For the longest time, theSuper Mariofranchise was wholly 2D. UntilSuper Mario 64rolled around, Nintendo’s iconic platforming franchise was all about sidescrolling adventures, but today, 3D games likeSuper Mario 3D WorldandSuper Mario Odysseyare par for the course. TheKirbyfranchise appears to be following thatMariotrend, sinceKirby and the Forgotten Landis wholly 3D, rather than a 2D title.Kirby and the Forgotten Landputs its own twist onMario’s trend of navigating three dimensions, but that may not be the only trend thatForgotten Landtraces. It also appears to follow a recent trend of interdimensional travel.
MostKirbygames take the titular protagonist far from his home on Planet Popstar.Kirby has spent decades traveling outer spaceand going to all kinds of remarkable planets that inform each game’s mechanic. Therefore,Kirbyfans might therefore have expected thatKirby and the Forgotten Landis all about a journey to another planet, but apparently that’s not quite the case. Instead, Kirby and his friends have been pulled through some kind of interdimensional portal, bringing them to the post-apocalyptic world where the Beast Pack lives.Kirby and the Forgotten Landis only the latest game to focus on a similarly displaced protagonist, potentially signaling a new game industry trend.
RELATED:Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s ‘Wild Mode’ Bodes Well for the Series' Future
The Game Industry’s Multiverse Trend
Quite a few current games play with the concept of a multiverse in their own ways.Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartis a great example; in the latestRatchet and Clankgame, players find themselves constantly jumping between different dimensions after reality begins to crumble and various dimensions blend together. Square Enix has a game in the works that follows this trend too.Forspokenis an isekai gamein which Frey Holland is stolen away from Earth and brought to the mysterious, magical world of Athia. At the same time, Square Enix is working on a remaster ofChrono Cross,a classic RPG that famously tasks the player with traveling between two parallel universes.
Although they aren’t quite the same, there’s a couple current time travel games that operate on similar principles. For instance,Pokemon Legends: Arceustransports players far into thePokemonworld’s past to explore the Sinnoh region’s origins.Square Enix is additionally remakingLive A Live,in which players witness the battle against an eternal evil from multiple time periods before the game’s many protagonists are all displaced to the same time period. Between these new games and revivals about traveling across the multiverse, it certainly seems like there’s a rising interest in interdimensional adventures.
RELATED:Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Would Be a Great Anniversary Switch Port
Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Dimensions
Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s decision to follow the possible trend of interdimensional travel certainly opens up some interesting narrative possibilities. IfKirbyis in a parallel universe inForgotten Land, then it’s possible thatKirbyfans will end up fightinga long-defeatedKirbyvillainlike Marx or 02. What’s more, some ofKirby and the Forgotten Land’s later levels could involve jumping into other universes to help residents of Planet Popstar who’ve been particularly displaced.Forgotten Land’s interdimensional angle is a surprise, but it could be very useful, depending on how HAL Laboratory implements it.
BeyondKirby and the Forgotten Land, it’ll be interesting to see if other franchises start to jump on the possible multiverse trend. There’s no shortage of IPs that could make good use of it. A futureZeldagame could interact with past titles or spinoffs through spacetime distortions,a coreFinal Fantasygamemight bring in iconic characters from various past realities and timelines, and so on. There’s definitely a lot of storytelling potential in confronting characters with alternate versions of themselves and their enemies. For now, though,Kirby and the Forgotten Landlooks like the next big interdimensional game. Hopefully HAL will make extensive use of the concept.
Kirby and the Forgotten Landreleases June 13, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Nintendo Shadow Dropping Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Demo May Be a Sign of Things to Come
