Bloody Hell, Kirby's Back (and Moving On): The Forgotten Land's Star-Crossed Sendoff on Switch 2
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
The *Star-Crossed World* DLC for *Kirby and the Forgotten Land* on the new Switch 2 offers a delightful, performance-boosted return to the beloved platformer, acting as a perfect 'closure' that reminds us why Kirby's true superpower is constant transformation, not just 'more of the same'. It’s a celebratory sendoff that leaves us both satisfied and excited for the series' next big pivot.
Right, so you know that feeling when you're utterly chuffed with a game, right? The kind where every level is a little burst of sunshine, and you just want to bottle that feeling forever? That's how a lot of us felt about *Kirby and the Forgotten Land*. A proper masterpiece, that one. And now, mate, it's getting a sendoff that's wilder than a rogue spell in a wizard's tower, all thanks to the shiny new Switch 2 and its frankly *tantalizing* performance boost.
I’ve been tinkering with this story all morning, diving into the details of the *Star-Crossed World* upgrade, and bloody hell, it’s far more interesting than just a simple DLC drop. For many, including myself, *Forgotten Land* was an absolute beacon of pure, unadulterated joy back in 2022. It was a time when the world outside felt a bit… squiffy, to say the least, and then along came Kirby, an adorable pink vacuum cleaner of pure happiness, sucking up cars and vending machines with nary a care. You just didn’t want it to end, did you? You rescued every Waddle Dee, collected every figurine, and still had room for more, dreaming of a sequel that just gave us *more* of the same glorious platforming rather than the usual Kirby series pivot. For once, we secretly wished Kirby would just… stop transforming.
Well, *Star-Crossed World* grants that very wish, and then some. This isn't just a bit of extra content; it’s bundled with a performance-boosting upgrade for the base game on the Switch 2. Talk about a warm welcome to new hardware! The DLC itself delivers exactly what fans loved: 12 new levels, three additional Mouthful forms – because who doesn't want to swallow more inanimate objects? – an ultra-challenging boss rush mode that’ll test even the most seasoned Kirby veteran, and a fresh batch of figurines to collect. It’s a tidy little package, crafted for those of us who weren’t quite ready to wave goodbye to our post-apocalyptic, yet strangely cheerful, adventure.
Now, about this new story content. A mysterious meteor, all sparkly and crystal-y, crashes right into the overworld’s ocean. Naturally, crystal chunks and new little beings called Starrys spill out. Who else but Kirby to step up and do what he does best: rescue weird little guys and, you guessed it, swallow things that were never, ever designed to go inside a mouth. It’s a light, whimsical setup that quickly escalates to the kind of gloriously bonkers absurdity we expect from Kirby by the end. It's less about a grand new narrative and more about just getting us back into that warm, fuzzy, platforming loop that made the main game so enchanting.
The added levels, while technically new, are more like brilliant remixes of *Forgotten Land*’s best stages. We're talking familiar playgrounds like the abandoned shopping mall and the amusement park, but they’ve been twisted just enough to feel fresh. Crystal flowers now sprout in these areas, and touching them creates dazzling blue pathways, guiding Kirby down entirely new platforming routes. It’s an enchanting visual magic trick, really, showcasing the Switch 2’s tech in a subtle but effective way. While it’s not a game-changing mechanic that reinvents the wheel, it reinforces the idea that *Star-Crossed World* isn’t here to innovate; it's here to put a perfectly tied bow on an already gorgeous gift.
The breezy adventure hasn’t fundamentally changed, mind. You’re still solving environmental puzzles by picking the right copy ability and sniffing out hidden Starrys. The new Mouthful Mode forms – a wall-climbing gear, a high-jumping spring, and a sandwich board that lets you race down hills – feel like natural extensions rather than groundbreaking shake-ups. They fit right in, proving there was still a bit more juice to squeeze from that wonderfully absurd mechanic. Honestly, one of the most memorable moments for me in this DLC came from an old staple: juggling a set of stairs in and out of Kirby's mouth to navigate a conveyor belt obstacle course. These moments create brilliant logic puzzles, testing your knack for knowing when to use an object as intended, and when to simply *inhale* it.
But here’s the rub, mate. While it’s an absolute pleasure to return to this platforming loop, *Star-Crossed World* has a subtle, almost philosophical lesson embedded within its cheerful levels: it helps you understand why the series *can’t* stay like this forever. The true joy of every Kirby game stems from surprising discoveries. What happens when you suck up a tire? What about a vending machine? Kirby games are a delightful series of setups and punchlines, and *Forgotten Land* worked so well because it was jam-packed with them. But like any good joke, the comedic edge starts to dull the more times you tell it. The charm begins to wear thin once the adventure stops giving you genuinely new forms to play with – a point at which nearly every Kirby game, surprisingly, loses a bit of its momentum. Even across its focused four hours, *Star-Crossed World* inevitably bumps into this hurdle midway through, repeating new and existing ideas. It's a gentle reminder that transformation isn't just a cool party trick for Kirby; it's the very superpower that makes him special. Without it, he's just a squishy ball of tofu, completely outmatched by the eldritch horrors that often lurk at the end of these deceptively cute adventures. (And yes, *Star-Crossed World* does contain some truly brutal challenges, especially in its new boss rush mode, so don’t underestimate the tofu ball.)
Perhaps the developers feel this too. Reinvention is at the core of Kirby’s ethos, and each new game perfectly reflects it. That willingness to completely transform, rather than simply coast on safe, iterative sequels, is precisely how we ended up with the genius that was *Forgotten Land* in the first place. As much as I loved revisiting the Forgotten Land – especially seeing its vibrant landscapes smoother and brighter than ever on the Switch 2 – I'm genuinely ready to move on this time. I've accepted that new Mouthful forms, as fun as they are, can only push that puzzle platforming hook so far. For the series to keep surprising us, to keep blowing our minds with its imaginative pivots, it absolutely needs to transform instead of sticking to one specific format.
So, think of *Star-Crossed World* as the perfect dollop of whipped cream on top of an already rich dessert. It’s meant to be a delightful top-off, leaving you perfectly full and satisfied without pushing you over the edge into bellyache territory. Savor that heavenly taste, mate, but don’t let it turn into a craving. It’s a wonderful farewell, setting the stage for whatever magical, reality-bending adventure Kirby decides to suck up next.
Tags: Kirby, Nintendo Switch 2, DLC, Platformer, Game Review
Original article: Polygon