Kirby: Canvas Curse

"A superb game; innovation and execution, with all of the brilliance Kirby and HAL have come to be synonymous with"

Firstly—and, perhaps, most notably—this game is played entirely with the stylus. So, with the exception of the start button, you'll have no need for any other part of your DS. This could be good or bad, depending on what you want in a game, but, to me, this couldn't be better. As you've probably already guessed from both the title and the score I've given, Kirby: Canvas Curse has implemented the “stylus only” system pretty damn well; one of the best control schemes I've had the good fortune of using on the DS, in fact. And it should be remembered that a well-made and well-implemented control scheme, no matter how odd or different, is never a bad thing. Allow me to elaborate.

Okay, so Kirby's home, Dream Land, is attacked by a Witch named Drawcia who, apart from having a terrible name, has magical painting powers. Kirby's just having a stroll, probably eating the surroundings, when the “world's colour warps”. Drawcia is turning Dream Land into a painting. Drawcia sees Kirby, who's probably somewhat angry, and retreats to a strange vortex in the sky. Kirby follows and enters into her world which is, oddly enough, a giant painting. Upon arrival he attacks the witch, who, in turn, transforms him into a ball with her magic. Drawcia, whose name is becoming painful to say, then flies away while Kirby is forced to just sit there. Luckily, though, she left a (she must have more than one) Power Paintbrush. According to the story, that's the stylus you use. So, with Kirby as a ball and us, allegedly, with a magical paintbrush, we set out to own the witch. Not a lot to say in terms of the story; it fits, it's fairly original and, let's face it, you don't buy a Kirby game expecting a Final Fantasy storyline. Or at least you shouldn't.

In fact, the premise of this game is not only an excuse for its brilliant control scheme; it's also responsible for this game's sexy art style, something that probably warrants better words than “sexy”, but we'll see what we can do. A style so interestingly different and outstanding makes for some refreshing visuals; there's a vibrancy here that made me instantly love the look of this game. The game is fully 2d and never pretends to have 3d elements with its visuals; it is, after all, supposed to look like a painting. With scenery that either beautifully puts its twist on a landscape or has a startling abstract look, it's difficult to find a bad point here. Maybe some of the enemies should have been, aesthetically, more elaborately designed. Yeah, that'll do.

Sound is a mixed bag; on the one hand it's all remixed versions of classic Kirby songs, which means memorable tunes presented in a different way and, if you're new to the Kirby legacy, then at least you can experience a part of the old music without having to resort to tracking down the old games; on the other, though, some of these remixes are goddamn strange. We're talking extremely Japanese here. Extremely odd uses of tone, some of the main melodies have been twisted almost beyond recognition—you sort of pull out the old melody, think “oh yeah!” to yourself and then, five minutes later, think “…Well why the hell did they do that!?” At least Sound Test is free from the beginning, an addition that, as a music enthusiast, I was very happy about. Not just that, you can also use medals (they look more like giant coins, but I digress) obtained through various means to purchase, among other things, music for sound test. The sound effects of this game have been taken, mostly, from old Kirby games; tried and tested stuff that sounds perfectly reasonable. What's new fits well, also.

A single level of Canvas Curse is usually split into three large sections. In any given section we can expect large amounts of the following: enemies, puzzles and cannons. I've come to expect a certain affinity for cannons in the Kirby genre. Also, there is no deficit of bottomless pits, although they can be somewhat annoying; one simple miss-tap to start a line and, instead, you've just sent Kirby hurtling towards an abyss of death and darkness. Yes, the lines drawn with whatever magical paintbrush we might have are all that's stopping Kirby's death; you use the lines to carry Kirby into stunned enemies, stunned, usually, by having been tapped by one's stylus; you use the lines to protect you from projectiles, including (but not limited to) spears, cannonballs and lasers; and you can also use the lines, as predominantly featured in the mini-game found at the end of the first two levels on any given stage, simply as a means to get Kirby to move in that direction. What awaits a player at the end of the third level of any given stage is a boss battle. Now, boss battles are a little odd here; each of the three different bosses are pretty much three completely different mini-games. I won't spoil too much, but suffice to say, there's a familiarity to two of the three bosses here. In each of these “subgames” (as Canvas Curse calls them) the stylus is still the only thing used, but now, Kirby is being controlled in a completely different way. Suffice to say, these are implemented fabulously. They may seem quite easy but, those medals I've mentioned? You can get one from each of the bosses on their third level. It's very challenging, indeed.

After beating a boss you'll be prompted that the stage you just completed has been unlocked for Rainbow Ride. Now what Rainbow Ride has done is taken two sections of a level and set two unique challenges; Time trial and Line trial. Time trial speaks for itself, although there are certain precedents here: you beat the first time, and you get one of those shiny medals I mentioned. You beat the next one, you get another. There are three times to beat, and hence, three medals per level on Rainbow Ride. Line Trial is something very tasty, downright delicious in fact; same scenario as Time trial (except the section of level you are given is different to the Time trial section), only this time the objective is to get to the end using as little ink as possible. Basically, the quantity of ink—in millilitres, you've got to love that—you have to deal with varies depending on the situation; levels where, with ink-conservation firmly in mind, you still can't help but use precious centilitres of ink to get to the goal, are catered to most appropriately. Sometimes you're given a mammoth (seeming) amount of breathing room, but the quantity is always appropriate, if not a little generous in a couple of instances.

The medals I've been referring to are pretty much the currency of this game; you use them to buy the vast majority of extras. In that light, it's a damn good thing that actually getting them is damn fun. I can personally testify to a strange sort of adherence to this game. If at any time my DS is in close proximity and I'm not doing anything important, it's pretty likely I'll pick it up and dive into some medal collecting. The process is subconscious, I swear, but the cause couldn't be more explicit: Canvas Curse is an extremely fun challenge. This game's only true downside is its lack of multiplayer; the closest thing it gets is the ability to search for people using Pictochat. I know. Wondrous, isn't it? But all in all, this game is an experience no DS owner should deprive him or herself of. I strongly advise you buying this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/23/07