Kirby and the Forgotten Land was my 2022 GOTY over Elden Ring, and the Switch 2 upgrade DLC is giving fans flashbacks to the most notorious challenges in the series

Yes, hello, it's me: the guy who played a whole lot of both Elden Ring and Kirby and the Forgotten Land in 2022 and decided that the pink puffball had the better game. That's no slight to FromSoftware's sprawling epic – Kirby's latest adventure was just that good. The impending Switch 2 upgrade DLC for Kirby and the Forgotten Land promises to make a great game even better, and now it's threatening something we usually associate with FromSoftware: an absolutely wild boss challenge.

A new overview trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Switch 2 DLC, properly titled Star-Crossed World, reveals a new mode called The Ultimate Cup Z EX. It appears to be a more difficult version of the final challenge of the in-game Colosseum, where you have to fight enhanced versions of every boss in the game back-to-back. "Test your mettle and might in an even tougher boss rush," the devs warn.

Kirby games are generally known for being pretty breezy affairs, designed even in the 8-bit era as a way to let young kids and less experienced gamers enjoy the thrill of beating a final boss and letting the credits roll. But the devs have not been shy about placing soul-melting challenges in the post-game for the most hardcore of Kirby fanatics, and the "EX" suffix on this new arena is giving those fans some serious flashbacks.

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"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" a YouTube comment from friendlyotaku9525 exclaims. "The Ultimate Cup Z was already hard as it is and you're adding an even HARDER version?! I'm excited for Star-Crossed World but man... that terrifies me!"

"Oh no," as GLeen1230 puts it on Reddit. "To be fair though The Ultimate Cup Z was pretty underwhelming for a True Arena just because of how broken the dodge is. The Ultimate Cup Z EX though? I may not know what’s in it just yet, but I’m already getting Soul Melter EX flashbacks as the difficulty of the DLC was a nightmare."

True Arena modes have been a staple across many Kirby games, offering players one last final challenge to put their skills to the test. That seems to be the inspiration for The Ultimate Cup Z EX, but those two letters on the end bring to mind the ultimate Soul Melter EX difficulty for the final boss rush in Kirby Star Allies, an absolutely notorious challenge with ridiculous boss attack patterns rivalling pure bullet hell games taking place over the course of grueling 30+ minute endurance run.

Still, it seems many Forgotten Lands fans are up for the test. "This makes my day," Rawkhawkjayhawk says on Reddit, "this is the real True Arena, a true challenge. I love it!" Kirby and Elden Ring might not have a whole lot in common, but at least they can share in eldritch horrors and masochistic fans.

The best Kirby games have something for players of every skill level.