"Unique game that makes good use of the touch screen."

This is one of the top games on the DS that's out right now. It makes perfect use of the stylus. In the game, you draw lines to guide Kirby and he follows them through the levels. It's more fun than it sounds.

Story -- 5/10

One day, a witch named Drawcia turns the world into a painting and then Kirby gets transformed into a ball, which prevents him from stopping Drawcia. It's up to you to help Kirby defeat Drawcia and turn things back to normal with the help of your magic paintbrush(Stylus). It's a pretty corny and childish story, but the story is unimportant, especially for a game that isn't a role playing game. Besides, most Kirby games have similar storylines, if you don't mind them then you definitely won't mind this game's story.

Gameplay -- 10/10

The gameplay in this is very unique and it sets it apart from other DS games. What you do is draw lines to guide Kirby around the levels, while tapping him to make him dash faster, tapping enemies to stun them so they cannot hit you and to allow you to hit them and not get injured, drawing lines to stop projectiles, and all sorts of other things. There are three medals in each level that you can use to unlock bonus features. Some medals are out in the open, others are much more challenging to find and require good timing to reach. Also there is a mode called Rainbow Run. In rainbow run you must complete certain segments in the levels you select in certain times, or using less than a certain amount of ink. Some of these are easy, others will have you retrying the level again and again to see if you can draw less lines or finish quicker. The gameplay is fun, unique, and there's a lot to do and a bunch of useful and fun things to unlock.

Graphics and Animations -- 9/10

The backgrounds are colorful and detailed. Some of the backgrounds actually do look like paintings, which fits in with the theme of the game, and there are a lot of different backgrounds so you won't get tired of seeing the same background over and over again. The sprites are colorful and detailed, and the animations are smooth. Although it is 2-D, the game itself is nice to look at and the animations are quick and smooth, and the frame rate and the game itself doesn't slow down, at all even when there's a lot going on on the screen.

Sound Effects and Music --10/10

There are a lot of different songs. Every level has a different song, most of which are catchy. Most of them are remixes from older songs from almost every Kirby game out there, but they're all pleasant to listen to, and players who have played other Kirby games will recognize some of them. Some of the songs gave me a sense of nostalgia. The sound effects sound similar to most Kirby games, if you've ever played them then they'll be familiar. The music and sounds aren't annoying, you probably won't be muting your DS with this game and players of the older Kirby games will enjoy the familiar tunes and sounds that they grew to love.

Challenge Level -- 7/10

This game is pretty easy but some of the medals are very hard to find and/or reach. Some levels are hard to get through without hurting yourself and dying. The boss battles are fairly easy as they are just minigames. Some of the Rainbow Run levels can take 15+ minutes to try to beat the last time to get a medal from it. Overall it is fairly easy, but some parts will take quite a bit of effort and time to finally beat. Besides, Kirby games generally aren't very hard, but they are extremely fun to play. This is no exception - not a very hard game, but it is still a blast to play. If you're looking for a hard game, then you won't enjoy this as much, but it will still probably be worth getting.

Replay Value and Play Time -- 9/10

This game is fun to play again and again, the style of gameplay alone makes this game addictive. I find myself playing it often even though I have every medal simply because the gameplay is fun. Some of the medals will have you searching for a very long time. The sub-games that you must beat to gain your final medals should take a long time to beat. Getting 100% on this game takes quite a bit of time and effort to do. Overall you should get 20+ hours out of it just completing it and you'll probably end up playing even more than that.

Pros:
-Fun, original gameplay
-Graphics are colorful and simple, yet detailed
-Great music and sounds
-Neat unlockables
-Good replay value

Cons:
-A bit on the short side
-Mediocre story
-Pretty easy

Rent or Buy?
If you can find this game, I would definitely advise getting it. It's excellent. If you have the opportunity to rent it, that would do as well. It's not too long. You can beat it in a couple of days if you tried. It is still recommended to buy it if you can though.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/24/06, Updated 04/06/07