Nintendo has announced a new Kirby game, and it’s heading to the Switch 2 in a couple of years. The reveal came during today’s Nintendo Direct, with a full trailer showing off the next adventure for the pink mascot.
Kirby and the World Beyond is the new title, and it’s set to launch on Nintendo Switch 2 in Spring 2027. The game is part of a larger celebration Nintendo is planning for Kirby’s 35th anniversary, and the trailer suggests the series is expanding in a fresh direction.
A colorful new adventure
The trailer shows Kirby doing what he does best. He runs through green pastures, leaps across logs, and rushes over bridges. The game keeps the vibrant, colorful look that the Kirby series is known for, with lush environments filling the screen throughout the reveal.
Kirby can suck up enemies, of course. That gives him new abilities that come in handy during combat and open-world traversal. The classic Sword Copy ability also makes an appearance, with Kirby charging around with the Master Sword and using it to quickly ascend vertically through the air.
King Dedede shows up as a boss. Kirby knocks him through a Truman Show-style wall in the horizon, revealing something unexpected beyond the familiar world.
The moment is mysterious, and the trailer doesn’t explain what lies on the other side of that wall. It’s clearly a major turning point in the footage, setting up the second half of the reveal.
The Zelda connection
The trailer’s second half introduces something unexpected. Kirby gets a major power-up that looks very much like a Zelda reference, and the connection runs deep.
The upgrade appears to be a Tears of the Kingdom-specific modifier. Kirby uses his buffed-up Master Sword upgrade to chop down trees and open up new pathways. He also uses it to break out into a very Hyrule-looking environment beyond the bounds of the vivid world he knows.
- Kirby can chop down trees with the sword upgrade
- New pathways open up as a result
- A Hyrule-looking area sits beyond the starting world
What waits for Kirby out there remains to be seen. But from the trailer, the next world over looks very, very Zelda-inspired, with architecture and scenery that echo Nintendo’s other flagship franchise.
The Zelda ties seem like an interesting quirk. It feels as though some of the most interesting parts of the game may still be hidden, and the crossover elements could be a major selling point for longtime fans of both series.
What Nintendo is planning
Kirby and the World Beyond comes to Nintendo Switch 2 in Spring 2027. It will be just one part of the 35th anniversary celebration Nintendo has in store for the pink mascot, and the timing suggests the company is treating this as a flagship release.
The game looks like it has a lot of love — and resources — invested in it. The Zelda elements add a fresh twist to the formula, and the production values on display in the trailer are impressive, with detailed environments and smooth animation throughout.
Kirby fans will have to wait a while longer for the full picture. But the trailer suggests the series is expanding in a new direction, and the wait for Spring 2027 just got a little harder.
The reveal has set expectations high. With a new console, a new adventure, and a major anniversary on the horizon, Kirby and the World Beyond looks poised to be one of the biggest Switch 2 releases yet.
Source: eurogamer.net
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