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The Lowdown
Pros: An old styled platform game re-invented with the DS in mind.
Cons: Just seven levels long, with most of the fun coming from playing
them over again.
 Purchase
at Play-Asia
 Purchase
at Lik-Sang
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OK you early DS adopters we feel your pain. You've seen them now, those
shiny new PSPs boasting original games like Lumines and Metal Gear Acid.
You may think you have sunk your money in the wrong portable, but when
all hope is lost there's a surprise out there. Just in time for the US
PSP launch Nintendo pushes out Touch! Kirby's Magic Paintbrush for the
DS. While it may not look as amazing as Ridge Racer for the PSP, Touch!
Kirby's Magic Paintbrush (aka Kirby Canvas Curse in the US) has more
innovation and fun than most handheld titles out there.The pink
puffball that you love has an all new adventure, that's designed with
the DS in mind. Instead of making him fly around with the D pad, you're
going to be doing everything on the touch screen. Kind of like Catch!
Touch! Yoshi! Kirby will naturally roll on screen. Unlike that game you
can actually move around and explore levels. By cleverly using your
magic paintbrush you can draw rainbows to help direct Kirby's movement.
If there's a giant pit up ahead, make a rainbow bridge so Kirby can
cross. If a pesky laser is blocking you use a rainbow to block it. Once
you get a hang of drawing rainbows you'll essentially make a track that
Kirby will move on. One cool thing about the rainbow road you make is
that it's gravity defying. Making a loop will have Kirby latch on to the
rainbow upside down. It's a pretty neat and essential trick to master.
You don't have an unlimited amount of rainbow ink. After about 3/4 of a
the width of the touch screen you'll run out of ink. In this time you'll
have to wait a few seconds for your ink to recharge. This is a pretty
good balance because it prevents players from randomly rainbows on
screen.
It wouldn't be a complete Kirby game without getting powers from
other enemies. Of course in Touch! Kirby you'll be able to get steal
skills from enemies, but you can't just eat them anymore. First you'll
have to poke them with the stylus. Next you'll have to have Kirby run
into them. Most enemies don't have powers to offer Kirby. Those that do
offer Kirby awesome powers. The spark ability has been given a huge
boost. It shoots a huge blast of electricity upwards, demolishing blocks
and enemies above. The familiar stone ability still makes Kirby fall to
the ground as a boulder. While you can use this to stomp on enemies it
has other uses, like letting a pluffy Kirby sink to the bottom of the
ocean. The flame ability has a double use too. It can be used to torch
enemies, but it also allows Kirby to do a longer air dash across gaps.
Any of the abilities can come to a quick end if Kirby is hit or the
stage ends.
Creative use of Kirby's abilities isn't really necessary to complete
the early stages. However, if you want to take part in the most
addictive part of the game, medal collecting, you'll need to do so.
Scattered in every stage are gold King Dee Dee medals. Collecting medals
will offer you awards like new songs and even the ability to play as
King Dee Dee. If you want to unlock everything there is quite a bit to
search for.
There are seven level over all, each with a different theme. For
instance there is the futuristic Neo Geneo world that acts like a huge
pinball machine. Ieras Adventure has a ruins feel to it with plenty of
underwater regions to explore. Whether you're challenging the classic
Kirby inspired Reddy Land or exploring Aronge Volley the game flows the
same way. You'll play through three stages, with the last one containing
a boss mini game. Beating the boss mini game successfully opens up a new
area to explore. You'll get a choice of three mini games to complete.
One of the mini games plays like the trampoline boss stage from Wario
Ware DS. You'll draw little trampolines for Kirby to bounce on to move
Kirby the level. Another game is like Simon Says drawing. You'll see a
couple of dots on screen and you'll have to connect them the same way
you saw them drawn. Early on the mini games are simple, but as you play
them over and over they level up. Essentially making a fair learning
curve.
Kirby Canvas Curse looks more like a Game Boy Advance title than a
DS game. There's no impressive 3D graphics, huge polygon count or
anything that will make it showcase the system. However, you have to
give credit to Hal Labs for making a story book styled game. The world
has a cute hand drawn feel to it, even if gamers may criticize it for
being overly cute. Every game out there doesn't need to have dark
scenery to be cool. Kirby defiantly proves this right, so don't judge
this game as childish by a glance at the pastel colors.
If you have a Nintendo DS you should pick up Kirby Canvas Curse.
This game showcases a unique title that's designed for the DS. Best of
all it's genuinely fun to play. It's not some technical demo, like a few
other DS titles out there. Everyone from the hardcore FPS frag machine
to a person who strayed away from games all their life can pick up
Touch! Kirby. Being universally enjoyable is just another benefit,
making this one of the best DS games to date.
There are Japanese menus to navigate through, but a few menus do offer
a little English text. The main menu that
gamers will be concerned with is the menu for unlocks. If you
don't know Japanese you won't know what you're unlocking, a minor
problem really. The actual
game is easy to learn and easy to play irregardless of language.
US Bound?
A US release is scheduled for June 20th under the name Kirby Canvas
Curse.
Overall
Honestly, this is one of the few games that actually tries to use the
DS' unique abilities. On top of that the game is really enjoyable from,
even if it's short and maybe too "cute" for some gamers.
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