Kirby and the Forgotten Land seems to make a lot of positive changes to the franchise so far. Mouthful Mode adds some interesting new ways for Kirby to take advantage of the environment, while Copy Ability upgrades and Waddle Dee Town amenities look like fun ways to reward players for progressing through the game. At the same time, Kirby and the Forgotten Land clearly doesn't forget to make use of Kirby fundamentals. Kirby and the Forgotten Land still makes room for co-op multiplayer, with HAL Laboratory bringing fan favorite Bandana Waddle Dee back to help Kirby fight the Beast Pack.
Bandana Waddle Dee has charmed fans ever since he rose to prominence in multiplayer-focused games like Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and it's great to see him return as a playable character during Kirby's big step into a 3D world. Forgotten Land shouldn't just include the old alongside the new, though; old Kirby features ought to blend with Forgotten Land's new ideas in order to make both shine. Specifically, Bandana Waddle Dee deserves to benefit from attack upgrades like the ones available to Kirby in the weapon shop. He may be a master of the spear, but HAL still has lots of room to make Bandana Dee's fighting style shine.
Upgrading Bandana Dee's Attacks
In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's Copy Abilities are far from static. Once players have unlocked the Weapon Shop in Waddle Dee Town, they can spend resources to upgrade Copy Abilities and unlocked evolved forms with unique functions. This seems like a great way to mix up Kirby's fighting style, but it shouldn't be exclusive to Kirby. Since a second player can join as Bandana Waddle Dee, that player ought to have some upgrade options in the Weapon Shop as well, giving both players more options in how they fight.
There's a few different ways that the Weapon Shop could cater to Bandana Dee's specific skillset. On the one hand, maybe Bandana Dee could learn to wield unique weapons other than spears at the Weapon Shop, like axes and bows.
On the other hand, it would make sense if Bandana Dee could apply certain elements to his weapons thanks to Weapon Shop upgrades. Fans of Kirby Star Allies might recall that he could gain additional effects on his attacks based on his current elemental attribute; Forgotten Land could find a way to replicate that, whether the Bandana Dee player chooses an active element or whether Kirby's active Copy Abilities applies a special element to Bandana Dee's attacks.
The Need for Bandana Dee Upgrades
Allowing Bandana Dee to get upgrades in the Weapon Shop isn't just about modifying Kirby and the Forgotten Land's combat; it's about delivering a more equal multiplayer experience too. Plenty of past Kirby games have had solid multiplayer, but not all of Nintendo's multiplayer ventures treat each player equally. In Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, for instance, Bowser Jr.'s player had to follow Mario around and help him do things, rather than being a wholly independent playable character. Ideally, Bandana Dee won't be tethered to Kirby in Forgotten Land.
Bandana Dee getting Weapon Shop upgrades would go a long way to make multiplayer feel equally empowering for both players. Rather than one player watching the other shop for upgrades, both players could discuss how they want to spend resources as a team, making sure that they both get some new moves. It's great to know that Kirby and the Forgotten Land has co-op, but that co-op will be much more enticing if every player has ways to get a sense of growing progress aside from completing levels. The Copy Ability evolutions look great, so hopefully HAL Laboratory has some equally exciting upgrades to offer Bandana Waddle Dee in the Weapon Shop.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases on March 25, 2022, for the Nintendo Switch.
