Remember when the internet collectively lost its mind over the first images of mouthful mode from Kirby and the Forgotten Land? There was something about seeing everyone's favourite peckish pink puff-ball inhaling a car before proceeding to cruise the streets that seemed to provide a much-needed serotonin boost on a mass scale.
In a recent interview with Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream, long-time Kirby developer and Forgotten Land director, Shinya Kumazaki, shared the origins of the mood-boosting Mouthful Mode.
Thanks to a translation by Nintendo Everything, we can now learn that the newest Kirby mechanic has actually been kicking about for a while, as seen in the below quote from Kumazaki:
When making the game, we reconsidered the mystery and shape shifting nature of Kirby. The idea of Mouthful Mode has been about for a while. Once we knew this game would be something new in the series, we started with the conversation “What is Kirby?”. We wanted to allow Kirby to do things that existing human characters couldn’t. That idea combined with the challenge of making something new became the concept of Mouthful Mode.
But what about Kirby's now-iconic bloated look once he has sucked up these everyday objects? Kumazaki has an answer for that too:
As you see in the final result, there’s a certain charm to seeing Kirby’s simple shape walking as a circle or a triangle or a square, and the actions he can perform are all different too. This is a whole new world with real world items, but Kirby doesn’t care in the slightest, he’s as chill as ever!
Check out Nintendo Everything's translation to read the full interview where Kumazaki delves into even more Mouthful Mode information. We are always pleased to learn more about Kirby and The Forgotten Land, and you can also check out our glowing review of the game where we claimed it was 'a grand way to celebrate 30 years of Planet Popstar's finest.'
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What did you love about Kirby's latest adventure? Finish your mouth-full and let us know down in the comments!
[source ndw.jp, via nintendoeverything.com]
Comments 17
Great game! Really enjoyed it!
https://imgur.com/gallery/bQrOKyl
Edit: I have no idea how to directly post a pic on this lol
Playing with Kirby in mouthful mode was great fun, especially the car sections. I am glad they came up with this idea.
I would not mind if it came back in new ways, but I still prefer the copy abilities
I love how introspective this quote is.
'When making the game, we reconsidered the mystery and shape shifting nature of Kirby'
'Once we knew this game would be something new in the series, we started with the conversation “What is Kirby?”'
The more time I've had to sit and reflect on it, I don't think Forgotten Land is my favorite Kirby game. From a gameplay perspective, the added layer of depth doesn't really change that much. The boss fights are really the only aspect of the game that feel quite a bit different to me. The environments--while gorgeous--also still mostly follow the traditional Nintendo pattern of grasslands, desert, snow world, capping things off with a volcano... But, it's still a darn good game with a lot of heart put into it. The lore implications are shockingly deep for a Nintendo game, and I liked the original characters. I certainly enjoyed my time with this game significantly more than Star Allies, and I hope the next entry will be even more out-there.
What a great game! Though it was short, it was pure fun. And the mouthful modes took it to a new level—like gliding.
Loved the mouthful mode. Would love to see the drawing board of all the mouthfuls they didn't use
I still have to finish my first playthrough. Spiritfarer got in the way But I do love mouthful mode, it's an innovative little touch and some of them really made me laugh when I first saw them. It just fits perfectly with Kirby as a character and I think it's mostly just a natural evolution of him
While I still think it's weird, Mouthful mode is undeniable fun gameplay. I'm just worried for Kirby about what he puts in his mouth. The car, for instance, is completely rusted out. Also that lightbulb could break at any time, hundreds to thousands of glass shards inside his mouth
Tom & Jerry already did first.
@Fizza Better question, why is Kirby!
@Snatcher
Because Kirby have some Tom & Jerry / Looney Tunes logic to change its shape depend on what object Kirby has swallowed.
It's really not that far of a stretch (sorry) from the shapes in Kirby's Epic Yarn.
Sorry for my ignorance, but how come Kirby can barely suck up these everyday objects, yet he has been capable of swallowing stuff whole before? Is his sucking capabilities diminishing?
@Bobb considering he can swallow and copy enemies that are spiked, explosive, on fire, etc. I wouldn't be too concerned about a little rust or glass 😆
I love that last line. “(Kirby) is as chill as ever”
@Nintendoid720 you're probably right. Kirby can swallow the very same spikes and swords that harm him. The inside of his mouth sounds tougher than his "skin"
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