Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Every Copy Ability and Evolution
While Kirby can’t use as many copy abilities in Kirby and the Forgotten Land as in previous games, a variety of evolutions open up new possibilities.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the latest entry in the long-running Kirby franchise. pushes the series forward by expanding the scope of Kirby’s world and introducing new concepts. Actually, one of the game’s most important additions is a twist on a classic Kirby concept: copied abilities.
The Kirby franchise is famous for its creative collection of copy abilities. The game’s leading man…pink marshmallow…thing has the enviable ability to acquire new skills simply by inhaling enemies. That mechanic lets Kirby swing swords, breath fire, and even turn into a UFO. Previous games have taken full advantage of that gimmick by offering a wide variety of copy abilities, but Kirby and the Forgotten Land scales things back to a seemingly scant 12 powers. At first, that small selection seems underwhelming, but the game soon lets players upgrade copied abilities and make them even more powerful and wacky. This system opens up new methods to absolutely devastate enemies and greatly expands the overall collection of available abilities.
Here are all the copy abilities you can find in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Ranger, Noble Ranger, and Space Ranger
The Ranger ability is a new concept created for Kirby and the Forgotten Land. While the name conjures up images of a Robin Hood-like archer, Ranger actually gives Kirby a safari hat and a cartoonish blunderbuss. That weapon defines the ability, as it allows Kirby to shoot weak projectiles, as well as lock onto enemies and fire larger, charged-up shots.
Ranger can then evolve into either Noble Ranger or Space Ranger. Noble Ranger is ironically pirate-themed and gives Kirby a pirate hat and two flintlock pistols. While this variation isn’t more powerful, it is much faster (it’s actually one of the fastest abilities in the game)J. Plus, locking onto enemies and charging up unleashes a barrage of projectiles instead of a massive one.
Space Ranger, meanwhile, is space-themed (obviously) and gives Kirby a space helmet and laser. This evolution is the opposite of Noble Ranger and focuses on power over speed. When fully charged, Space Ranger’s gun unleashes a projectile that expands on impact, continually damaging anything inside its sphere of influence.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Hammer, Toy Hammer, Wild Hammer, and Masked Hammer
Hammer is a Kirby staple. When using this ability, Kirby can slam the hammer down in a quick 3-hit combo or charge it up for a golf swing that knocks enemies back. As usual, a fully-charged hammer is engulfed in flame for extra range and damage.
Hammer is one of the few abilities with three evolutions: Toy Hammer, Wild Hammer, and Masked Hammer. Toy Hammer replaces the usual wooden mallet with a squeaky hammer, but despite appearances, this evolution is stronger and faster than the vanilla Hammer. The 3-hit combo extends to five hits, but the charged attack functions like normal. Wild Hammer, on the other hand, trades speed for raw power. This variant only sports a 2-hit combo, but its fully-charged swing is absolutely devastating.
Hammer’s final evolution, Masked Hammer, dons Kirby in the same wooden boar mask King Dedede wears later in the game and also gives Kirby an extra hammer to work with. While Masked Hammer is back to a 3-hit combo, the final strike spawns a small damaging tornado, and the charged attack transforms Kirby into a whirlwind of fury and, when fully charged, fire.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Crash and TIme Crash
Crash is one of Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s few one-use abilities. Simply put, this power lets Kirby unleash a massive, devastating kaboom. Of course, Kirby has to charge up first and loses the ability after it’s used, but Crash absolutely melts enemies.
Crash has only one evolution: Time Crash. The upgrade is so powerful that it breaks time. Instead of devastating everything around Kirby in a massive explosion, Time Crash lets him run around with reckless abandon while everything nearby stays still. Moreover, Kirby damages anything he bumps into while in this state, but like the regular Crash, Kirby loses this ability after use.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Fire, Volcano Fire, and Dragon Fire
Fire is one of Kirby’s most iconic and reliable abilities. It allows Kirby to unleash a short-range stream of flame that ignites enemies. While Kirby can’t charge up Fire, he can unleash an endless supply of flames if the attack button is held down. Moreover, if Kirby uses this ability in midair, he rockets forward and damages anything he crashes into. Each hit from Fire is relatively weak, but the ability makes up for it with reliable damage over time.
