"Paint Power!"

Introduction

He's been around since the NES, he's made by the same people who created the must have game Super Smash Brothers Melee, and he has arrived on the Nintendo DS entertainment system! Kirby has returned for yet another exciting adventure that will require pure stylus skill to complete. If you haven't played any other Kirby games, you are in for an exciting time. If you're a Kirby pro, you will be delighted to know that Kirby: Canvas Curse goes above and beyond regular Kirby game play, making it arguably the best Kirby game out to date.

Storyline: 8.1

The Kirby storylines are fairly basic: something happens in or to Dream Land and Kirby has to fix it. Of course, there are variations, but most of the Kirby games follow that general storyline. Kirby: Canvas Curse continues the tradition, but it has a few twists that introduce that all new style of game play available with the Nintendo DS.

Peace was thriving in Dream Land. The inhabitants of Dream Land were all content, peacefully going about their own business. Kirby was also not below enjoying a time of peace, relaxing in the quietness of Dream Land.

But disaster was destined to strike. Drawcia, an evil witch, decided to stir things up in Dream Land. With a magic paintbrush in her hand, Drawcia turned Dream Land into a large painting before escaping into a vortex. Brave Kirby, however, would not be dismayed by the sudden arrival of unfortunate events. With determination, he headed into the vortex to challenge Drawcia.

Unfortunately, he was dealt a crushing defeat. Using the paintbrush, Drawcia turned Kirby into a mere ball and then escaped. With no hope, Kirby could only watch Drawcia disappear as he stood alone in the painting world that the vortex had taken him to.

However, hope was not lost. When Drawcia left, she unknowingly left behind her magic paintbrush. As Kirby took control of the paintbrush, he realized that he could use it to traverse the painting worlds and once again fight Drawcia. With hope restored, Kirby set off on his newest adventure!

Controls: 7.4

This is not a simple category to describe. Kirby: Canvas Curse has many different types of games where you use the touch screen, so it is difficult to discuss each one of them. Fortunately, there is plenty of room is this review to talk about every single aspect of Kirby's controls, including their positive and negative aspects.

First, there is the main game play. Overall, the main game has good controls. Using the stylus, you can tap Kirby to make him dash (or make him use his special ability if he has one), and you can use it to stun enemies, destroy blocks, and interact with the environment. Tapping, however, won't get you where you need to go. If you want to move in all directions, you have to use rainbow lines. It is easy to create rainbow lines; just draw them with your stylus. Kirby will travel along the rainbow lines and shoot off of them if he is going fast enough.

For a 2-D platformer that uses the stylus for all aspects of control, Kirby: Canvas Curse does an excellent job. There are a few negative aspects, however. Perhaps one of the most annoying things about the controls is the many different ways Kirby reacts to the lines. Depending on his speed and angle (it all seems random when you're playing) that Kirby hits a line, he will bounce off of it (which is always frustrating), roll along it, or shoot off of it. Because the factors decided what action Kirby will take are so exact, it is difficult to make Kirby do exactly what you want to do. Sometimes he will shoot off a curve in the line; sometimes he will roll along it, occasionally into spikes or enemies.

The land control has some problems, but when you put it into perspective you will realize that it is well done. The underwater control, on the other hand, is a total nightmare. You will cower in fear whenever you see something aquatic mentioned in the name of the upcoming level. It is horribly perturbing.

When you are underwater, you float (except for a few unique circumstances). To go deeper you have to tap Kirby, which will send him into the depths at a weird angle. It takes forever to get down. The other way to sink is to use rainbow lines. These work well, but Kirby rarely attaches on to them. If you want him to use them, you have to put them above him and curve them downward. Even that does not always work, and if you tap Kirby to make the descent faster, you may find him flying off a line you did not intend for him to fly off.

It is not too troubling to control Kirby underwater. You will not get totally obliterated every time you play a water level because of awful controls. My only complaint about the controls is that there are so many frustrating aspects to underwater controls that you will quickly get very annoyed with the water levels. Be warned, and realize that you will appreciate land a whole lot more after playing this game.

Besides the main game, there are sub games that use the touch screen. They use it fairly well, but there are a few slight control problems. For instance, in one game you need to quickly tap on blocks to damage them. The only problem is that if you tap too quickly, the game will register the tap as a line. Instead of damaging a line of blocks, you may end up with a row full of useless lines.

