Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the upcoming open-world title for Nintendo Switch, now has a release date: March 25th. A spring release was expected after the game received its ERSB rating back in November.
Originally announced during a 2021 Nintendo Direct, Kirby and the Forgotten Land introduces the open-world environment to the Kirby franchise. In a press release announcing the release date, Nintendo introduced more details.
As we deduced from the trailer, the game’s setting has a post-apocalyptic vibe. Nintendo describes it as “a world in which nature and a past civilization have fused.” Kirby’s goal is to free the various Waddle Dees held captive.
To help Kirby on their quest, there are new additions to their repertoire. The Drill and Ranger copy abilities allow Kirby to attack enemies from below or perform long-distance attacks, respectively. Cooperative play is also available in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, allowing two players to join in on the action. The Bandana Waddle Dee will be available for players to join in.
As an open-world title, Kirby and the Forgotten Land will also introduce Waddle Dee Town as a centralized hub. The more Waddle Dees you rescue, the more the town will improve. Mini-games and other online features are expected as well.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an open-world Nintendo platformer add in cooperative play; Super Mario Odyssey also included it, allowing players to control both Mario and Cappy while they play together.
In honor of Kirby’s 30th anniversary, Nintendo also released a celebratory wallpaper, which you can download via their website.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is one of our most anticipated Switch games of the year. It’s a big 2022 in general for Nintendo as well. We’re excited to get a confirmed release date for Kirby and will have more to report on as we draw closer to March 25th.
In the meantime, be sure to check out the all-new trailer below!