Best Games Like Kirby And The Forgotten Land

If you enjoyed playing through Kirby’s latest Nintendo Switch adventure, then consider this list of the best games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land to play next.

A large number of Kirby games have been released throughout the years for various Nintendo consoles and handhelds, most recently Kirby and the Forgotten Land for the Nintendo Switch.

In contrast to Kirby’s previous adventures, Forgotten Land sees our pink hero exploring 3D environments with a wider range of movement and copy abilities at his disposal.

So to anyone searching for similar games with 3D platforming, colorful visuals, and likable mascots, we encourage you to read through our list of the best games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land in 2024.

Lastly, remember to bookmark this list and check back from time to time for new video game recommendations similar to the Kirby games.

Related:Best Nintendo Exclusives 2023Best Platformer Games 2023Best Single Player Games 2023

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To get started, we’re highlighting the Switch port of Super Mario 3D World which includes the Bowser’s Fury expansion.

Originally launched for the Wii U, this game showcases Mario and his buddies joining forces in various levels to stop Bowser’s terrifying rule over the Sprixie Kingdom.

The game supports up to four players locally, with many of the level challenges benefitting from having friends to help you collect coins and other items.

Similar to Kirby, each level offers different power-ups that can be used to obtain new abilities and reach new areas.

Having walked away from The Game Awards 2021 with the coveted “Game of the Year” award, It Takes Two is likely on a lot of players’ radars.

While it may be exclusively co-op, the game also shares a lot with Kirby and the Forgotten Land when it comes to level detail, combat variety, and platforming gameplay.

In it, you and a partner take on the role of an unhappy married couple forced to work through their issues after they’re magically transformed into their daughter’s dolls.

Getting back won’t be easy as the pair try to put their differences aside to overcome obstacles, defeat dangerous bosses, and solve puzzles using character-specific abilities.

Almost 20 years after the original’s release, Psychonauts 2 made its way to PC and consoles where players could reprise their role as Raz for more mind-infiltrating adventures.

Picking up right after its predecessor, the game sees the now full-fledged Psychonaut exploring his family history while collecting new items and memories.

Much like Kirby, Raz can take advantage of a suite of abilities that allow him to run, jump, slide, and levitate across 3D platforming levels.

Additionally, both games have similar cartoony art styles even if Psychonauts 2 takes a more surrealist approach to its visual design.

Anyone who grew up with Kirby in the late 90s likely remembers Spyro the Dragon’s debut appearance as a PlayStation mascot.

Based on the character’s original trio of games, Spyro Reignited Trilogy breathes new life into the iconic franchise with remakes of the first three games in the series.

Each entry sees the titular fire-breather running, jumping, and soaring through 3D platforming levels while collecting treasure, beating up bad guys, and meeting characters.

The amount of exploration and discoverable secrets are on par with what you get in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, making this trilogy a great recommendation for Kirby fans.

Super Lucky’s Tale is another mascot platformer that draws inspiration from classics like Super Mario and Banjo Kazooie.

The optimal way to experience the game today is through an enhanced remake titled New Super Lucky’s Tale, which encompasses a range of graphical and narrative modifications.

In it, you take on the role of a heroic fox character as he travels across various themed hub worlds to help his sister guard the magical Book of Ages.

The gameplay is reminiscent of 3D platformers like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, with Lucky having to collect enough secret pages in each world to reveal a boss fight.

Admittingly a lot more niche than even Kirby, Super Monkey Ball has its own dedicated following of fans who can’t get enough of its unique platforming design.

As the name suggests, you play as a monkey inside of a ball careening down various obstacle course stages where the goal is to collect as many bananas as you can.

Released to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary, Banana Mania includes remakes of the first three console games in the series with rebalanced stages and overlal reduced difficulty.

While Super Monkey Ball’s tone is very different than the Kirby games, it does employ a similar art style that’s further complemented by new comic-book-style story sequences.

Although it might seem redundant to include another Kirby game on a list of games similar to Kirby, consider the following.

Kirby Star Allies is only slightly older than Forgotten Land and plays like a 2D version complete with copy abilities, checkpoints, and appearances from many of the same characters.

