When we first reviewed Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Nintendo Switch, we found it to be a righteous and wholesome 3D action-platformer that anyone could enjoy. It was the first fully 3D Kirby game, and its easy-going platforming gameplay and copy-ability system worked out as well as anyone could hope for.
It wasn’t exactly a perfect game. Like most Kirby titles, the breezy difficulty is aimed squarely at children, while the more challenging and interesting gameplay being reserved for the post-game. As beautiful as it looked, there was always a disappointment that it ran 30 frames per second. This was when Nintendo was consistently releasing Mario game after Mario game, running at a crisp 60 frames per second.
With a Switch 2 upgrade, can Forgotten Land be all it could be? What is the Star-Crossed World? Find out in our Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World Upgrade Pack (whew) review!
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World Upgrade Pack
Developer: HAL Laboratory, Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Release Date: August 28, 2025
Price: $79.99 / $19.99 (upgrade)
You know the deal with Forgotten Kingdom. Kirby gets transported to a post-apocalyptic world, far away from Dream Land, and goes on a quest to save the Waddle Dees. The Forgotten Land is a familiar-looking, yet deserted and vibrant, landscape of crumbling cities, overgrown malls, and abandoned amusement parks.
After meeting Elfilin, a small, flying creature who reveals that the Beast Pack is gathering Waddle Dees for a sinister purpose tied to an elderitch, otherworldly force. The core game is made of six worlds, each revealing more about the Forgotten Land’s history and its long-lost inhabitants.
The environmental storytelling, like faded signs and decayed tech, hints at a once-thriving civilization that resembles modern-day Earth, hinting at society’s gross overconsumption. This was an exceptional entry for the series and didn’t shy away from including some hidden depths simmering beneath the surface-level kid-appeal.
The Star-Crossed World campaign, included in the Switch 2 Upgrade Pack, runs parallel to the main story, starting after Natural Plains. It introduces a meteor shower threatening the Forgotten Land, with Elfilin uncovering clues about a cosmic entity, Galactal, manipulating the Beast Pack. Players get 12 additional levels that are partly remixes of certain stages, with some new areas and two new mouthful abilities.
Kirby navigates remixed stages to collect meteor fragments, thwarting Galactal’s influence while unraveling its connection to the Forgotten Land’s past. The story is your typical Kirby fare about the power of friendship and something about a galactic terror that threatens the universe. It’s lean and doesn’t have much exposition, letting vibrant visuals and brief cutscenes carry the narrative.
The climax at the final level from both campaigns, which also ties them together, reveals the origins of the Forgotten Land’s ruin and delivers a satisfying, if simple, resolution. It’s not deep, but nobody expects much from Kirby since his games are aimed at babies, but at least the epic spectacle has enough wow-factor.
The only problem with Star-Crossed World is how short it is. The meteor-themed puzzles have dazzling imagery but can feel repetitive, often reusing similar mechanics across stages. New enemies and the Galactal boss don’t significantly elevate the challenge over the base game’s Beast Pack. In most cases, “new” enemies are just old foes with new hats.
The three new Mouthful Modes are underutilized, appearing sparingly and lacking the inventive spark of the original’s transformations. Most of the stages obviously reused assets since they are meant to be remixes, but they never feel surprising. It isn’t lazy because the new stuff is as good as the core game, but can be best described as “more Forgotten Land”.
Other new additions include a much harder boss rush mode at the arena and a new set of mini-figures for Kirby to collect. Sadly, all the cutscenes are still deliberately shot with no sound effects, leading to confusion and disappointment during the beautifully shot and animated scenes.
The Star-Crossed World content can feel like a shallow addition that doesn’t earn its asking price. The real headliner is the improved image quality and frame rate. Now running at a buttery 60fps and razor-sharp 1440p resolution, complete with HDR and antialiasing that makes every ruined mall and overgrown plaza pop.
Forgotten Land was already a gorgeous-looking game, and this Switch 2 Upgrade makes it look and play even better. The Star-Crossed World campaign was a bit of wasted potential, resulting in something merely adequate, but the superb original core game remains one of the most enjoyable Kirby games of all time, which is fun to play at any age.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World Upgrade Pack was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2 using a code provided by Nintendo. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World Upgrade Pack is now available for Nintendo Switch 2.
