It’s a common practice these days for video game companies to release a game and continuously support it with updates. Whether this means consistent, seasonal updates of new content or one last hurrah in the form of DLC depends on the game, but Nintendo in particular seems to adore the concept of keeping its games alive with free updates and expansion packs. This is why many fans thought Kirby and the Forgotten Land would get the same treatment, but now it looks like that won’t be the case.
The last Kirby game, Kirby Star Allies, had frequent updates that added Dream Friends and new features regularly throughout 2018. With this in mind, it’s not completely off the table that Kirby and the Forgotten Land would have followed the same update scheme in some way, but HAL Laboratory’s recent actions have all but confirmed outright that it's leaving Forgotten Land where it is.
Kirby’s Dream Buffet
Kirby’s Dream Buffet released on August 17, roughly five months after Kirby and the Forgotten Land released onto the Switch. The scope of Dream Buffet is nowhere near as large as Forgotten Land, and instead, it uses its small scope to it's advantage to be a short party game. This is by no means a bad thing, as the gameplay remains true to Kirby while also being chaotic as Mario Party. The game has gone over well with plenty of fans following its launch, even though some didn't know how to feel about its price tag at first.
While the reveal for Kirby’s Dream Buffet may have blindsided fans, since Forgotten Land had just come out a few months prior, it isn’t too surprising. Dream Buffet was most likely a project on the side that HAL Laboratory worked on while Forgotten Land was in development. This could have meant that Dream Buffet was meant to hold people off until potential DLC for Forgotten Land was finished, and that's what many fans thought it was until the September Nintendo Direct.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Those who were hoping for DLC for Kirby’s first fully 3D adventure most likely had their expectations shattered when the last Nintendo Direct revealed that yet another Kirby game is coming out: a remaster for Kirby’s Return to Dream Land; a Wii title released in 2011. While it may seem like Return to Dream Land Deluxe wouldn't require enough resources to write off the potential of DLC for Forgotten Land, more is going into this rerelease than it seems.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe adds new lighting and shading techniques to the new game, which is easy to spot. However, if fans look closely, they'll see that not only have characters like King Dedede been given entirely new models, but some environments have been entirely redone for the Switch release. There's also the new Mecha Copy Ability, minigame, and most likely other new quality of life features that fans won't notice until the game has arrived next year. Even if Dream Land Deluxe could arguably require less resources than a full new game, it at least takes enough resources to say that this project wouldn't be happening if HAL didn't move on from Forgotten Land.
This is most likely because HAL Laboratory considered Kirby and the Forgotten Land a completed experience by itself. It's understandable why, as the game features tons of content with creative and challenging levels. Forgotten Land takes roughly 8-10 hours to beat, yet rewards players for reaching 100% completion if they manage to collect everything. With how it not only has a true ending and a challenging post-game to get it, some players may be satisfied with the game as it is. However, everything Forgotten Land offers may have some fans wishing for more afterwards so Kirby and Elfilin's adventures wouldn't end. In that regard, having new Kirby projects come so soon may be a bit sad to see.
Nintendo has received criticism lately for some Switch titles not being "finished" on release. In this regard, that makes the situation with HAL Laboratory and Kirby and the Forgotten Land a refreshing change of pace.There's also an argument to be made that DLC for Forgotten Land could potentially mess with the game's 100% completion requirements, which may upset players as a result. In many ways, it seems like players may have to wait a bit longer for more 3D Kirby.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available now for the Nintendo Switch.