Even though it’s a lot less exploration-driven, players are likely to find some enjoyment in Star Allies’ platforming gameplay.

In addition, it shares a remarkable resemblance to Kirby and the Forgotten Land when it comes to graphics and overall visuals, with both sporting pastel-inspired art styles.

Next up, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a third-person shooter with action-platformer elements and colorful environments that build upon previous games in the series.

In it, players reprise their role as the titular mascot duo for a new adventure spanning multiple dimensions on the brink of collapsing.

Much like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, players can wield a wide selection of weapons that function similarly to Kirby’s copy abilities.

With that in mind, the game can be a lot more intense than any of Kirby’s outings, often requiring quick reflexes and precise platforming.

Another PlayStation 5 exclusive that’s sure to appeal to Kirby fans is Astro’s Playroom, a 3D platformer designed to showcase the PS5’s new features.

The game is centered on the eponymous robot Astro as he sets across four unique worlds themed after various PS5 components such as “GPU Jungle” and “SSD Speedway.”

Each level focuses on a different mechanic that incorporates the DualSense controller in clever ways, allowing players to explore its touchpad, haptic feedback, and adaptive triggers.

While its PlayStation-heavy references are likely to go over the heads of any die-hard Nintendo fans, the gameplay experience is very reminiscent of games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

To wrap up our shortlist of PlayStation-exclusive recommendations for games like Kirby, we suggest picking up the LittleBigPlanet spin-off Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

This is due to it having similarly fun and wholesome platforming gameplay that greatly benefits from a shift from 2D to a 3D perspective.

On top of that, players are treated to a wider range of customization options as well as cool abilities and gadgets that essentially work like copy abilities.

The story focuses on the titular mascot Sackboy as he becomes entangled in a sinister plot that threatens to destroy Craftworld and all of its inhabitants.

Seeing as we’ve already covered most of the popular mascot platformers, we figured why not round things out by including the most recent Crash Bandicoot game.

In Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, we follow the titular Crash and his sister Coco as try to prevent Neo Cortex and Nefarious Tropy from taking over the multiverse.

Similar to games like Kirby, Crash Bandicoot is all about level-based progression with tons of collectibles to find, enemies to squash, and hazards to avoid.

The game includes two styles of play: Modern, which incorporates a checkpoint system, and Retro, where the player is given a limited number of lives.

If you’re in the market for more Nintendo exclusives that update a beloved mascot, look no further than Luigi’s Mansion 3 for the Nintendo Switch.

In it, players follow the green hat-donning plumber on a hotel getaway that turns out to be a spooky nightmare.

Armed with his trusty ghost-catching vacuum, Luigi sets out to save his friends by traveling to each floor of the haunted hotel and ridding it of spirits.

Like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, much of the gameplay revolves combining abilities to defeat enemies and exploring levels for hidden collectibles.

While not technically a platformer, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening does include some vertical traversal along with combat similar to that of Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

It also happens to sport one of the cutest art styles we’ve seen in recent Nintendo releases and even features a hidden cameo appearance by Kirby, or rather the character known as “Anti-Kirby.”

Assuming control of Link, players are tasked with gathering 8 magical instruments across the vibrant Koholint Island and using them to awaken the legendary Wind Fish.

Along the way, you’ll encounter an assortment of weapons, upgrades, and collectibles scattered across the island’s numerous dungeons, forests, and fields.

Instead of a game where you play as an endearing pink ball of joy, why not one that focuses on capturing and breeding said creatures.

Slime Rancher offers a mixture of first-person platforming and farming sim gameplay that sees you becoming a space rancher on an alien planet inhabited by adorably spherical slimes.

The goal is to expand your ranch by catching, housing, and feeding your various slime monsters to grow the population and produce cute new variants.

While many of the pink slimes share a striking resemblance with Kirby, some are less friendly than others and will meet any acts of kindness with outright aggression.

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Justin Fernandez

As a fan of both indie and triple-A games, Justin finds joy in discovering and sharing hidden gems with other passionate gamers. In addition to reporting on the latest and greatest titles, he manages GamingScan’s social media channels.

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