Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Kirby in BIG TIME 3D

The existence of a new Kirby title was sadly leaked one day ago. Even so, the reveal trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land during today's Nintendo Direct has gotten me far more excited about the game.

Set to release in Spring 2022, Kirby and the Forgotten Land will arrive just in time for the pink puff's 30th anniversary. I'm wondering if the game will release on Apirl 27, 2022, because that is the day Kirby's Dream Land released in Japan way back in 1992, but even if it doesn't I'm stoked regardless.

Now we've had 3D Kirby games before. Kirby Air Ride is probably the first one that comes to mind. There was also Kirby 3D Rumble as well as Kirby's Blowout Blast. But Air Ride was a racing game and 3D Rumble and Blowout Blast were mini games. Outside of all being 3D titles, none of them were mainline Kirby games. They also weren't 3D in the same grand scale as Forgotten Land appears to be.

The Forgotten land sees Kirby adventuring through what looks to be a post apocalyptic world. Cities are littered with damaged roads and collapsed buildings. Buildings that are still standing have green growing out of them like crazy. Along with familiar Kirby enemies, huge, dangerous beasts are roaming the land and seas and a couple of them look like they wouldn't mind having Kirby as an appetizer. 

The title and look of this Kirby entry reminds me of one Kirby game in particular. No doubt you Kirby diehards reading this know the one. I am of course talking about Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards on the N64. In that game you went to different planets collecting the shattered crystal pieces. Your journey took you to a desert world, a lava world and of course, and yes, an ice world, Shiver Star, which was without question the most interesting of all the worlds you explored. No ordinary ice planet, Shiver Star appears to be a frozen Earth. The geography of the planet is very much like our own Earth. There are no humans to be seen but creepy factories with all kinds of weird creatures can be found here.

Shiver Star was an unusual area for a Kirby game at the time (the game released in 2000) and this is coming from a series that unleashes some nightmarish baddies upon the player. I couldn't help but be reminded of this icey, forsaken world when I watched Kirby roam through the Forgotten Land in the reveal trailer for his newest adventure. Like Shiver Star, we didn't see a single human in the trailer. Did the all leave the planet as was the case with Shiver Star? How much time has passed since the Forgotten Land came to be known as such? What other live dwells on the planet? So many questions that I want/need answers to.

Since Kirby's Return to Dream Land released, the series has given us massive lore dumps. You might not expect that from a kid's platforming game but Kirby lore has become one of the many reasons I've adored this series throughout the years. Magalor hinting that he might know Marx, the possibility of Void Termina being a warped version of whatever species Kirby is along with that crazy cult Highness runs; every bit of Kirby lore the mainline games gives us is like coming across water in a desert and we have to chug it down. I cannot wait to see what lore Forgotten Land brings to the table.

I was reminded of another game as I watched the reveal trailer; Super Mario Odyssey. Watching Kirby run, jump and float about in this strange world, I couldn't help but think of Mario's most recent 3D sandbox outing. If the team behind Odyssey is helping with Forgotten Land, I'm all for it.

Man, spring 2022 is gonna be lit. 

And how often will we be able to roll with a squad of chics/ducklings?

Screens from Nintendo

Kirby Manga Mania is Bonkers and is Awesome Because it is Bonkers

When I heard that a Kirby manga was being translated to English speaking audicences for the first time (legally), I was thrilled. First, I didn't even know there was a Kirby manga, but given the cute cream puff's popularity, it shouldn't have been a surprise. Second, well, there is no second, so that that pretty much wraps that up.

What is Kirby Manga Mania? If you're thinking the title sounds very similar to Super Mario Manga Mania that released last year, you'd be right. Much like Super Mario-kun received a name change for it's first official English release, Kirby's second longest running manga is getting the same treatment. 

Written and illustrated by mangaka Hirokazu Hikawa, in Japan, Kirby Manga Mania is known as Hoshi no Kabyi: Dedede de Pupupu na Mongatari, or Kirby of the Stars: The Story of Dedede Who Lives in Pupupu. Knowing what the manga was called in Japan after finishing the first volume, sheds a bit more light on the stories since King Dedede has appeared in every chapter. The manga ran from April 27, 1995 to October 27, 2006, clocked in at 25 volumes. The fact that English speaking audiences are already slated to get volumes 2 and 3 is excellent news for Kirby fans such as myself. 

But man, Kirby manga! How cool would this be?! Seeing Kirby go on all kinds of crazy, world saving adventures, defeating gods like he does in the games? Well, there was none of that. The thought occurred to me that Kirby Manga Mania might be different from what I was expecting, but what I got was something else entirely. Kirby Manga Mania is, in a word, bonkers. In two words, really bonkers. In three words, really freaking bonkers.

The premise for Kirby Manga Mania can be summed up as follows: Dedede is trying to live his life and like wrecking ball, Kirby swings in and ruins everything. Being a child, Kirby is often oblivious to making Dedede's life miserable but that doesn't stop him from using his Copy ability to often make things worse. In the first story, Dedede is enjoying a picnic until Kirby descends, accidentally gets drunk (the story says Kirby is "loopy" but we all know what that means) throws a tantrum and rants to his majesty about life. That may sound too crazy and unlike Kirby to be true, but I promise you, I did not make up any of what I just wrote. All of that is a legit. 

The Kirby in Kirby Manga Mania is the biggest mischief maker we've ever seen him be. Kirby has the time of his life while Dedede is burned, smashed or crushed over and over again. You might think this makes the manga stale, but the outlandish scenarios Kirby and the gang get into manages to keep things fresh. I think my favorite story involves Kirby and Dedede getting into a fight that escalates to them each founding their own nations. Yes, you read that correctly. 

Outside of Kirby and Dedede, Poppy Bros Jr., Adeline, Rick, Coo, Kine, Gooey and other Kirby familiars show up. The art style is very round-ish, reminding me a lot of earlier manga works. 

This is very much a children's gag manga and is a wonderful contrast to the more serious, dark manga the market is rife with. But just because children are the target audience, that doesn't mean adults won't get lots of kicks out of it. I sure did and I am eagerly anticipating the next two volumes and hoping we get more.