An easily overlooked ability helped me clinch it
The more I sink intoKirby and the Forgotten Land, the more I love it — and it already left a strong impression after the first few worlds. I’m nearing 100%, and I can’t stop now. If you’re working toward that goal and haven’t quite been able to survive the Ultimate Cup Z in the colosseum, I’ve got a small tip that might make all the difference; it did for me!
Like priorKirbygames, it’s relatively smooth sailing on your first run through the main story — but the post-game “boss rush” content isn’t afraid to push back hard.
I really respect that duality, as it makesKirbyfeel approachable yet deep. I also thinkKirby and the Forgotten Land, specifically, will put a magnifying glass on the series’ longstanding design principles. If you’ve kept up with games likePlanet RobobotandStar Alliesand survived their fiercest challenges,you know the drill. But this Switch title isgoing wide.
In case you missed it, Kirby has a perfect dodge
Case in point, without even realizing it until it was too late, I went through basically all of the main quest without dodging. Flash forward to the post-game, and I’m now in a place where I use this moveconstantly— dodging is so ridiculously powerful as a way to avoid damage and also dish it back out with last-second “perfect dodge” counter-attacks.
You might be thinking, “Wait,that’s the tip??? Just dodging? I already knew that!”
I’m saving the real tips for below the spoiler gate, but I was curious if anyone else accidentally overlooked Kirby’s dodge for way too long. Just in case you’re reading this article and you haven’t picked up on it yet, you may dodge by holding one of the triggers (I personally find the L button most comfortable) and then tapping the left analog stick in your preferred direction. There’s a very generous window in which Kirby won’t take damage while escaping, and if you wait to dodge untiljust beforea hit would land, you’ll get some slow-mo — and a chance to counter-attack. Try it out! Punish ’em.
Spoilers below
Okay, so, Ultimate Cup Z — it makes the Ultimate Cup seem like a cakewalk!
It’s a back-to-back boss rush featuring 12 battles against phantom versions ofKirby and the Forgotten Land‘s beastly baddies, and there are minimal healing items between bouts, so you have to avoid death by a thousand cuts. The multi-phase true final boss is a doozy.
If you’re at this point, you’ve finished the main story, gotten through the remixed levels in the post-game Isolated Isles: Forgo Dreams realm, and survived the boss fight against Morpho Knight. Let’s just take a moment to process that gosh, this gamegoes places.
My best bet for finishing Ultimate Cup Z the first time was a multi-pronged approach.
Give yourself the best odds against this boss rush
I’m not exaggerating when I say that the first time I got through Ultimate Cup Z inKirby and the Forgotten Land, I had just one HP left — and so did Chaos Elfilis. Without Morpho Knight Sword’s homing attack, I wouldn’t have made it. Talk about a sigh of relief.
If you’re struggling, you can get there too. I had my doubts, but the closer I got, the more determined I became. Now I can beat this arena without sweating bullets, which I never would’ve expected given how badly my first attempts went. Practice paid off.
Now that I’m just trying to unlock the final dozen or so capsule figures (and Morpho Knight Kirby is honestly OP), I’m finding the colosseum to be an oddly relaxing grind. It’s been a blast learning all of the boss attacks and figuring out how to shave seconds off the clock.
All around,Kirby and the Forgotten Landis a game of the year contender — they did it!
