Players are already sinking hours into Kirby and the Forgotten Land. This new title feels like a fresh start for the Kirby franchise, bringing it into the third dimension. While the number of copy abilities and their complexity has been scaled back for this entry, the options to upgrade them and use Mouthful Modes have given players plenty to do. With the chance to also bring a friend along to experience Kirby's usual positive vibes, Kirby and the Forgotten Land feels like a step in the right direction.
Another major part of the game's appeal is the new hub town. Kirby and the Forgotten Land supplements its standard Warp Star-navigated world map with a hub for Kirby to return to called Waddle Dee Town, populated by the Waddle Dees that Kirby saves throughout his adventure. More installations will crop up in the town as Kirby funnels Dees into it, and a lot of things are unlocked for this including gachapon machines and minigames, but one of the earliest benefits is Kirby's house. This replica of Kirby's house on Planet Popstar comes with a few fun features of its own, not the least of which is the game's clever achievement system.
How Achievements Work in Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Much like other Nintendo Switch games, Kirby and the Forgotten Land does not have achievements integrated on a console level. Nintendo games often contain additional content and challenges for players wishing to go for a higher completion, but very few of them have defined achievement or trophy systems. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption had an achievement list, and Super Mario Odyssey also had an in-game list accessible after the main adventure. Kirby and the Forgotten Land has joined this rare trend with the photos in Kirby's house.
As players progress through Forgotten Land, they may notice that Kirby's back wall is slowly filling with framed pictures. These are tied to certain accomplishments, such as achieving a high score in a minigame or beating a tier of the Colosseum. They are also rewarded for certain story milestones. There are not many of them, but they do track players' progress toward 100 percent and provide a cute link between Kirby's life in the Forgotten Land and the player's own time there.
The Impact of Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Framed Pictures
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Even amid the safety of Waddle Dee Town, Kirby's house is a cozy setting. Players can have Kirby, Elfilin, and Bandana Waddle Dee sleep in, on, or around Kirby's bed with various cute poses. The house itself can also be decorated using figurines that Kirby finds on his travels. However, even in private, Kirby does not want to leave his friends behind. That's why it's a great in-character detail for Kirby to possess both a scrapbook of his past adventures and framed photos of his latest. By implementing achievements in this way, HAL Laboratory has included a diegetic way to show players' accomplishments and a bit more worldbuilding to Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
Systems like this should become common in Nintendo games. Some titles already use symbols on the file select screen to denote accomplishments, but implementing these symbols into the game would make it feel like the player received a lasting reward. Games with centralized hubs could add pictures, statues, or other environmental details to mark the player's completion. Others could include cosmetics or some other visual signifier that works in a given world. The fact of the matter is, having a visual shorthand for achievements that evokes the player's memories is a simple way to please any type of player. With side and post-game content being regular features of Kirby titles, hopefully this series will continue integrating pleasant achievement awards.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available now on Nintendo Switch.