Is Kirby and the Forgotten Land a 2D or 3D game?

A new Kirby game called Kirby and the Forgotten Land is coming out on the Nintendo Switch in Spring 2022. The game has beautiful colors, the Kirby power-ups we know and love, and plenty of new places to explore. That said, while the assets are three-dimensional, what is the actual gameplay going to look like? Kirby has almost always been a 2D platformer game. But no more. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the first game in the Kirby franchise to be a full 3D open-world style game.

This will be the first time since the beloved classic Kirby Air Ride for the Nintendo GameCube that Kirby is going to be freely running, floating, and exploring in every direction. Most Kirby games, even the ones with 3D characters and worlds, tended to have 2D gameplay. Kirby and the Crystal Shards for the Nintendo 64 started this trend in 2000, only to be briefly broken by Kirby Air Ride in 2003.

After that, the 2D gameplay seemed to be the only option for Kirby, even in other games that feature the loveable pink puff, such as Super Smash Brothers. Having Kirby be able to explore a full game in 3D, on foot, is unheard of for the franchise. It goes way beyond what Kirby Air Ride, as a racing game, dabbled in.

We couldn’t be more excited to eventually get our hands on this title, and explore the world of Kirby in a whole new way. Kirby and the Forgotten Land will be available physically or through the Nintendo eShop Spring 2022.