Among the numerous pleasant surprises added to the Switch library over the years, Kirby and the Forgotten Land has to be up there among the most memorable.
Nobody could have predicted that Kirby would finally get to star in a full 3D adventure, least of all that it would end up being one of the most enjoyable Kirby titles ever (not to mention the best-selling).
The only real complaints people aimed at the game were that it was a tiny bit on the short side, and didn’t deliver the same slick and smooth performance expected by Nintendo Switch 2 [504 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/platforms/nintendo/nintendo-switch-2/”>Nintendo Switch 2 Edition aims to fix both of these issues in one fell swoop, delivering extra content and improved performance. It’ll cost you an extra $20 for the privilege, mind you, but it’s just about worth it.
First and foremost, much like the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [292 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/games/the-legend-of-zelda-series/the-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild/”>The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom,
If you haven’t played Forgotten Land since its original release you’d be forgiven for not noticing much of a difference, but I played it again for a while before receiving the Switch 2 upgrade and with the original fresh in my mind it’s an obvious improvement.
Far more noticeable is the boost from 30 frames per second to 60. Kirby and the Forgotten Land isn’t the fastest game in the world so the fact it originally ran at 30fps wasn’t a complete game-breaker, but there were a few fast-paced sections where an improved frame rate would have really helped.
By shifting everything up to 60fps, the game doesn’t just feel a lot slicker and more polished as a result, but those faster sections – like the Kirby Car time trials or the rollercoaster section – play a lot better with more responsive controls and a better chance to react quickly to oncoming items and obstacles.
As welcome as the performance boost is, the main event here – and the thing that makes Kirby and the Forgotten Land a $20 upgrade instead of a free one like 
It may be lazy to say it, but there really isn’t a better way of describing these stages as “more of the same”. While there are a few new Mouthful Modes – the comedy power-ups that see Kirby enveloping himself over a giant item and using its properties – they don’t transform the game any more than the existing 14 already do, they’re just a few extra ideas on top of what’s already there.
To be clear, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is already a brilliant game, so an extra 12 stages (not to mention a few other little secrets that we won’t spoil) can only be welcomed. But anyone hoping that the addition of Star-Crossed World to the game’s title means it’s a similarly original, standalone mode like Bowser’s Fury was will be disappointed to find it’s little more than a level pack, albeit a fun one.
To be fair, Bowser’s Fury was a different situation because the 5.9 million players who already owned the
