Players are sad about no kissing in Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-03-30 15:54 JST)

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the latest title in the Kirby series that launched on March 25 for the Nintendo Switch. It’s notable for being the series’ first mainline 3D platformer, with stages having depth for Kirby to freely run around in. The game is packed with new elements like Mouthful Mode where Kirby inhales objects like vending machines and traffic cones for new abilities and powered up variations of classic copy abilities. There’s also cooperative play where a second player can grab a controller and play alongside Kirby as Bandana Waddle Dee.

When a series goes through a big change, it’s natural that some things will be lost in the process. While Kirby and the Forgotten Land is receiving high praise, some players are lamenting the loss of the kissing mechanic. During gameplay, Kirby can pick up food items to heal. And in previous games with co-op multiplayer, Kirby can share that healing power with partner characters. Kirby does this by walking up to a character and giving them a little kiss after eating. It’s an adorable convention for the series during multiplayer.

But in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, there’s no such kiss. Kirby can still spread the healing powers of his meals with Bandana Waddle Dee, but this time it’s done through a high five. It’s still cute of course but doesn’t match the series’ traditional kiss. For that reason, fans have taken to the internet to express their sorrow over the missing kisses.

Ultimately, we can only speculate as to why the kiss went away. One reason could be the game is in 3D now. In the 2D titles up to this point, Kirby could only be seen from behind when standing in front of a character and kissing them, so players didn’t directly see the kiss itself. But with Kirby and the Forgotten Land being in 3D, it would likely be possible to see Kirby’s kiss from many different angles. Or perhaps it was done out of consideration for COVID-19, but nobody wants to think about the circumstances of reality while playing Kirby.

When we asked Nintendo why there wasn’t any kissing, they responded, “we cannot answer the intent behind what is depicted in a game on a case-by-case basis.”

But this doesn’t mean that seeing a kissing Kirby has come to an end. For Kirby’s 30^th anniversary, Takara Tomy Arts is releasing a series of 10 stuffed Kirby toys in April, and one of the poses included is Kirby making a kissing face. Now you can get a precious look at Kirby kissing from a straight-ahead view. For fans that miss kissing in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, you now have a way to enjoy a kissing Kirby to your heart’s content.