The controls in Kirby are like a roller coaster (isn't everything these days?). Sometimes they are excellent, sometimes they are decent, and sometimes they are just plain frustrating. The game isn't hard enough to make the slight control problems unbearable, but they are present nonetheless. Just remember that for every bad point there are at least three good points, so don't think that this game's controls are all bad.

Game Play: 7.6

Ah, my favorite section. Game play is the heart of every single video game, making it the most important part of the game. Kirby games have always had great game play, but Kirby: Canvas Curse goes beyond normal game play by using the touch screen. Its game play is much better than its predecessor's.

Game play is introduced in the main game. Most of the levels are basic: you move Kirby around using the stylus, and you try to make it to the goal. The goal, in this case, is a rainbow mirror (or painting; it's difficult to tell). Of course, game play consists of much more than that. During the game Kirby can copy enemies' abilities by defeating them without taking damage. His ability to copy is one of the best parts of the game, and it has been a trademark of the Kirby games for years. Many of the best copy abilities exist in the game, but you will notice that the selection is smaller than it usually is in most Kirby games.

The main game has challenges, enemies, copy abilities, bosses – everything that a good video game should have. A major downfall of the main game is its short length (which is compensated for in other areas; just check out the replay value section). The main game only has twenty-two levels, which are short and easy. Often I feel that a level ends before it even gets started. Since the levels are fairly easy and short, even those with lacking stylus skills will be able to complete the game.

Rainbow Run complements the main game. It uses portions of the main game levels for its challenges, so you will recognize the area that you have to travel through. In Rainbow Run, there are two challenges: line trial and time trial. If you don't know what time trial is, you need to spend more time with video games. Basically, you have to go through a set course as fast as you can.

Line trial is something entirely new. In it you must complete a course using as little rainbow line as possible. Depending on how much rainbow line you have left at the end, you will be awarded one, two, or three medals (more info on medals in the replay section). Tapping on objects and Kirby does not use up lines, so you will want to use tapping as much as possible to complete this mode.

I have one complaint about line trial. Sometimes if you tap the wrong place, tap a little too long, or move the stylus while tapping, it will draw a line instead. That wastes precious ink, which is bad in a game that is so exact. Now, I would not complain about this if it actually made the lines. However, it doesn't. No line is drawn, but ink is wasted. It makes little sense to me. Fortunately, even the hardest line trial challenges are not too difficult, so you can easily conquer the courses.

The above modes of game play are good, but my personal favorites are the sub games. The sub games are bosses in the main game, and after you defeat them you can play them whenever you want. A scoring aspect makes them even better. First, there is a game where you bounce along, defeating enemies and breaking blocks to earn points. It is almost like pinball, but you draw straight lines for Kirby to bounce off. The bouncing gets so crazy sometimes that it is hard to draw a line for Kirby that he actually hits; he will often go through it before you finish drawing or bounce away from it. The challenge may get annoying sometimes, but overall it contributes to the fast paced nature of the sub game.

Next, you get a turn to try your hand at racing King Dedede in a cart. The control is simple -- just move the stylus up or down to go up or down -- but the races are action packed. Besides attempting to win, you will also want to defeat enemies and blocks for additional point. After all, you'll get a score based not only on if you won or not, but also on how well you raced.

Last but best is Paint Panic, my personal favorite. You may think that it is my favorite because it is an amazing complex sub game. It's not. Paint Panic is actually connect-the-dots. No more, no less. Okay, so maybe it's a little more than that, but not much. Paint Roller will paint a line connecting several dots, and you have to draw the same line. If you make a mistake, you will lose points and hasten the journey of the dastardly bombs behind you. Points are awarded for speed, accuracy, and drawing the line without lifting your stylus or making a mistake. Though the game is simple, its adrenaline rushing action makes it one of the better mini-games for the Nintendo DS. I do realize that not everyone finds Paint Panic enjoyable. I think a challenging connect-the-dots game for the DS is great, but not everyone thinks so. In fact, I have a friend that dislikes Paint Panic and thinks I'm crazy for enjoying it. Personally, I don't care. My penmanship will own his when I'm done.

Graphics: 7.2

The controls are decent, the game play is great, but what about the graphics? Basic 2-D. I could stop with that because that's about all the graphics contain. Kirby is 2-D, the environments are in 2-D, and the enemies are in 2-D. The graphics look nice, but they did not take full advantage of the Nintendo DS's 2-D gaming engine. Although the graphics are mediocre, they don't detract from the overall game play.

