"Kirby's bag of tricks just gets bigger and bigger"

I'm a big Kirby fan, so when I heard that this game was coming out and that it was for a platform that I not only own personally, but a system that I repeatedly enjoy, I was off to GameStop almost as soon as I had enough money to buy the game. I started playing soon after buying it, and I was sucked in immediately.

Story: Kirby's about to have his mid-afternoon snack - yum, a piece of strawberry shortcake! - when it suddenly disappears! Kirby immediately jumps to conclusions. Obviously it had to be King Dedede, he's been the one behind everything else, right? So, Kirby sets off to confront the duck/penguin/whatever he is and get back his delicious piece of pastry.

It's a little bit of a young-child-like story, but it still fits the Kirby label (this is the video game character with the bottomless stomach, after all).

Sound: The music is cute - definitely fitting the Kirby games. They get repetitive if you play the same stage repeatedly to get that last chest, but thankfully the music changes from stage to stage. You can also find sheet music in chests that'll let you play the music while not on the stage, so that's definitely nice. And the boss music is average. I mean, you can't make it sound menacing or anything - this is a Kirby game, after all.

Gameplay: Same as ever. Double tap to dash, Y to float, B to suck, A to jump. Kirby swallows enemies, can spit them out as stars, or swallow them to gain their powers. The abilities are simple to use (thanks to the handy-dandy guide that pops up when you press Start to pause your game), and you can even find scrolls in treasure chests that will give you access to 1 hidden attack for each ability. I personally am looking forward to testing out the extra Sleep ability. It's not a particularly challenging game (there aren't any particularly difficult bosses, and although there are a couple of puzzles that aren't as easy as the others, the puzzles are also fairly straight-forward), but it's still fun to play, and that's what matters, right?

Graphics: Reminiscent of past Kirby games (Canvas Curse springs to mind). It has a nice, cartoon-y, colorful feel to it, and that's definitely good for a Kirby game.

In conclusion, is this a good game? Yes. Is it a challenging game that will have you on the edge of your seat, gripping your DS tightly as you attempt to best the boss you're fighting? No. But it is a very entertaining game, free from all the confusion that elaborate plots bring (although elaborate plots are certainly good things). If you like Kirby and want to pick this game up, go ahead. You won't be disappointed.

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