February 2022 saw the release of a new Nintendo Direct that gave fans another look at upcoming releases like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which has inadvertently given birth to a new meme: "Carby," the car-eating Kirby. The Nintendo Direct revealed new games, like Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Disney Speedstorm, but also offered new gameplay and trailers for already-announced titles like the next Kirby, which is due to release on March 25.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an all-new Kirby adventure that looks ready to deviate from the typical formula of the series' mainline games. The title is believed to be open-world, with Kirby setting off in a fully-3D adventure set in a post-apocalyptic world. The setting itself is something entirely new for the franchise, and has drawn comparisons to other end-of-the-world games like Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, albeit it with a less dark tone. On the flip side, the gameplay looks similar to previous Nintendo games like Super Mario Odyssey. Fans can expect a somewhat darker story for the beloved pink character, with it being confirmed that Kirby will wield a gun in Forgotten Land.
The latest Nintendo Direct focused on lots of games, but none have quite perhaps reached the same level of viral interest as Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Car Kirby, dubbed "Carby." The Direct gave a new look at Kirby's swallowing mechanic, Mouthful Mode, revealing the character can absorb everything from vending machines to cars in order to defeat enemies. "Carby" has now become a full-fledged meme, with users on social media sharing their fan art and jokes. Memes including one from Jason Lupas imagine a Disney's Cars crossover, while Redditor _7H_ offered a Mean Girls meme. Adorable artwork from users including cysketch give a cuter look at the mechanic. As pointed out by TongRaider, it's hard not to see "Carby" on timelines and feeds around the world, and even Nintendo is getting in on the meme, releasing a printable Valentine's card of car Kirby.
Along with Mouthful Mode, Kirby's new Forgotten Land copy abilities already seem to be a hit with fans, and judging by the number of memes focused on car Kirby, it seems that everyone from longstanding fans to potential new players are keen on Kirby's range of abilities and skills in the upcoming game. Kirby's new powers in the game seem to include an explosion ability, a tunneling drill skill, and the aforementioned gun weapon, though it's likely there's even more that Nintendo is keeping under wraps until close to launch.
As seen with viral memes spawned from game characters like Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village, the power of viral social media success can't be ignored when it comes to new game launches and characters. Whether or not Nintendo intended car Kirby to become an internet sensation isn't clear, but as "Carby" continues to gain traction online, it seems that when Kirby and the Forgotten Land launches, there's going to be a lot of interest from players.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land launches on Nintendo Switch on March 25, 2022.
Source: Jason Lupas/Twitter, shanhorandraws/Twitter, _7H_/Reddit, TongRaider/Twitter, NintendoUK/Twitter