Kirby Squeak Squad

"Kirby returns to its tried-and-true formula. A rehash? Hardly."

Kirby is one of those few magnificent series that, no matter how many times they dish out the same gameplay, same mechanics, same enemies, same Kirby, it still feels fresh and new, and most importantly, FUN. I've been playing Kirby games practically my entire life- the first game I ever bought with my own money was Kirby's Dreamland 2 for the original Game Boy. Ever since, I've picked up every new Kirby game that's come out (except for Kirby's Dreamland 3- here's hoping for the Virtual Console) and loved every single one (for this statement, we'll pretend Kirby Tilt 'N Tumble didn't exist).

Gameplay

Okay, I really can't stress just how much FUN this game is. If you've ever played a Kirby game, you know what to expect. Kirby can fly, Kirby can swallow his enemies to steal their powers, Kirby eats food to restore health. Kirby: Squeak Squad adds a handful of new features. Worth noting is that all the action takes place on the top screen- the touch screen represents Kirby's stomach, where you can store up to five separate foods and abilities for later use. Another use of Kirby's belly is for storing treasure chests found throughout the levels. There are up to three chests in each level, containing novelties from spray paint cans to change Kirby's color to power-ups for your abilities. While this may seem comparable to the Great Cave Offensive part of Kirby Superstar, don't get your hopes up. Great Cave Offensive was far more difficult than finding the chests in Squeak Squad. More often than not you'll find all three chests during your first playthrough of a level.

Squeak Squad also brings three new abilities to the plate (four counting the super-disappointing, super-secret hidden ability). All three are welcome additions to the ability family. The first you're likely to encounter, Animal, makes use of sharp claws to dig through dirt (and later on clouds). It's more of a novelty than anything, though. The Metal ability turns Kirby into, well, solid metal, making him a lot heavier and unable to easily keep flight. Finally, the Bubble ability gives Kirby a bubble wand used to easily capture enemies for storing in his stomach. Another feature that had incredible potential which was hardly realized is the ability to combine two abilities, similar to Kirby 64. However, as far as I know, there are only three combinations involving Sword, two involving Bomb, and no more. ...Don't quote me on that, though.

Story

Story? In a Kirby game? Seriously, if you're playing a Kirby game for its super-immersive, long, drawn-out, well-written story, you might want to step back, set down your DS, and reevaluate your life for a moment. Kirby games aren't exactly known for their story. Squeak Squad is no different. Taking a page from Super Mario 64, Kirby's latest adventure starts out with an unlikely catalyst- he just wants a slice of cake. It's snack time in Dream Land, and poor Kirby has his strawberry shortcake stolen. Naturally, Kirby embarks on a grand journey to reclaim his cake- coming across such familiar faces as King Dedede and Metaknight along the way, and of course inadvertently saving the world from a gang of thieving rats know as The Squeaks. Not exactly award-winning material here, but what do you expect from a Kirby game?

Graphics

The graphics are definitely reminiscent of Canvas Curse, although not everything has that 'rounded' feel to it. I'm not going to lie to you- graphics-wise, this game could have been done for the GBA with only very minor adjustments. The landscapes are cheerful, quirky, and whimsical- again, typical Kirby.

Sound

I'll be honest- I kind of skipped out on most of the music in the game the first time through. I was busy listening to my iPod, alright? But since then I've gone back and checked out the sound test a bit more extensively... And I must say, I was rather disappointed. Not disappointed by the quality of the music- I was disappointed that I'd actually chosen to skip over it in favor of my iPod. Squeak Squad makes use of countless classic Kirby tunes while having its own fresh selection. Very nice.

Final Word

This game is incredibly fun. Did I ever mention that? It's addicting. I'll admit, save for one or two bosses, the difficulty is severely low. You'll rarely, if ever, find yourself dying. The game's other major flaw is its length. I started and beat this game over the course of a three or four hour car trip with 100% treasures found. Disappointingly, I only had to put forth minimal extra effort to find all the treasures, too. It was hardly a challenge.

However, despite these flaws, Kirby Squeak Squad is an amazing game that successfully returns Kirby to his classic formula. I have no choice but to give this incredible game a 9/10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/07