Kirby Squeak Squad

"Classic Kirby platforming at it's finest!"

Another Kirby game for DS! But it's developed by Flagship? I was a bit skeptical at first, because these where the folks that developed 'Amazing Mirror'(which wasn't that great...). But fear not! 'Squeak Squad' is an amazing Kirby game that brings his series back to it's roots!

<Story>
If you played Kirby games before, you will know that they never been very story heavy. But that's OK, because even with the bit of story we get, it's still really cute! In this game, Kirby is about to munch away on his cake, when suddenly, it vanishes! He then goes out on a journey to find it. There is a few "plot-twists" and some familiar faces along the way, but nothing too fancy. There is also some "cut-scenes" which is rare in a Kirby game. I really enjoyed all of it, but then again, I really love Kirby!

<Graphics>
Colourful, 2-D Kirby game at it's finest! The game is so pretty and cute, like most past Kirby games. The sprites are very clean, crisp and animated very well. The backgrounds are amazing and breath life into the worlds. One of the most beautiful games on the DS.

<Music/Sound>
We have a mix of old and new tunes here. The music in Kirby games have always been amazing, and we have no exceptions here. Not much more to say other than the music score is awesome! The sound effects are your usual in a Kirby game and they sound great!

<Gameplay/Controls>
The game plays the same as other Kirby platformers before it. You move from the right/left/top/bottom side of the screen and try to reach the goal of the stage. As Kirby, you can inhale certain enemies to gain abilities, which you can use to fight. A new feature is that you can even use the abilities to effect the environment. For example, you can burn grass with the fire ability, or dig through ground with the new animal ability. In this game though, you can even store abilities and items in Kirby's tummy(which is the touch screen)! You can hold up to 5 things, be it abilities or healing items, which can be used with a mere touch. In Kirby's latest adventure, you can even go treasure hunting! Each stage has a certain amount of hidden treasure chests you can collect that contain secret items. You will have competition though! A gang of pillaging mice come out at certain times during a stage to try and take a sitting chest. It's fun to race against them to secure the chest and if they do happen to get it, you can battle them for it! All in all, the game play is super fun between all the abilities and treasure hunting! The controls are also very responsive and easy, I had no troubles whatsoever. For each ability, you can even see what the button combos are by pressing start. It makes it very easy for beginners.

<Replayability>
This game has lots. Like I have said before, most stages have a certain amount of treasure chests hidden about. These chests can contain things like, puzzle pieces, spray-paint(to change Kirby's colour), scrolls that upgrade abilities, just to name a few. There is 120 treasures in all which is needed to unlock the "Extra Mode". There is 3 mini-games(which can be played multi-player with only one cart) and you can also unlock "Boss Endurance", a hidden area that contains all the copy abilities to use at will, plus there is an awesome secret ability! Also, to actually finish the game, there is 5 treasures you must get. This game will keep you busy for a while, but it is not very long. But then again, Kirby games usually aren't. But then YET again, this game is still very fun to replay over and over, like past Kirby platformers. Although, it would of been nice to have multi-player main mode like in NIDL and AM!

<Final Thoughts>
A very awesome Kirby game! If you where downhearted with the non-linear, maze-fest 'Amazing Mirror' or the stylus-fest 'Canvas Curse', this game will perk you up! This game truly goes back to old-school Kirby roots and I hope Hal/Flagship/Nintendo keeps pumping out more games like this and not the Kirby spin-offs! If you love old-school 2-D platformers(especially Kirby ones), you will love this! If you just plain love Kirby, you will love this too! I know I did!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/16/07