Kirby Star-Crossed World Review – More Content, Modest Improvements

Kirby and the Forgotten Land was already a standout in the Nintendo Switch library, and the Switch 2 expansion, Kirby Star-Crossed World, builds upon that foundation with a blend of new content and modest technical enhancements. While the upgrade does not dramatically reframe the original game, it offers players an additional mini-campaign set in a crystalized landscape, alongside performance refinements that keep the game current on the new hardware. The result is a package that feels more like a satisfying extension of an already strong experience than a reinvention.

As noted in Steve Watts’s review for GameSpot, the expansion is most notable for the new Star-Crossed World campaign, which introduces a series of stages altered by falling star crystals. These crystalline versions coexist alongside the original levels, transforming familiar settings into new challenges. The campaign itself measures at roughly one-third the size of the original Forgotten Land adventure, but its altered paths and stage mechanics give it enough distinction to stand on its own.

Players begin the expansion by accessing a new island dominated by Fallen Star Volcano, a looming structure wrapped around a mysterious dark heart. The world is populated with helpless Starry creatures, which serve as the core collectibles in the campaign. Stages are dotted with hidden Starries, awarded both for progression and for completing optional objectives. Nintendo continues its tradition of gating advancement behind collection milestones, ensuring players engage with the content thoroughly, while also providing assistance through Waddle-Dees at the home hub, who offer hints on locating elusive collectibles.

The crystal motif underpins the entire campaign. Sparkling paths appear through activation points, giving players access to new areas within reimagined stages. The effect adds a distinct visual flourish compared to the 2022 release, though it also introduces a trade-off. While the shimmering aesthetic feels fresh at first, its repetition across all altered stages tends to flatten the sense of variety. Environments still maintain thematic backdrops, whether it be a neon casino or a volcanic cavern, but the recurring crystal overlay can make the stages blend together visually.

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Gameplay maintains the balance of accessibility and variety that made the base game resonate. The familiar mix of platforming, combat, and Kirby’s versatile “mouthful” abilities carries over seamlessly. The expansion builds upon these strengths by introducing new mouthful transformations that drive some of the most inventive stage segments. One example turns Kirby into a giant gear for wall-climbing challenges, while another repurposes a sandwich board into a snowboard for downhill traversal. These moments serve as high points in both creativity and challenge, offering brief flashes of originality even as the expansion resists adding entirely new copy abilities.

Progressing through Star-Crossed World steadily increases the challenge level. Enemies and stage designs appear tuned for players who have already upgraded their abilities in the original campaign. The culmination of the expansion is particularly notable, with the crystalline dark heart at the Fallen Star Volcano evolving as players advance. Upon clearing the standard crystal stages, a final gauntlet unlocks, presenting a sharp spike in difficulty that pushes even seasoned players to refine their platforming and combat skills. It acts as a deliberate capstone, offering a sense of closure without overstaying its welcome.

Outside the new campaign, the Switch 2 version of Kirby and the Forgotten Land benefits from subtle refinements. Performance is smoother, and the crystal effects add a small but noticeable polish to the presentation. However, the improvements are incremental compared to the transformative upgrades delivered in other Nintendo Switch 2 titles, such as the enhanced editions of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Those games leveraged the hardware to more fully realize their original ambitions, while Kirby’s upgrade instead layers additional content onto an already complete package.

Despite its modest scope, the expansion succeeds by delivering more of what players already appreciated about Forgotten Land. The core platforming remains sharp, the new stages offer engaging routes and hidden collectibles, and the crystalline aesthetic—while repetitive—provides a distinct flavor for this new chapter. The reliance on older mechanics without introducing new copy abilities may limit its appeal for those expecting a dramatic reinvention, but it ultimately reinforces the strengths of the base game rather than undermining them.

Kirby Star-Crossed World is best approached as an extension rather than a redefinition. It does not dramatically alter gameplay systems or technical presentation, but instead enriches the existing framework with an additional campaign that rewards exploration and persistence. For returning players, it is an incentive to revisit one of the Switch’s most beloved platformers, while for newcomers on Switch 2, it offers an expanded edition that maintains the charm and accessibility of the original.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land demonstrated how adaptable the character’s formula could be within a 3D platforming structure, and Star-Crossed World confirms that success by adding further depth without complicating the design. While not essential in the way other Switch 2 upgrades have proven, it secures its place as a valuable companion to the original game, ensuring Kirby remains at the forefront of Nintendo’s platforming lineup as the new hardware cycle progresses.