Fire can evolve into Volcano Fire and Dragon Fire, and each upgrade is stronger and faster than the last. Volcano Fire functions almost identical to regular Fire but spews molten rocks instead of flames and rockets Kirby much further while in the air. Dragon Fire, meanwhile, extends the range of Kirby’s flame breath. However, this ability shines in the air as it turns Kirby into a winged meteor with insane gliding capabilities. Of course, Volcano Fire and Dragon Fire can also ignite enemies for extra damage.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Cutter, Chakram Cutter, Buzz-Saw Cutter
Cutter is dependable at any range. Normally, this ability shoots out a blade that returns to Kirby like a boomerang, but up close, Kirby whips out the weapons and unleashes a flurry of attacks before knocking enemies away. Cutter doesn’t deal a lot of damage, but Kirby can throw out the blades in quick succession, and if the attack button is held down, the blade hovers in place before returning for extra destruction.
Cutter has two unique evolutions: Chakram Cutter and Buzz-Saw Cutter. Chakram Cutter functions similarly to Cutter but utilizes two chakrams instead of one blade. Moreover, the chakrams swing outward while returning instead of boomeranging straight back. Buzz-Saw Cutter, meanwhile, is a different beast as it is stronger than the other Cutter abilities and can ricochet off walls. While Cutter and Chakram Cutter are better in open spaces, Buzz-Saw Cutter clears tight corridors and rooms like nobody’s business.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Sword, Gigant Sword, Meta Knight Sword, and Morpho Knight Sword
Sword is easily the most recognizable of all copy abilities, as it gives Kirby a sword (duh) and a pointy hat reminiscent of Link’s cap from The Legend of Zelda. However, the similarities don’t end there. While Kirby can use his sword to slash enemies with weak-but-quick attacks, he can also charge up the weapon to unleash a spinning attack, just like the Hero of Hyrule. When used in the air, Sword lets Kirby flip forward for a damaging somersault, and if used after guarding, Kirby lunges forward with the blade and quickly lifts it into the air.
Like Hammer, Sword has three different evolutions: Gigant Sword, Meta Knight Sword, and Morpho Knight Sword. Gigant Sword exchanges Kirby’s weapon and hat for a sword and helmet identical to the Wild Edge miniboss. This variation is stronger and slower than the regular Sword, but it also has more range. Plus, Gigant Sword replaces the charged spin attack with an earth-shattering downward strike, and, as an added bonus, Kirby can guard with a spiked shield that pokes enemies. Meta Knight Sword, meanwhile, turns Kirby into a pink doppelganger of Meta Knight, complete with his iconic mask and pronged sword. Not only is this evolution one of the strongest and fastest in the game, but it also lets Kirby shoot lasers out of the blade while at full health.
Sword’s last evolution, Morpho Knight Sword, is a special upgrade themed after the recurring secret boss Morpho Knight and is arguably the strongest copy ability in the game. When used normally, Morpho Knight Sword functions just like Meta Knight Sword, but when fully charged, the weapon’s moveset temporarily changes to that of Gigant Sword with the added bonus of lasers. Plus, any charged attack in that enlarged form unleashes a damaging tornado of fire, and guarding with it equipped for long enough will unleash a swarm of homing wisps.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Bomb, Chain Bomb, Homing Bomb
Bomb is fun to use but difficult to master. This copy ability gives Kirby a pointed wizards’ hat and lets him either lob bombs in an arc or roll them like bowling balls. These bombs explode after a set amount of time or if an enemy hits them.
Bomb can evolve into Chain Bomb and Homing Bomb. Chain Bomb is extremely gimmicky since it lets Kirby lay down bombs that are linked together and don’t explode unless something touches them. If one goes off, they all go off, and the more bombs that explode, the more damage they deal. Homing Bomb, meanwhile the ultimate “press x to win” ability since each bomb rushes enemies and explodes on impact. Moreover, unexploded homing bombs can link up to form a chain of explosions.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Tornado, Fleur Tornado, and Storm Tornado
Tornado, as its name suggests, places a tornado on Kirby’s head. This windy tiara lets Kirby temporarily turn into a whirlwind that damages anything it touches. And, anything Kirby doesn’t touch is sucked in and damaged, anyway.
