Over the last few months, Nintendo has really built upKirby and the Forgotten Landas one of its biggest games of 2022. While it remains to be seen how the game ultimately shapes up next to Nintendo’s many other 2022 titles,Kirby and the Forgotten Landdefinitely looks compelling. HAL Laboratory has pulled out all the stops in terms of innovation, introducing everything from 3D platforming to new angles on Copy Abilities to city building mechanics. Luckily for fans excited about this uniqueKirbyexperience, Nintendo just released aKirby and the Forgotten Landdemo that’ll give players a good sense of what to expect from the final product.
The newKirby and the Forgotten Landdemo is a little odd, however, in that it hasn’t gotten much publicity. Nintendo easily could have announcedtheForgotten Landdemoduring the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, but there was no mention of plans for a demo; Nintendo simply reiterated the game’s release date. While handlingForgotten Landthis way is odd, one wonders if it’s a sign of what’s to come. It’s possible that Nintendo is usingForgotten Landto test a new policy of shadow dropping major content to build hype in a new way.
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The Kirby and the Forgotten Land Demo
Aside from a couple of tweets from Nintendo accounts, theForgotten Landdemo has seen minimal publicity. At the same time, Nintendo releaseda new trailer forKirby and the Forgotten Landthat provided an overview of the game’s contents, revealing new Mouthful Modes and Copy Ability upgrades along the way. The gameplay overview seems like a perfect place to advertise the demo, since fans will flock to a final overview beforeKirby and the Forgotten Land’s release, but oddly enough, there’s no mention of the demo there. As far as one can tell, Nintendo simply hasn’t made advertising the demo a priority.
It’s possible that the treatment of the demo is a sign of how Nintendo will handle other properties and trailers in the future. Rather than saving most of its major announcements for Nintendo Directs and similar events, Nintendo might start shadow dropping major content. Notably, it has done so withKirby and the Forgotten Landbefore, releasing a majorForgotten Landtrailer in January 2022 without warning. It revealed some ofKirby’s new Copy Abilities, and more importantly,Forgotten Land’s release date.Forgotten Landmay have a pattern of surprise announcements, and if that’s the case, it could be the herald of a new Nintendo model that’ll get applied to some of 2022’s other upcoming games.
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Possible Nintendo Surprises
There are lots of other Nintendo games in the works that could get similar treatment toKirby and the Forgotten Land.As summer draws near, Nintendo might shadow drop aSplatoon 3trailer that suddenly reveals the game’s release date, new story information, and other important details. Nintendo could also shadow drop the announcement ofthe rumored newFire Emblemgame, which one leaker claims will release this year. Crucial titles like theBreath of the Wildsequel andPokemon ScarletandVioletwill probably get more fanfare, but Nintendo’s other franchises might get some stealthy trailers in the near future.
Nintendo’s apparent surprise tactics when it comes to certain trailers might be valuable when it comes to 2022. It hasa ton of Switch gamesto market this year, which is great for the console, but it’s a lot of work for Nintendo too. Rather than releasing Nintendo Directs that last an hour or more, Nintendo might decide to sprinkle trailers, demos, and other important releases throughout the year as special surprises for Switch users.Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s surprise demo should keep Switch users on their toes. In 2022, major Nintendo content could apparently appear at any moment.
Kirby and the Forgotten Landreleases June 18, 2025 for Nintendo Switch.
