It’s easy to label these games as simplistic, citing their thin narratives or lack of deep character, but that would be underappreciating the difficult task they pull off with finesse. Nintendo’s games are one of the last links mainstream pop culture still has to the age of silent film and early toons. A game like Kirby and the Forgotten Land plays like a Charlie Chaplin film; you don’t need to understand a word of English to appreciate the physical comedy of Kirby inhaling a giant staircase and wobbling around like a pink Tyrannosaurus Rex. There’s a universality to it that transcends language and age barriers. It’s why Nintendo still reigns supreme when it comes to creating family-friendly media that even adults love.
