These Nintendo Switch 2 editions of games are definitely quite the mouthful and Kirby’s the next up on the list.

If you haven’t played Kirby and the Forgotten Land before, it’s a bit of an interesting mix of Kirby absorbing creatures, powers, blocks and just about anything in sight then spitting it back out…in a post apocalyptic landscape.

It’s certainly not the conventional setting for the Pink Cloud and sees him visit scrappy old amusement arcades, shopping malls and other abandoned sights that’s now filled with hidden Waddle Dees and Kirby’s most ferocious – but dang cute looking – enemies.

Kirby will find left over drink cartons, abandoned boxes, scrap metal, and even waste bins and signs. It’s a world that’s been neglected in just about every conceivable way and Kirby is doing all he can to try and bring some joy back. In his own way. Whether that’s reuniting ducks with their mother or even eat tins of fish.

This is essentially the core experience that launched on Switch a few years back, only now it has updated frame rate, improved visual fidelity, sharper colors and some quality of life fixes. And you can grab an upgrade pack if you already own the game to see the improvements for yourself.

But the big draw of this package is indeed the Star-Crossed World expansion which is surprisingly chunky and adds a nice spin on the existing levels. So in the base game your task is to collect Waddle Dees so you can help them rebuild their own town. With the new levels you’re now collecting ‘Starries’ and these must be collected in full in order to repair a meteor that’s hurtled down to the planet and help unlock the final stage and set up an epic final battle.

There’s 120 starries in total and this stems across 12 levels, 2 in each of the game’s hubs. So if you’ve not managed to complete Forgotten Land, then in order to experience the full Star-Crossed World experience, you’ll have to complete the game, of course.

So playing both games alongside, ideally, is the preferred experience, but if you’ve already blazed through Forgotten Land, there’s probably only a few hours of content here. Forgotten Land is a surprisingly vast game in general so having this additional content added on really bolsters the depth here if you’ve never played it before.

The big difference to the base game is that in the Star-Crossed worlds, you touch Starry Flowers which magically adjust the platforms in the game and create new environments for you to reach on a timer. It’s not a drastic overhaul of the existing mechanics but it does at least provide some fun new twists on existing levels and opens them up in some interesting ways.

But most of all the levels are really striking to look at. You can see the immediate upgrade for the game now being on Switch 2 and why these levels simply wouldn’t have worked in quite the same way on previous hardware. This coming from a game that was already really push the previous hardware to its limits.

The crystalised effects on the flowers and the platforms glisten and gleam and are just full of that traditional Nintendo charm and style. Even if there’s no new bosses bar the final battle – which is a great one, to be fair, with a fantastic score and setting – you can revisited the Isolated Isle bosses which have got stronger, with new attacks in the Ultimate Cup Z EX to really make for a tougher challenge.

But the other big change of course is that Kirby has some new copy abilities. For the most part, I’ll let you discover those for yourself, but one, for example, turns Kirby into a Gear that lets him roll up walls and turbo-boost. This all accompanied by the ones already in the game, like the Kirby Vending Machine and even ones like Ranger, Fighter and Bomber.

Star-Crossed World should be considered more a slightly extended DLC pack with some additional story content that wraps up Forgotten Land and adds some new context for players who’ve been eager for hints and clues around this enigmatic series entry. And as mentioned, the final boss fight really does give the game something very special indeed for fans and for those who need further proof Nintendo are the masters of the platformer.

Of course, the performance upgrades are great on Switch 2, also. The game plays a lot more smoothly, really pops visually as it never has before and really adds to the core experience to make for one of the best Kirby releases in years.

If you’ve never played Kirby and the Forgotten Land before, this is an absolute must-have Switch 2 platformer. For those who already own it also, this is an impulse-grab expansion price that adds a few more hours of content to the game you love and makes it shine greater than ever, though perhaps a tougher ask for those who no longer have the game and are buying it anew.

Verdict

Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed Land is another fantastic upgrade on Switch 2 with stunning visuals, smooth platforming quality and vibrant colors. The Star-Crossed Land expansion is also a really solid addition to an already vast and enjoyable game, adding some new copy abilities, a challenging new boss scenario and a ton of new things to find and discover. For new players and those tempted by the low upgrade fee for the new content, this is a must own and a great way to tide your time until the bigger first party releases later this year!

Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is out now

Played on Nintendo Switch 2

Code kindly provided by Nintendo for review purposes