Even though Kirby and the Forgotten Land only just came out, fans are eager to look towards the franchise's future. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a big step forward in a lot of ways, from its 3D platforming to its expanding hub area, but HAL Laboratory hasn't been entirely clear which of these innovations will carry forward into other Kirby games and which will be left behind. Out of everything from Kirby and the Forgotten Land that seems worth keeping, though, Copy Ability evolutions seem like the ideal candidate, considering how much they contribute to the new game's combat and exploration.
In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby can find blueprints hidden in some of the game's levels. Bringing these back to Waddle Dee Town will allow him to evolve a Copy Ability, changing its functions slightly and making it significantly stronger on the whole. Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Copy Ability evolutions are great fun, but more importantly, the mechanic can survive. The concept is simple enough to implement into just about any other Kirby game, and Forgotten Land's list of Copy Abilities is so short that HAL still has lots of room to experiment. Copy Ability evolutions deserve to survive Forgotten Land and return soon.
Why Copy Ability Upgrades Should Return
The process of upgrading Copy Abilities is extremely simple in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. As long as Kirby has a blueprint and enough Star Coins and Rare Stones to spend, he can upgrade an ability. Forgotten Land may have only one character with the skill to upgrade Copy Abilities, but there's no reason that HAL Laboratory couldn't come up with someone who shares the Weapon Shop Waddle Dee's skill set. A future Kirby game wouldn't necessarily have to include blueprints in the same way either. It could introduce a different Copy Ability upgrade collectible or do away with blueprints altogether, letting Kirby simply spend coins to gain greater power. The shopping aspect of Copy Ability evolution is highly flexible.
Copy Ability upgrades also only cover a sliver of the abilities that Kirby has had over the years. Kirby and the Forgotten Land. In total, Forgotten Land only features 12 Copy Abilities, meaning it skips a lot of classic abilities like Beam, Parasol, and Stone. Not only could a future Kirby game introduce more evolutions for Forgotten Land's Copy Abilities, but it could tap into these common Kirby abilities and other rarer powers that didn't make the cut into Forgotten Land. HAL Laboratory still has a wealth of options available to it when it comes to enhancing Copy Abilities, so Forgotten Land's upgrade mechanic could still be put to good use.
Forgotten Land's Uncertain Impact on Kirby
As great as it would be to see Kirby and the Forgotten Land contribute this important mechanic to the rest of the franchise, it's hard to say if it has a future. Recent comments from HAL Laboratory developers have indicated that Kirby and the Forgotten Land won't define all future Kirby games. Naturally future Kirby games shouldn't just be copies of Forgotten Land, but there's still a case to be made for turning to it as a source of inspiration. HAL needs to learn from the praised parts of the game.
It could be a long time before Kirby fans learn which mechanics, if any, will carry over from Forgotten Land and into the next game. Copy Ability upgrades deserve to get another appearance, but for the time being, they'll remain a Forgotten Land exclusive. In the meantime, at least Kirby fans have this year's anniversary celebration to look forward to. Nintendo and HAL will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Kirby in a variety of ways, meaning the franchise will be highly visible even if there aren't any new games on the horizon.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available now for Nintendo Switch.
