Kirbyhas been a part of Nintendo’s iconography sinceKirby’s Dream Landreleased on Game Boy in 1992, and the latest entryKirby and the Forgotten Landkeeps it going strong. The game takes risks by bringing the pink puffball on his first fully 3D adventure, but retains the comfortable charm of its sidescrolling predecessors. This has paid off, asKirby and the Forgotten Landwas a huge sales successin Japan - selling 380,000 copies in just its first week.
Another wayForgotten Landcarries on the spirit of its predecessors is through the game’s dark turn. Fans are well aware of the tendency forKirbygames to start with innocuous walks through breezy fields or Kirby enjoying a nice cake, only to end with a battle against some eldritch abomination. The latest adventure is no different, butKirby and the Forgotten Land’s ending stands out due the greater context it offers Kirby’s homeworld Planet Popstar.Spoilers forKirby and the Forgotten Landahead.
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Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Overarching Narrative
As with many recent Kirby games includingTriple Deluxe,Planet Robobot, andStar Allies,Forgotten Landbegins with Kirby enjoying a calm day in the kingdom of Dream Land when Planet Popstar is thrown into chaos. Rather than an invasion by vines or an immense starship, Popstar is overcome by a portal that pulls the inhabitants of Dream Land into the titular Forgotten Land. Its ruling denizens, theBeast Pack, begin to kidnap Waddle Dees, so Kirby embarks to rescue them alongside his new companion Elfilin - helping build a settlement called Waddle Dee Town in the process.
The journey is straightforward as Kirby wanders through the remnants of a seemingly human society, reframing classic grass, ice, and beach themes using the bones of abandoned cities and amusement parks, among other set pieces. Then Elfilin is captured byKing Dedede, now a member of the Beast Pack’s Executive Council. Kirby travels to a second continent that’s more hostile and filled with “primal” enemies, only to encounter Dedede at the end of its factory-filled lava world: The Redgar Forbidden Lands.
Dedede is revealed to be acting against his will, wearing a bull mask reminiscent ofMajora’s Mask. When Kirby encounters Beast Pack leader Leongar in Lab Discovera atop a nearby volcano, it’s revealed his crew has also been brainwashed by the malicious Fecto Forgo. A jaunty tourist attraction voiceover juxtaposes the reveal of this alien entity, also named ID-F87, which has been capturing Waddle Dees to power the lab as soldiers sought Fecto Forgo’s other half: Elfilin.
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How the Battle With Fecto Elfilis Changes Kirby’s World Forever
Elfilin being tied to the game’s main villainisn’t a huge surprise, but his place as the better half of a malicious, world-threatening entity who wants to stay independent is tragic. Joined, the true alien warrior is known as Fecto Elfilis, the “ultimate life-form” capable of opening spacial portals so it can invade and conquer worlds. Somehow the original inhabitants of the Forgotten Land captured Fecto Elfilis and learned to harness its warp capabilities through experiments that also split Elfilin apart.
Before Fecto Forgo escapes containment and becomes aResident Evil-esque abominationset on reabsorbing Elfilin, it speaks to Kirby through Leongar and reveals the people who captured this ultimate life-form used its powers to build warp technology that could reach “a land of dreams.” With this phrasing highlighted, it clearly suggests the developers are referring to Dream Land - Kirby’s home.
NumerousKirbygames have touched on the malevolent entities strewn throughout its unassuming universe, from the wish-granting Nova comet that appears inKirby Super StarandPlanet Robobotto godly beings likeStar Allies' Void Terminathat has forms resembling Kirby as well as prior antagonist Dark Matter andReturn to Dream Land’s Master Crown. However, the series' lore hasn’t touched upon the origins of Popstar despite how often it collides with world-ending events.
The fact that Popstar’s inhabitants may be far-flung descendants of Forgotten Land denizens - implied to be human based on the structure of their old-world society - could lead to even bigger developments asForgotten Land’s ending reveals Elfilin can open a bridge between these two worlds. However, the existence and powers of Fecto Elfilis may also explain smaller elements of Kirby lore like Warp Stars; seen as capable of blinking its rider out of existence inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s World of Light. Fans will just have to wait and see whether future games build upon this facet of the Kirby universe.
Kirby and the Forgotten Landis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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