Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Switch 2: higher price, better performance

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a highly rated original Switch game, and it’s about to get some extra content and a 4K/60fps facelift on August 28 with Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World. However, all these bonuses come with a $30 price tag.

This is unlike the free 4K upgrades to games like Super Mario Odyssey and Pokémon: Scarlet and Violet. Instead, it’s more in line with the paid upgrades for Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and Mario Party Jamboree. The upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4 will also receive paid enhancements over the Switch versions of those titles. Other non-Nintendo titles also have paid upgrades, but those vary in price. I understand why this upgrade costs money, but I wish Nintendo had separated the DLC from the 4K facelift. I would have gladly paid for both, but for anyone who only has the base game, it would have been nice for them to get the higher resolution gameplay as well.

Even the detail and the lighting in the base game has gotten a boost.

In Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Switch 2, the first thing that immediately stands out is how crisp everything is, especially if you’re playing docked to a TV. I didn’t play the game on Switch a few years ago, so I can’t compare it directly, but I’ll say it looks fantastic now. Everything is full of charm and whimsy, and not being distracted by aliased edges is a part of why I decided to upgrade to a Switch 2 in the first place. So another game that takes advantage of the new hardware to improve an old game is always great in my books.

I’m generally not one to complain much about resolution and framerate, but the Switch 1 would sometimes show its age on a big TV. In contrast, the Switch 2 and its ability to push higher resolutions look significantly clearer, and Kirby takes advantage of everything the new console has. Picking the Switch 2 up after playing the game in docked mode, you can feel the heat that gaming at this resolution and frame rate for over an hour produces. It makes me wonder how much further Nintendo will be able to push its graphics if it’s targeting 4K as the docked resolution? Perhaps marketing the Switch 2 as a 1440p console would have been a more comfortable upgrade for gamers and provided more headroom for other graphics enhancements. All that said, in my time playing Kirby and the Forgotten Land on Switch 2, I had no dropped frames, and it locked to 60fps while looking great.

There are some significant improvements to the graphics in the new Starry Stages. These are sprinkled throughout the world map as remixes of existing levels. However, it’s much more than a new pathway through an existing level. Instead, the new Starry levels borrow assets from various stages to re-purpose them to a grander effect. This means more lights and effects, which do a lot to make this already pretty game really pop. For the most part, it’s pretty crazy how good most Nintendo games look once they run at 4K on a TV. The cartoon art styles hold up exceptionally well, especially for something like this game that’s so detailed to begin with.

Inside each one, you can smash rainbow Starflower Crystals that will open up new pathways that are often made of semi-reflective crystal. I don’t think it’s taking advantage of ray tracing since the reflections look similar in quality to the ice level from the base game. That being said, there does seem to be more reflections in the DLC. There are also increased particle effects within each one of these starry zones. Overall, it’s a beautiful presentation and a satisfying visual upgrade over the base levels.

In the game’s third world, “Wondermania,” the Starry Stage takes you across almost all of the levels using aspects of each as a sort of greatest hits. It’s incredibly fun, and as you smash the Starflowers, it moves the level from day into night, providing some fun HDR lighting to pop in the backgrounds. I’ve been impressed with each new Starry level as I come across it, and each one has a lovely spectacle to let you take in the beauty of the upgrade.

Once you beat each boss from the main storyline, you can unlock all the Starry Stages, but if you’re starting fresh like me, you’ll unlock them as you play through the main story. There are also new collectibles and more post-game content for anyone looking to spend a lot of time in the Star Crossed World.

Overall, I would have liked for there to be a few more stages in the DLC, but as someone who hasn’t played the base game, the Switch 2 title was a fantastic way to play this gem from 2022, and most of my favourite levels were from the Star Crossed World expansion. If you’re looking for a level-based 3D platformer instead of playing Donkey Kong Bananza, this great option feels right at home on the Switch 2.

The game will be released on August 28 and will cost $114 for the full package. The DLC/4K upgrade is only $30 if you own the base game.