Kirby’s Canvas Curse - Nintendo DS
It seems a curse has been place on Kirby and he has lost his legs! It is up to you and your stylus to guide Kirby (now reduced to a ball) through 20 or so stages in order to regain his limbs! In Kirby’s Canvas Curse (KCC), control of Kirby is done solely through the use of the stylus. Tap on Kirby to make him spin in one direction or another; on an enemy to stun them; on a wall to make it crumble, etc, etc. Also use the stylus to “paint” lines on the screen to guide Kirby from one objective to another. The control is innovative and generally works very well. There are times that you can get hung up on an object and it can get a little frustrating but all in all the control problems are minor. The level design is pretty straight forward but creative and the graphics are gorgeous. KCC replay hinges on the hunt for coins that are stashed throughout the main game levels and the mini-games. All in all there are 250 coins to collect. You can use these coins to purchase new mini-games, different line color schemes, songs, etc. Mini games include unlocked boss battles such as a racing game that takes place on mine cart; a time trial that pits Kirby against the clock in an attempt to get through levels as fast as you can and perhaps the most challenging mini game; trying to get through a level while using a limited amount of paint.
The main game will take experienced players about 3 to 4 hours to get through but you could play the mini games forever! Before I traded it in I had about 8 hours logged into the game and about half the coins. KCC is a wild ride. You won’t find another game like this anywhere else and the unique DS capabilities really shine through with this game. My only gripe is that I wish the main game was a little longer and the levels a little varied. I found some of the mini-games to be more frustrating then fun and quite frankly, after a couple of hours on the mini-games I was bored. That said, I think some gamers would hold on to KCC for a long time and pick it up now and again. But that isn’t me, play it and trade it! If you own a DS, get this game. If you don’t own a DS, then buy one so you can play this game! All in all a superb effort!
A-
Boston
Next Review: Far Cry Instincts