Kirby Squeak Squad

"Corran450's Review Series Vol. 4: Kirby: Squeak Squad"

Just a quick one...

Anyone who's ever played a Kirby game knows what to expect: Lots of different weapons and abilities, bright colors, perky music, innocuous-looking enemies, and a story containing absolutely no depth whatsoever. Kirby: Squeak Squad does not buck this trend. The game lacks originality, it's true, but to quote an old adage, “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.” The Kirby formula is as fun as ever, and is just as polished and well-executed as previous entries in the series.

Gameplay:
As I said before, Kirby: Squeak Squad doesn't meddle much with the established and much-loved formula of previous games. Basically it returns to the simple, yet addicting gameplay of Kirby's Adventure (NES, released as ‘Nightmare in Dreamland' for GBA). Kirby sucks in enemies and swallows them to copy their abilities. Not all enemies have abilities to copy, but there are dozens of abilities to be found, including new abilities created just for this game. This adds a huge amount of fun to the game, as you can pick and choose your favorites, and enemies are by no means in short supply.

New to DS is the ability to hold weapons or items in Kirby's stomach for later use. Also, in place of the secret detonators of ‘Nightmare' that revealed secret areas of the map, you have treasure chests that must be found to unlock secret levels, or expand weapon abilities. Each level contains up to three chests, one of which you will have to battle for with a member of the Squeak Squad.

Story:
Kirby sits down one day to enjoy a delicious piece of Strawberry Cheesecake, when suddenly, it disappears! Somebody stole his cake! Enter the Squeak Squad, a group of dastardly mice who are stealing everything in Dreamland that isn't bolted down. So Kirby embarks on a quest to find his cake and bring the thieves to justice!

...I know, it's thin. But you don't really play Kirby games for their epic storylines.

Graphics:
The graphics of Squeak Squad are virtually identical to the GBA Kirby. Colors are bright and vibrant, and enemies are varied and distinctive. The story is told using colorful still frames. The game is definitely marketed towards a younger crowd, but those of us who enjoyed the earlier games in the series will feel a bit nostalgic playing this. Certainly the DS is more than up to the task of displaying this game as there is absolutely no slowdown or lag from the processor.

Sound:
In keeping with established traditions of the series, Kirby: Squeak Squad's music is upbeat and engaging. You might catch yourself humming along with classic tracks or even tapping your toes at a new one. One of the unlockable features is a sound player with music and sound effect tracks to listen to at your leisure. I really enjoy the music in this game. It's fun and well-suited to the genre.

Sound effects are quite familiar, in fact often identical to previous iterations. They have their nostalgic qualities as well, but are mostly forgettable.

Play Time/Replayability:
This game is pretty short, as well as being pretty easy. The reason for this is obvious: this game is intended for younger audiences. However, this doesn't mean the older gamer won't derive any enjoyment out of it. Experienced gamers can knock this game out in less than 5 hours, so it's a great game to kill a Saturday with.

The secret chests add replayability to the game, especially since some of the later ones can get kinda tricky, and there are special modes to unlock, but a game this short is inherently replayable, simply because it is so short that someone who needs a time-killer for a couple of hours can still get the feeling of accomplishment from beating it. Also, the gameplay is a lot of fun. Try beating it using only one weapon!

Final Recommendation:
Buy or Rent? I'd probably rent it, if it's available, simply because it won't take you long to master it. But the game is a lot of fun, despite it's kiddy coating and short playtime. If you like Kirby, you probably already have it anyways. 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/08

Game Release: Kirby Squeak Squad (US, 12/06/06)