Kirby and the Forgotten Land may reinvent the Kirby franchise in a variety of strong ways, but it also sticks to classic aspects of the franchise. Kirby once again teams up with his trusty ally Bandana Waddle Dee as he explores a new land, while the mysterious Meta Knight takes on his own minor but helpful role. King Dedede plays a familiar part two. For most of the game, Dedede is presented as an enemy, but players eventually free him from the true antagonist's control, and he ends up helping Kirby out. Kirby and the Forgotten Land's story is solid and comes with some surprises, but Dedede's arc remains familiar.
The familiarity of King Dedede's role begs the question of his future in the franchise. Dedede is a fun, charming Kirby character, but he seems to have the same experiences over and over again in the franchise. It may be time that HAL Laboratory looks at Dedede differently in a Kirby spinoff that stars him. Kirby may usually be the one defending the galaxy from supernatural threats, but a story about King Dedede could be a great change of pace. His character design opens the door to a lot of gameplay concepts, too, meaning he's perfect for a major Kirby spinoff.
A King Dedede Game's Possibilities
A King Dedede game wouldn't be too hard to set up. Kirby is always running around the universe on various adventures, rather than sticking to Planet Popstar, so a Dedede game could start with Kirby taking off to another world on an adventure. While he's away, some new threat could arrive on Planet Popstar. Since Kirby is away, the prideful but noble Dedede takes it upon himself to be Popstar's hero in Kirby's place. This sort of Kirby spinoff would open the door to all kinds of fun character actions between King Dedede and his subjects in Dream Land.
King Dedede's signature weapon and his place as a self-proclaimed ruler open the door for lots of gameplay mechanics. King Dedede may not use Copy Abilities like Kirby does, but a Kirby spinoff about Dedede could allow players to collect and upgrade a variety of different hammers with special attacks and elemental attributes that set them apart from one another. Players might also end up using Dedede's authority as a king to command Waddle Dees and other Dream Land denizens to perform various tasks, whether they help him solve puzzles or back him up in combat. With mechanics like these, a Dedede game could be a highly unique Kirby spinoff while staying true to major parts of the Kirby formula.
Why It's Time for a Dedede Game
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Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a solid game, but Dedede's part in it is extremely predictable. For decades, players have seen villains take advantage of the unsuspecting Dedede for his strength. He appears as a pawn for Kirby villains so often that he has lost a lot of his agency as a unique character in the Kirby world. A Dedede spinoff could hit the reset button on his place in the Kirby franchise, making him a more dynamic character while diversifying the range of experiences that Kirby has to offer.
HAL Laboratory got highly experimental and creative in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, as evidenced by Forgotten Land's 3D design, Copy Ability upgrades, and more. Hopefully that suggests that HAL is at least open to the idea of something as unorthodox as a standalone King Dedede game. Other Nintendo franchises have spawned similar unexpected spinoffs before and earned praise; Super Mario's Wario continues to find success through the WarioWare games. King Dedede may not get center stage in the Kirby franchise now, but he still could get some time in the limelight later.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is available now for Nintendo Switch.