Tornado’s two evolutions are Fleur Tornado and Storm Tornado. Fleur Tornado is themed after the swan-like Fleurina miniboss and accordingly places a feathery crown on top of Kirby. For the most part, Fleur Tornado is identical to vanilla Tornado, except instead of fizzling out, this ability’s attack ends in a final damaging gust of wind. As for Storm Tornado, that ability veils Kirby in an angry vortex. Not only does Storm Tornado deal more damage than Tornado and Fleur Tornado, but each attack is also punctuated by a final, devastating bolt of lightning.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Drill, Pencil Drill, and Twin Drill
Drill is another copy ability introduced in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. As its name suggests, Drill places a large drill on Kirby’s head and lets him dig underground. Kirby can damage enemies while in the air or when entering/exiting the ground, but he only emerges when he’s good and ready. Moreover, if Kirby digs in a circle, the ability creates a powerful upheaval that damages anything caught inside.
Drill’s two evolutions are Pencil Drill and Twin Drill. Pencil Drill functions identical to the normal Drill but with the added bonus of firing a weaponized pencil each time Kirby emerges from the ground (don’t ask how). As for Twin Drill, its extra drill lets Kirby hit enemies twice as fast and for double the damage, and he can also run into opponents while digging. More importantly, this evolution can fire drill missiles while in the air or when Kirby pops up from the ground.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Sleep and Deep Sleep
In most Kirby games, Sleep is useless at best and harmful at worst since it leaves Kirby vulnerable for several seconds. However, Kirby and the Forgotten Land turns Sleep into a one-use supportive ability. As usual, Sleep places Kirby in a sleeping cap and makes him fall asleep after several seconds (he can waddle somewhere safe before dozing off, but he does so lethargically). However, this time around, Kirby recovers health after waking up.
Sleep’s only evolution is Deep Sleep, which replaces the sleeping cap with an oversized stuffed crescent moon. Unlike Sleep, Deep Sleep lets Kirby decide where he rests, and it even spawns a comfortable bed for him. While Deep Sleep makes Kirby snooze for longer, it also restores all of his health and even provides a random temporary attack or speed buff. However, like Sleep, Deep Sleep is a one-use ability.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Needle, Clutter Needle, and Crystal Needle
While most copy abilities force Kirby to stop in order to attack, Needle gives Kirby a spiked helmet and lets him turn into a mobile pincushion. While using this ability, Kirby rolls around and skewers enemies with his spikes, which soon pick them up and drags them with him. Opponents don’t receive damage until the attack ends, but when they do, they are sent flying.
Needle can evolve into Clutter Needle and Crystal Needle. Clutter Needle slightly upgrades the ability’s damage and replaces the spiked helmet with a random assortment of sharp objects (including shells and cactuses). Functionally, Clutter Needle works like vanilla Needle but with the added bonus of shooting/dropping its objects for extra ranged damage. Crystal Needle, meanwhile, ups the destruction potential to a ludicrous degree. That ability skewers enemies, leaves a trail of spikes, and fires two arcing projectiles when the attack ends.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Copy Abilities: Ice, Frosty Ice, and Blizzard Ice
Much like Fire, Ice is a constant sight in Kirby games and functions similar to its elemental opposite. Instead of breathing a stream of fire, Ice lets Kirby unleash a cold gust of air that doesn’t deal a ton of damage but can freeze enemies in their tracks. If Kirby kicks a frozen enemy, they will bounce all over the place and even leave a trail of ice Kirby can use to bypass mud and lava. Plus, Ice includes a protective aura that damages anything it touches and leaves a path of frost.
While Ice functions similar to Fire, its evolutions, Frosty Ice and Blizzard Ice, differ significantly from Fire’s upgrades. At first glance, Frosty Ice is just a faster and more powerful version of Ice, complete with a cute knitted cap styled after the miniboss Frosty. However, if Kirby doesn’t hit an enemy with Frosty Ice, he summons Frosty-styled snowmen that he can either kick towards opponents or leave as icy landmines. Moreover, Frosty Ice’s protective aura leaves behind a trail of snowmen. Blizzard Ice, meanwhile, is Ice’s offensive evolution, as it replaces Kirby’s frost breath with a constant stream of icicles. These cold projectiles can freeze enemies or turn into miniature glaciers if they hit the ground.
That does it for all the copy abilities available at launch. With any luck, HAL Laboratory will add more powers (and ability evolutions) as free updates, not unlike how additional Dream Friends were patched into Kirby Star Allies.
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Aaron Greenbaum is a freelance games and pop-culture journalist who thrives on the latest gaming industry news and video game trivia. He also writes comic books…