KIrby and the Forgotten Land was released on March 25, 2022. Since then, of course, many have already beaten the game. They may have also managed to 100% complete it as well. The latest Kirby title takes around 8-10 hours of playtime, which sees players exploring places from an abandoned mall to a run-down magma power plant to save Waddle Dees and more. While there's plenty for players to do during their playthrough, some fans might be wondering if DLC might be on its way. While there isn't any official news on this subject just yet, the game hints toward what might be the perfect DLC expansion - an adventure on Planet Popstar in 3D.
While DLC for Kirby titles tends to be rather rare, Kirby and the Forgotten Land would not be the first game to receive some. Kirby Star Allies, for example, gave players free updates following its launch that added new playable characters, Celebration Pictures, and more. Due to this, it's not out of the question that Hal Laboratory might release some further content to a Kirby game that's already made plenty of money back in sales. There are plenty of routes that Forgotten Land could take with its DLC, but one potential option could work well with celebrating Kirby's 30th anniversary.
How Kirby and the Forbidden Land Sets Up Planet Popstar
When players start their journey through the Forgotten Land, many of Planet Popstar's residents talk about being "stuck" in the new world. However, by the end of the game, many of them want to stay in both worlds. Elfilin also asks questions about Kirby's home planet, stating with wonder that he'd love to see Planet Popstar one day. Once Kirby's new friend learns of his special powers after being forced to fuse with ID-F86, he uses his abilities to make portals connecting Kirby's home with his own. This way, the two can remain friends and keep adventuring together.
Getting back home to Planet Popstar is a goal for Kirby and friends throughout the game, only second to saving all the Waddle Dees. As Elfilin tells players that he has just enough power to make vortices to Kirby's homeworld, the ending teases that players can possibly explore Dream Land in Kirby and the Forgotten Land's refreshing 3D gameplay, which would be a shame to not deliver on. However, even though the feature is currently not in the game, this may actually be Hal Laboratory teasing a future update that allows the other planet to be accessible.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Could Revisit Old Levels in 3D
Elfilin really wants to experience Planet Popstar, and that means that Kirby could take him on a tour through his home planet as the basis for this DLC. This idea for why Elfilin and Kirby explore Dream Land is perfect as this bonus content also serves as a great excuse to remake older, iconic Kirby stages into 3D. This type of DLC revisiting older levels in Kirby and the Forgotten Land's style would be a wonderful present for fans as Kirby has just recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, and this can easily tie into those celebrations.
The best way to please fans by remaking older levels in the newer game would be to look to multiple games for inspiration. This would allow many players to see their favorite games and moments in Kirby history with a fresh coat of paint and a whole new dimension added to the mix. With how well Kirby and the Forgotten Land performs on its own, many fans would be thrilled to see stages such as Nature Notch from Kirby's Squeak Squad or Sand Canyon from Kirby's Dream Land 3 in 3D.
This isn't the only option that KatFL could take towards DLC, though. Instead of an expansion, Hal Laboratory could easily follow in the steps of Star Allies and come out with regular, frequent updates. These updates could potentially add other playable characters such as Meta Knight or higher difficulty settings such as Soul Melter EX. In terms of difficulty updates, the demand is certainly there. Many players felt that Forgotten Land's Wild Mode wasn't as challenging as advertised.
No matter what, adding an expansion to Kirby and the Forgotten Land is full of potential for Nintendo. Nintendo's had a track record as of late of giving its games DLC expansions such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass and Animal Crossing New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise. These huge additions were added to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription for no extra charge, making the membership slowly justify its controversial price. A Kirby expansion to celebrate the series' history with reimagined, 3D levels would be a heartfelt way to get Kirby fans interested in the subscription, while also being the icing on the cake for Nintendo's other Kirby 30th anniversary celebrations.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available now for the Nintendo Switch.
