Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the pink puff ball’s biggest game yet. It has more moving parts to keep track of than its predecessors, and it also happens to be the trickiest entry from a puzzle and combat perspective. While the Forgotten Land is still fairly straightforward, there are some tricks of the trade we picked up throughout our time with the game. We’ve rounded up 11 tips and tricks for Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Our Kirby and the Forgotten Land beginner’s guide includes combat and puzzle tips as well as general advice to help you get the most out of your time with the game.
Also, make sure to check out our Kirby and the Forgotten Land review to see why Kirby’s latest adventure is his best yet. And if you know someone who would also like to play the new Switch exclusive, you can get a copy for $45 at Daily Steals with promo code GSKIRBY.
Don’t worry about finding all the Waddle Dees at once
Rescue Waddle Dees in each level
Each level has a batch of Waddle Dees to find. A few are earned simply by beating the level, and every level outside of boss stages has several hidden Waddle Dees. But each level also has three other secret objectives. If you take your time exploring each stage carefully, you should be able to uncover a secret or two (perhaps all of them in one go!). Complete the hidden objectives and you’ll free additional Waddle Dees. If you don’t find the secret objectives, though (some are really well-hidden), you will have a better chance next time.
Each time you complete a level, one of the mystery objectives will reveal itself. Essentially this is a brief statement that describes the objective. It could hint to a secret room, or a poster that needs to be knocked down, or even a group of ducks that need to be reunited with their mama. Once you have the clue, it should be easier to be on the lookout the next time you play through the stage.
Copy to find secrets
If you can Copy, do Copy
Kirby’s Copy ability has been his signature move for decades, so it’s no surprise that it’s vitally important in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Not only do Copy abilities help Kirby in combat, but they are often required to solve puzzles in levels to find hidden Waddle Dees. If there are enemies nearby that have a particular ability–drill, fire, tornado, cutter, hammer–there’s a good chance a puzzle or secret area that requires that ability is around the corner. If you’re going through entire levels with the same ability, chances are you’re missing some secrets. It’s worth noting that Copy abilities won’t show up in the Weapons Shop until you use them in a level at least once.
Don’t forget to guard
R, ZR, L, and ZL can be used to guard
Kirby and the Forgotten Land revolves around cool abilities that turn Kirby into a wrecking ball of force, especially when you upgrade Copy abilities. It can be easy to forget that Kirby also has a built-in defensive mechanism. If you’re having trouble with a boss–some of the later ones can be tricky–you’re probably not playing defense in spots where you could. Kirby’s guard ability can help mitigate damage, so watch your enemy’s moveset and put up your guard the next time the brute tries to hit you. While the game doesn’t explicitly explain guarding, you can you use any of the triggers or shoulder buttons to guard (L, ZL, R, and ZR)–all of them perform the same guard move.
Rest at your house between levels
Kirby can nap in his house to restore health
Not long into the game, you’ll rescue enough Waddle Dees to have a house built in Waddle Dee Town. This small dome-shaped building is kind of plain, but it does serve a great purpose. Kirby starts each level with the same level of health he had at the end of the last, so depending on how the previous level went for you, that could mean trouble. You can take a quick trip back to Waddle Dee Town and rest in Kirby’s bed to replenish your health bar.
Amiibo can help you
Scan Amiibo to get items and coins
If you have any Amiibo, you can use them to get in-game items in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Amiibo not related to the Kirby franchise drop some coins and a piece of fruit that replenishes health. If you have Kirby-themed Amiibo, each one does a different thing that could prove to be helpful. The boosts and health items you receive by scanning Amiibo can be used once and have a temporary effect.
- Kirby — Life Up (doubles health) and coin
- Meta Knight — Speed Boost and coins
- King Dedede — Attack Boost and coins
- Waddle Dee – Health Potion and coins
Items and boosts
Waddle Dee Item Shop
You can also buy the aforementioned boosts once the item shop opens in the top-right corner of Waddle Dee Town. These boosts can be particularly useful toward the end of the game or if you’re playing co-op alongside someone who isn’t very familiar with action-platformers. Attack and speed boosts can be stacked up to five times (plus you can hold a sixth). Each boost lasts for 200 seconds. Boosts can be really helpful for the Coliseum, which is essentially a boss rush mode that can get pretty challenging.
Meanwhile, health items can be purchased at the Waddle Dee Cafe even earlier than the boosts. While the cafe serves several different items, we’d recommend sticking to the Maxim Tomato since it only costs 100 coins and restores all of your health. You can carry one item or boost with you at a time, so it’s helpful to always have a Maxim Tomato on hand just in case.
Stick to your strengths for bosses
Choose a Copy ability you’re comfortable with for bosses
Oftentimes before boss fights you get to pick a Copy ability to equip. This is the Copy ability you’ll be stuck with for the whole battle, so it’s good to stick with abilities you’re used to. But if you have the choice between an evolved ability and an ability that’s still in its standard state, it’s smart to go with the evolved ability to deal more damage. If the Copy ability you want to use isn’t available in that level, you can head to the Weapons Shop and equip your favorite ability.
Plain Kirby isn’t bad either, though
Inhaling and shooting stars can deal big damage
Some boss attack patterns don’t gel with the Copy ability you’re using. In these cases, it doesn’t hurt to drop the Copy ability and kill the boss the old-fashioned way–by sucking up and shooting stars at them. Plus, if you’re quick and you manage to inhale multiple stars at once, you can wind up doing more damage than unevolved Copy abilities.
Charge attacks are the best
Charge attacks can be extremely powerful
Try to charge up (hold B by default or Y if you change controller settings) your sword or hammer or any of the Copy abilities while fighting a boss and look to see how much damage you’re doing. There’s a stark difference between charged attacks and regular hits. This becomes even more pronounced as you evolve your abilities. Evolved forms of charge attacks can also hinder enemy movement and give you even more opportunities to deal damage. I found charge attacks of evolved fire and ice abilities to be the most effective. Seriously, they are wild.
Things to know about Treasure Road
Completing Treasure Road stages rewards you with Rare Stores
Treasure Road levels unlock as you complete mainline missions. These time trials challenge you to use one Copy ability or Mouthful Mode as efficiently as possible. They are pretty straightforward, but here are a few important details to know:
We recommend completing all of the Treasure Road levels in a world before moving onto the next world’s mainline missions. This is because the Rare Stones you acquire by completing them allow you to evolve your Copy abilities.
Don’t worry about the “Target Time” of each level. This secondary objective only nets you a bonus of 50 coins, so there’s not much of a point to try over and over again to hit that time, especially since the target tends to require a near-perfect run.
Explore the overworld carefully. There are points of interest–usually areas that look like something should be there–that prompt you to press A to “search” the area. Some Treasure Road levels are hidden and do not reveal themselves until you unearth them.
Final boss strategy
While we won’t discuss the specifics of the final boss here, it has multiple phases just like other recent Kirby adventures. Before entering the final area, you’ll be able to pick between all of the Copy abilities. If you’re playing on Wild mode (the harder difficulty), this boss can be tricky. We tried out a bunch of different Copy abilities to see which ones fared the best against the boss. While practically any of them can do the trick if you’re patient, we found that the fire and ice Copy abilities were particularly useful against the boss given their attack patterns and movement tendencies. So if you’re having trouble near the end of the game, fire and ice can make late-game fights less painful. You can also make your life easier by having a health item or boost on hand for this fight.
Source: Gamespot