Sound: 7.6

Kirby: Canvas Curse has music for your ears. Literally. I love the music in Kirby: Canvas Curse! Not only does it sound clear, it is also interesting and relevant to the levels. Each of the 22 levels has its own music, so you never hear the same thing twice (except when you play the same level over again). I will admit that some of the songs do get annoying, but the vast majority of songs are fun to listen to. There's even a sound test so you can listen to them whenever you want!

In the sound effects department there is nothing fancy. You hear Kirby dash, you hear enemies die, you hear blocks break, you hear bombs explode, etc., etc., etc., etc. None of the sound effects in Kirby: Canvas Curse are particularly interesting, and their quality is (Wait a second. You can't have quality, sound effects, and Kirby: Canvas Curse in the same sentence! Error, please disregard). Still, Kirby: Canvas Curse just wouldn't be complete without the sound effects. Besides, no one's paying attention to the sub par sound effects when there's great Kirby music in the background!

Replay Value: 7.2

This is the area that makes or breaks a game. Games with good replay value succeed; games without it don't. I'm here to tell you that Kirby: Canvas Curse does indeed have good replay value. In the main game, there are bronze Kirby medals that you have to find -- 250 in all. Using the medals, you can purchase additional features such as lines, songs, bonus levels, and new characters. The medals are not just in one place; they are spread throughout the game. Since playing the game over and over again to find elusive medals would be no fun, the game developer's made it easy to locate them: each level tells exactly how many medals are located in it and how many you have found. It is so simple, but it works well.

I thoroughly enjoyed how great the replay value was for the game. It was well organized, and they actually had specific tasks for you to complete (mainly earning medals) to fully beat the game. Kirby: Canvas Curse definitely reminded me why HAL was behind the game with the best replay value in the world, Super Smash Brothers Melee. (I realize that's just my opinion, but it should be yours.)

Another good part of the replay value is the different characters that you play as. They are (if you don't mind a few mild spoilers) Waddle Dee, King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Waddle Doo. Five characters in all! That may seem great, but after completing the game 2.8 times you will realize that it is not so great. I enjoy being able to play with more than Kirby (Meta Knight rocks!), but the game gets tedious. The 22 levels, although short, will get boring after you play them over and over again. Unlike Super Mario 64 DS, this isn't a game I can just pick up anytime to replay a completed level. Since there is not much challenge in the game, the levels will quickly get repetitive.

Since you only have to play each challenge once to get its medals (though some you will play more than once), Rainbow Run does not get repetitive. It adds a lot of replay value to the game, as you will spend more than a couple hours playing through all of the various challenges. While a few of the levels are difficult, none of them will force you to replay the game an excessive amount of times to complete.

Finally, there are the sub games. They add the most to the replay value of the game, as they have something that nothing else in the game has: difficult challenges. To earn the medals in the sub games, you need to get at least an A ranking on expert mode. Each of the three sub games has three modes, and on each mode there is a potential score of AAA. It will take a long time to get the medals alone, and adventurous gamers will be inclined to fully complete each sub game. Thanks to racing in carts to connecting-the-dots to bouncing around and destroying blocks and enemies, the sub games are flowing with replay value and entertaining.

Overall, the game has good replay value. HAL is truly to be commended for their order in the replay value; you know exactly what you are supposed to do next, and there are a lot of challenges. Trading in the medals you earn for extra songs, weird lines, new courses, and new characters was also an awesome idea. Unfortunately, with all their organization, HAL didn't deliver completely with Kirby: Canvas Curse. The lack of levels made the game short, and no amount of characters will fully help that, as more characters leads to repetitive levels.

Had this game had new levels for each character, it would have had a knock-out replay value. All in all, the main game, Rainbow Run, and the sub games will get you about 15-25 hours of game play before you get bored of the game or completely beat it. Nowadays, that's a pretty good amount, although the replay value in Kirby: Canvas Curse is not always of the best quality.

Closing

Kirby: Canvas Curse is a great game. It really is. There are times when it becomes tedious, times when it outrageously simple, and times when it truly shines. Yes, it has problems. Most games do. When you look through the negative aspects of the game, however, you can see greatness in a DS game that took several risks and used the touch screen in new and unique ways. Kirby: Canvas Curse is far from perfect, but it offers plenty of game play, value, and innovation. Whether it's worth spending the cash on, that's up to you.

Overall Score: 7.5 of 10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/25/05