That ability to roam in levels seems particularly important, thanks to some information that the demo for Kirby and the Forgotten Land revealed. Players have known for some time that each level is structured around rescuing Waddle Dees from the Beast Pack, but the demo highlighted optional objectives that each level will contain. This system of hidden objectives is poised to encourage exploration to a great extent, which will make completing Forgotten Land all the more rewarding. Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s objectives could offer players valuable challenges as the game goes on while making strong use of Kirby’s turn to 3D.

RELATED: Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Evolved Abilities Should be More Than ‘Win More’ Mechanics

The Value of Forgotten Land’s Objectives

At the end of each normal Kirby and the Forgotten Land level, players will apparently find a golden cage of Waddle Dees to free and bring back to Waddle Dee Town. While that’s a solid win condition for each level, HAL Laboratory has gone further. If players want to find even more Waddle Dees to help rebuild Waddle Dee Town, they can keep an eye out for a few additional tasks scattered throughout the level. For instance, one of the Forgotten Land demo levels asks players to look for tulips scattered throughout the city. If the player finds them all, then they can free another Waddle Dee.

While that objective is pretty simple, it seems to stem from one of the game’s earliest levels, meaning HAL Laboratory might have cooked up some more complicated goals for later. As players progress, they might find themselves hunting for hidden areas, solving elaborate puzzles, or even fighting optional bosses in order to free Waddle Dees. Overall, those objectives will really spice up Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s levels, since they add a diverse range of challenges for the player other than simply making it to the end of the level. These side objectives also give HAL the opportunity to build all kinds of side roads and splitting paths into the game’s 3D levels, as 3D often offers more flexible exploration than 2D sidescrolling can.

RELATED: Kirby and the Forgotten Land Takes the Bite Out of Bottomless Pits

Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s Collectibles

It’s worth noting that additional Waddle Dees are only one of the collectibles that Kirby and the Forgotten Land has to offer. Players can also search for figurines of Forgotten Land characters, as well as the blueprints necessary to purchase Copy Ability evolutions in Waddle Dee Town. With so many objectives to hide, Kirby and the Forgotten Land has good reason to include large, non-linear levels that let players wander around, climb rooftops, and delve into abandoned buildings in search of collectibles. That freedom to search for things should make 3D platforming all the more valuable.

Overall, Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s various course objectives seem like a great element of the game. Previous Kirby games have had optional objectives, but Forgotten Land’s Waddle Dees, blueprints, and figurines enhance both the 3D platforming and the game’s unique setting. Hopefully Forgotten Land’s many regions have levels that let players go far off the beaten path in order to collect every little thing that they can.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases March 25, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.

MORE: Kirby and the Forgotten Land is Smart to Give Older Enemies a Beast Pack Makeover