"A truly excellent new way of integrating platforming and touch-screen gameplay. That is one sentence I thought I'd never write, but HAL did it!"

I've always enjoyed the Kirby series, though I've only played the real platformers, not the spinoffs which star Kirby in racing, puzzles, pinball, or what have you. When I picked Kirby: Canvas Curse up this summer, I was currently finished with Super Mario 64 DS and WarioWare Touched!, and needless to say, I was beginning to need a new game to entertain me. I honestly had no idea what to expect from Kirby: Canvas Curse, but I've been a fan of the Kirby series, and seriously, how badly can you mess up a 2-D Kirby platformer? Thankfully, the answer was 'Not very', and Kirby instantly engrossed me.

Graphics-10/10
The graphics here more resemble a good-looking Game Boy Advance game, but this is not a bad thing, considering the high quality of graphics in Nightmare in Dreamland and The Amazing Mirror, the obvious inspirations for the fanciful 2-D backgrounds and scenes. This is plainly superb, and most of all, the backgrounds look like what they're supposed to be. The volcano and space stages are certainly the fortes here, but most of the others will not disappoint you.

Furthermore, Kirby and his enemies lost no features in this jump to 2-D, as all of the enemies, from Waddle Dee to the final boss Drawcia look excellent and are suprebly animated. Special effects are also done nicely, as every burst of flame looks realistic, and bubbles gently slide along the screen in the underwater levels. Finally, these graphics are easy on the eyes, which is another plus.

Sound/Music-9/10
As you may expect from a Kirby game, you will see barrages of music and sounds, some original themes unique to this game, and others will be classic Kirby tunes. Whether the themes are circa Super Nintendo era or 2005, you won't be disappointed by what you here. The music suits the stages, which is the most important of all. Sound effects are also done nicely, but that is not nearly as important as the music, in my opinion.

Gameplay/Replay Value-9/10
Obviously, gameplay is the most important facet that the developers must perfect in a platforming game, and luckily HAL delivers with a low learning curve, though the player will have to deal with a suprisingly high difficulty level in Canvas Curse.

The game basically involves the player drawing paths for Kirby to travel on with the stylus, as well as several other functions, but first let's cover the path-making part. You have a limited amount of ink at your disposal for you to draw the paths. Ink regenerates when you are on solid ground, but that makes the levels with very little of the aforementioned solid ground more difficult then usual. You can send Kirby flying with a well-drawn curve, which allows the pink mascot to get over barriers and clear bottomless pits. There are also other functions, as I previously mentioned. You must tap Kirby to dash, and tap the enemies to stun them. Hit the enemies to be able to harness their power, utilizing the copy abillity that Kirby is so famous for.

The player can activate the power by simply tapping Kirby, as the power replaces Kirby's dash. That leads me to an important point. Why, in a difficult platform game in which everything, seen and unseen, is trying to kill you consistently, would you remove a power with a single hit? At least give us one more chance before we lose the power, as they are often impossible to get back, as the enemies don't seem to respawn in Canvas Curse. Also, there aren't as many powers as in previous games, albeit powers like Sword and Cutter would be difficult to utilize with a touchscreen. At least there is enough variety to keep things in check.

One touch I like would be the end of level boss minigames, in which the player must square off with either Kracko, King Dedede, or Paint Roller, each in a unique way. Kracko's minigames are the most similar to the normal game, in which the player navigates a short upwards area, then uses the touchscreen to inflict damage on Kracko by ramming into him when he is vulnerable. The King Dedede game involves a flatout race in which Kirby must avoid obstacles and collect food to win. Finally, Paint Roller's minigames require the player to sketch a pattern, ranging from the simple(a triangle) to the more difficult(a six pointed star). Although a bit more variety would be nice, this is certainly nothing to sneeze at, and you will probably enjoy the boss minigames.

Furthermore, there is insane replay value. The well-designed, yet at some points sadistic, levels have numerous medals, not unlike the Crystal Shards in Kirby 64(though they play no significance in the storyline) scattered about them, which are used for unlocking new features. And by new features, I mean a multitude of features, including different graphical designs for your ink, new characters, including King Dedede, Waddle Dee, Waddle Doo, and Metaknight, all of them Kirby mainstays. It is possible to play the main game with these new characters. Most of your medals will be unlocked by either finding them in courses, or beating certain time/ink challenges. The time challenge forces you to beat a course in as little time as possible, and ink is the same, only you have unlimited time but a severe limit on the amount of ink you can expend, both of which pose significant challenges.

Unfortunately, Kirby: Canvas Curse lacks any form of multiplayer, which is a shame, as the game could definitely benefit from some more options after conquest of the main game and all of the unlockables.

Overall, Kirby: Canvas Curse is a superb platformer, and definitely one of the best games available on the DS. It may not have the depth of Castlevania or the addictiveness of Meteos, but it is a strong platformer on its own, and certainly pushes an innovative control scheme.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/15/06