Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Star-Crossed World upgrade brings plenty of tantalizing extras to a platforming great. But for me, its most meaningful back-of-the-box addition is more abstract: closure.
When I blazed through the original Switch game in 2022, I simply didn’t want it to end. It was a pure bundle of joy in a dark era, filled with cheery colors and slapstick delights. I played it as much as I could, trying to savor every last bite of it. I still had room for more once there were no more Waddle Dees to rescue and began daydreaming about a direct sequel that delivered more of the same rather than take another of the creative pivots that the series is known for. For once, I wanted Kirby to stop transforming.
Star-Crossed World grants that wish. The DLC, bundled with a performance-boosting Switch 2 upgrade for the base game, delivers more of what fans loved about Forgotten Land with no big surprises. It features 12 new levels, three additional Mouthful forms, an ultra-challenging boss rush, and new figurines to collect. It’s a tidy add-on built for people like me who just weren’t ready to let their adventure go just yet. And thanks to that, I’m now finally able to accept why you can’t hold Kirby down forever.
In the new story content, a mysterious meteor crashes right in the middle of the overworld’s ocean. Crystal chunks split off from it, as well as beings called Starrys. It’s up to Kirby to restore the meteor by doing what he does best: rescuing weird little guys and swallowing things that were never built to go inside of a mouth. It’s a light setup (that unsurprisingly gets very out there by the end) that simply lets players get back into the warm and fuzzy platforming hook of the main game.
The added levels aren’t exactly new; they’re more so remixes of Forgotten Land’s best stages. Kirby returns to familiar playgrounds like the abandoned shopping mall and amusement park, but they’ve changed enough to feel different. Crystal flowers have sprouted in those areas and touching them creates dazzling blue pathways that take Kirby down new platforming routes. It’s an enchanting visual magic trick that sees the Switch 2’s tech put to good use, though it’s more a platforming motif than a game-changing idea that makes the DLC feel distinct.
That’s fine, because Star-Crossed World isn’t out to innovate; it’s there to put a bow on a lovely package. The breezy adventure hasn’t changed, as I’m still solving environmental puzzles by picking the right copy ability and finding hidden Starrys in each level. The trio of new Mouthful Mode forms help freshen it up with a wall-climbing gear, a high-jumping spring, and a sandwich board that can race down hills, but all of those feel like natural additions as opposed to surprising shake-ups that show how much further Mouthful Mode could go. In fact, the most memorable moment in the DLC comes from an old staple. A standout puzzle has me juggling a set of stairs in and out of my mouth to navigate a conveyor belt obstacle course. Moments like that create logic puzzles that test your ability to know when you should use an object as intended and when you should shove it down your throat.
While it’s a pleasure to return to the platforming loop, Star-Crossed World helped me understand why the series can’t stay like this forever. The joy of every Kirby game comes from surprising discoveries. What happens when you suck up a tire? How about a vending machine? Kirby games offer a series of setups and punchlines, and Forgotten Land works so well because it’s loaded with them. But a joke loses its comedic edge the more times you tell it. The charm starts to wear off as soon as the adventure stops giving players new forms to play with, a point at which nearly every Kirby game loses its momentum. Even in four focused hours, Star-Crossed World inevitably hits that same hurdle midway through its run of levels as it repeats new and existing ideas.
Transformation isn’t just a cool party trick for Kirby; it’s the superpower that makes him special. Without it, he’s a squishy ball of tofu that stands no match against the eldritch horrors that wait at the end of these deceptively cute adventures. (Star-Crossed World contains the hardest challenge you will likely face in a video game this year thanks to its new boss rush mode.) It’s not enough to simply float. Perhaps that’s something the series’ developers feel too: Reinvention is core to Kirby’s ethos and each new game reflects it. That willingness to transform instead of coast on safe sequels is how we got Forgotten Land, after all.
As much as I loved returning to the Forgotten Land — and especially seeing its landscapes smoother and brighter than ever on Switch 2 — I’m finally ready to move on this time. I’ve accepted that new Mouthful forms will only take the puzzle platforming hook I love so far. For the series to keep surprising us, it needs to transform instead of hanging on to one specific format. In that sense, you can see Star-Crossed World as whipped cream on top of a rich dessert. It’s meant to be a delightful top off that leaves you full without pushing you over the edge into bellyache territory. Savor the heavenly taste, but don’t let it turn into a craving.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World will be released Aug. 28 on Nintendo Switch 2. The game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2 using a prerelease download code provided by Nintendo. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.
