bandana Waddle Dee joins them too.)
As Kirby and Elfilin travel through this new world, they rescue Waddle Dees and defeat important members of the Beast Pack. They also notice that King Dedede is acting strangely and seems to be helping the Beast Pack. After Kirby battles Dedede, he realizes Dedede is wearing a strange mask that is controlling him. Kirby frees Dedede from this control.
Unraveling the Ancient Secrets
Kirby then heads to the Beast Pack's main base, Lab Discovera, to find Elfilin. Inside, old recordings explain that a powerful alien creature, called ID-F86, was once studied there. This creature could open portals to other places. Many years ago, ID-F86 accidentally split into two parts during an experiment. One part, Elfilin, escaped. The other part, Fecto Forgo, was kept safely contained in the lab.
Kirby meets Leongar, the leader of the Beast Pack, who is holding Elfilin. Leongar explains that he wanted to use Fecto Forgo's power to travel to a "land of dreams" by bringing it back together with Elfilin. After Kirby defeats Leongar, Fecto Forgo awakens. It reveals that it had been controlling Leongar and the Beast Pack all along! Fecto Forgo also opened the portal to Dream Land, used the Beast Pack to control King Dedede, and captured the Waddle Dees to help with its plans.
Fecto Forgo breaks free and absorbs Leongar and the Beast Pack to chase Elfilin. When it captures Elfilin, the two combine into their original, powerful form: Fecto Elfilis. Kirby manages to weaken Fecto Elfilis enough to free Elfilin. However, Fecto Elfilis creates a huge portal, threatening to crash the new world into Popstar! Kirby bravely defeats Fecto Elfilis by ramming a large truck into it.
Kirby and Elfilin find themselves back in Dream Land, but the portal is still open. Elfilin uses all his power to seal the portal between the two worlds, leaving Kirby behind. The game's credits show that Elfilin can eventually open his own small portals to Popstar, and the inhabitants of both worlds become friends.
Later, a remnant of Fecto Forgo's power creates a strange dream world called Forgo Dreams, filled with shadowy figures. Clawroline, a member of the Beast Pack and a friend of Leongar, finds a way into this dimension. Kirby and Elfilin enter Forgo Dreams to rescue Leongar, who is being influenced by this power. Kirby defeats the influenced Leongar, separating the power from him. Before it can cause more trouble, a mysterious butterfly appears, absorbs this power, and transforms into a powerful warrior called Morpho Knight. Kirby defeats Morpho Knight, and Leongar is finally free. The remaining power then vanishes.
After these events, a mysterious portal opens in Waddle Dee Town's colosseum. In an optional challenge, Kirby battles many powerful enemies from Forgo Dreams. He then faces a new, powerful form called Chaos Elfilis. Kirby defeats Chaos Elfilis in a final battle. A small part of the defeated creature then approaches Elfilin. He accepts it, making his two halves finally complete and whole.
The Star-Crossed World Adventure
In the Star-Crossed World story, a meteor appears and breaks into several pieces, with its main part crashing into the ocean, forming a volcanic island. Kirby investigates and meets Astronomer Waddle Dee, who explains that the meteor, called the Star of Darkness, holds a powerful, dangerous creature that was sealed away. Kirby travels across the new world to gather "Stars of Light," which are spirit-like creatures known as Starries, to rebuild the seal. Meanwhile, the meteor's fragments cause strange crystal formations and make the Beast Pack even stronger.
After Kirby gathers the Starries, the Star of Darkness breaks free and absorbs them. It reveals itself to be Fecto Elfilis' older brother, Genwel Meteonelfilis. Kirby defeats this creature and seals it away again. The Starries then carry the meteor back into space.
How the Game Was Made
HAL Laboratory started hinting at a new Kirby game in 2020. The game's director, Shinya Kumazaki, said it would be a "new phase" for the series, bringing together the best parts of Kirby.
Bringing Kirby to 3D
Game director Tatsuya Kamiyama explained that the team wanted to make the game easy to play, even with the big change to 3D. Making a 3D Kirby game was very challenging. HAL Laboratory had tried many times before, even back in the 2000s, but faced difficulties. Kamiyama created a detailed plan that solved these problems, covering everything from character design to gameplay. This finally allowed them to start making a 3D Kirby game. Another company, Vanpool, also helped with the game's development.
Game Testing and Design Choices
Early on, people testing the game at Nintendo felt that the wide 3D areas made it too easy to avoid enemy attacks. They suggested adding more enemies. However, HAL Laboratory decided against this. They wanted players to explore the game world peacefully without feeling overwhelmed. To help with judging distances in 3D, the game was designed so that if Kirby's attack looked like it hit an enemy, it would count as a hit, even if it wasn't perfectly precise.
Announcing the Adventure
A month before a big Nintendo event in September 2021, the official Kirby website updated with some placeholder text, hinting that a new game was coming. The game was officially revealed during a Nintendo Direct on September 23, 2021, though it was briefly shown on Nintendo's website a few hours earlier by mistake. A second, more detailed trailer was released on January 12, 2022. This trailer announced more game features and the release date of March 25, 2022. A free demo was made available on March 3, 2022, letting players try the game before it launched.
In April 2025, an enhanced version of the game, Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World, was announced for the Nintendo Switch 2. This Switch 2 Edition offers improved performance and includes the extra story campaign, Star-Crossed World. This version was released on August 28, 2025.
Images for kids
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Shinya Kumazaki, one of the game's directors, speaking at a conference.
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Tatsuya Kamiyama, another director, discussing the game's development.
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