Kirby's Star-Crossed World: A Bite-Sized Treat or Just a Flashy Snack?
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Kirby's Star-Crossed World DLC offers a delightful, albeit brief, return to Forgotten Land with clever new stages and Mouthful Modes, but don't expect a massive expansion or a game-changing 'Switch 2 Edition' upgrade – it's more of a tasty snack than a full feast.
Right, so Nintendo’s at it again, mate, serving up another one of those 'game + add-on' concoctions. This time, our favourite pink puffball, Kirby, is in the spotlight with *Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World*. You know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit *too* well, or perhaps not quite as spectacularly as the arcane marketing scroll promised? Yeah, that’s kinda where we land. I’ve been tinkering with this story, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared, yet strangely familiar.
Nintendo’s track record with these bundles has been a right mixed bag. Remember *Super Mario 3D World* jumping to Switch with *Bowser’s Fury*? Practically a whole new game, a wizard's bargain! Then *Super Mario Party* on Switch 2 with *Jamboree TV* – simultaneously the same, yet totally different in odd ways. It’s like they're rolling a D20 on how much new content they’ll chuck in. So, when Kirby’s turn came, a curious gamer wondered: what magical mischief have they brewed up this time?
Let’s get the un-magical business talk out of the way first. The 'Star-Crossed World' add-on is bundled with the 'Nintendo Switch 2 Edition' of *Kirby and the Forgotten Land*. You either shell out $20 to upgrade your existing Switch 1 version (with 'inessential performance improvements'), or buy the Switch 2 version fresh for $80. You *could* buy the Switch 1 for $60 and skip the content, missing those shiny boosts. Here's the rub: because those 'enhancements' aren’t exactly mind-blowing – more like finding a slightly less blurry pixel – this feels less like a grand 'Switch 2 Edition' and much more like a traditional, modest DLC pack. It's like calling a polished broomstick a 'next-gen flight upgrade.' It flies, sure, but it's still just a broom.
Now, for the *actual* juicy bit: Star-Crossed World itself. The original *Kirby and the Forgotten Land* was, and still is, a cracker of a game – a truly delightful 3D platformer (as noted by Tom Marks’ original review). This DLC, thankfully, weaves itself nicely into that existing adventure. Finish the first world (or load your save), and *boom* – a mysterious meteor crashes, scattering blue crystals and kicking off a new quest. The story? Oh, it’s predictably thin, mate. A Waddle Dee in a cool beret sends you off to collect 'Starries' to reseal an evil, existence-ending being. Just another Tuesday for Kirby. The *real* magic, however, lies in the gameplay.
Practically, that means 12 new 'Starry Stages' sprinkled across the base game's six worlds – two in each, like little hidden gems. I was initially worried they'd just be lazy remixes, but my digital tea leaves tell me otherwise; they’re almost entirely new areas! When you revisit familiar spots, it’s more of an entertaining nod than a cheap rehash. They've chucked in new enemies, fresh challenges, and even awesome background tunes. There aren’t really any misses across these dozen dungeons, with clever twists on existing mechanics and plenty of interesting new ones to tease your brain – one had me frantically hopping between platforms coming *towards* the screen, a delightful bit of controlled chaos.
And speaking of delightful chaos, three new Mouthful Mode transformations! There's a spring to bounce sky-high, a gear for rolling along walls, and a sign that turns Kirby into a high-speed sled. All used to great effect, opening up genuinely clever new puzzle ideas. I particularly liked launching myself as the gear between separated wall sections – a surprising touch of mechanical nuance. Even some existing transformations, which I thought had seen better days (looking at you, stairs!), are revisited in smart, unexpected ways. Clearly, the devs kept those mechanics feeling fresh.
Now, before we get too swept away, let’s talk about what Star-Crossed World *doesn’t* do. This is where the 'gentle skepticism' knob turns up a notch. While the new stages are top-notch, it took me about three hours to blaze through them. For an 'expansion,' that feels a tad slight, doesn't it? No new boss fights, which is a bummer. And remember the Treasure Road bonus stages? None for the new Mouthful options here. Your Waddle Dee village remains largely unchanged. Plus, the new star-based currency? Its only use is unlocking gacha figurines. Cool, but quickly uninteresting, like a scroll only teaching juggling.
Another minor grumble: returning to this DLC with a maxed-out Kirby can make some beefed-up enemies too easy to shred. There’s a fun new recurring miniboss – but a charged-up attack from a fully upgraded copy ability can trivialise that otherwise interesting encounter right from the jump. It takes a bit of the challenge away, which is a shame, because the new stages *do* offer more bite than the base game overall.
As for the 'Nintendo Switch 2 Edition' changes? Don't expect a world-shattering visual upgrade. You might notice NPCs in the distance no longer performing a comically low-frame-rate dance (a welcome, if minor, fix). Sure, higher FPS and resolution are nice, but *Forgotten Land* was already stylised, without glaring performance issues some other Switch 1 titles had. So, the ceiling for how much better it *could* look without a full-blown overhaul was never particularly high. It's an improvement, yes, but not the kind that'll make you gasp like you've just seen a dragon riding a unicycle.
So, where does that leave us, fellow adventurers? *Kirby and the Forgotten Land* is still a brilliant platformer. And the *Star-Crossed World* DLC, bundled with its 'Switch 2 Edition,' certainly adds a handful of amusing and cleverly designed new levels. With cool new enemies, funny and inventive Mouthful Mode transformations, and brain-teasing ideas, its 12 stages easily land in the top half of the heap. But with little beyond that – no new bosses, no Treasure Roads, a short playtime – it comes across less like a proper expansion and more like a high-quality level pack designed to invite you back for a weekend of delightful, albeit brief, pink puffball antics. It’s fun enough to recommend if you've been *dying* for more *Forgotten Land*, but it won't irresistibly suck you in like one of Kirby’s legendary mouthfuls. Consider it a well-brewed, potent, but ultimately small, potion of extra fun.
--- **Attribution:** This article was inspired by and repurposes content from a review originally published by IGN South Africa.
Tags: Nintendo Switch, Kirby, DLC Review, Platformer, Gaming News
Original article: IGN South Africa