Apart from being solely reliant on the touch screen, the gameplay of Kirby: Canvas Curse is actually quite varied, with switches to trip, rapidly raising floors to avoid and pitch-dark rooms to navigate, among other things. You’ll use the stylus to tap and stun enemies so Kirby can smack into them, though, with the ones that Kirby can actually absorb a special ability from, I think it is worth mentioning that Kirby no longer swallows his enemies. Now, I’m not sure if our pal Kirby is just trying to watch his weight, or if this is something to help benefit Nintendo’s own image (I mean, you must admit, the whole concept does have certain connotations) or what, but it just seems wrong. A Kirby who doesn’t swallow is like a Castlevania without whips...Oh, that’s right, Sorrow games, I’m coming for you! In Kirby: Canvas Curse, you may also discover a new way to fight a boss battle: mini-games. I am by no means the means the most worldly of people, but I have to say, that was new to me. In addition to painting paths for Kirby, there are also times when you’ll need to paint them in order to protect him, such as from a laser, a cannon, a pit of spikes, sudden drop-offs, etc. This is where I ran into another problem with the game. As you draw all these lines, the special “Ink Gauge” I mentioned above will drain and, once it’s empty, you can no longer draw any lines, leaving you in quite a sticky situation some of the time. Now, while this might seem like a natural stigma for this sort of game, what bothers me is that it slowly refills once you stop using it. I know, I know, I get that it’s a magic paintbrush, but if it’s so magical, how come it gets drain at all? It just seems to me that, if you are going to have an Ink Gauge that need refill the magic paintbrush, there should at least be a reason for it. You should at least have to collect inkwells or, better yet, your ink should refill when you destroy enemies. I mean, you are in a painting...which brings me to my next topic.
Without debate, the graphics in Kirby: Canvas Curse are wonderful. There are lots of great, subtle effects, that you may not notice at first, but once you move on to another side scroller, will become painfully obvious. For example, when an enemy, or even Kirby, gets hit, they all make this great, cartoon-like expression reminiscent of Bill the Cat (who most of you would probably know best from, say, birthday cards or some such stuff, where he is usually with the penguin Opus). All in all, they’re vibrant and alive and sometimes not befitting a painting at all. When I think back on Kirby: Canvas Curse, I can’t help but think how great it would have been to have some more painting-like effects or, for that matter, themes. Imagine a level based on those great Japanese watercolor paintings from long ago, the kind where the mountains and trees were made by single, long and flowing strokes. It would have been nice to see more themes like that and, to go with it, some effects with the paths you draw, like having them run in a watercolor-themed world. However, as it was, a few styles of painting were represented in the game, and the fact that the rest were simply standard videogame filler didn’t hurt the game at all really. And, since I really don’t have too much to say on the topic, I’ll just go ahead and add that the music and sound effects of Kirby: Canvas Curse are nothing to either impress or disappoint and are just typical Kirby fare.
For those of you looking for some long term gaming, I think I should tell you that Kirby: Canvas Curse only has seven worlds, 11 copy abilities and no multiplayer (though it does let you turn on a PictoChat Search option that will alert you when someone is nearby and let you quit your game in favor of scribbling little notes to one another). However, that said, I should also tell you that Kirby: Canvas Curse has amazing replay value! As you play Kirby, you should be looking for the medallion hidden on each level and, as you save them up, you can take them into the Medal Swap area and unlock loads of crazy and fun things. You can unlock music, and different colors for you paintbrush to draw paths in, health boosts, special course and even extra characters! After you beat them a certain amount of times, the boss level mini-games I spoke of earlier become available for play outside the main game. And, after you clear stages in the main game, they too become available for replay in the Rainbow Run mode. In Rainbow Run you can retry the courses in either Time Trial, which I think is pretty self explanatory, or Line Trial, in which you try to finish the course using as little ink as possible and with only a finite amount in the gauge to begin with.
Bottom Line:
Even with a somewhat lackluster, means-to-an-end story, limited levels and abilities, Kirby: Canvas Curse should have no trouble keeping you busy long after the main story mode. A step away from some of the past games in the series, this game remains a must have for Kirby fans; a great way for Kirby to garner some new ones and it’s the reason to own a DS.
The sound may be somewhat sub par, and the graphics, however nuanced, still that of a side scroller, but it’s the gameplay that makes this game a winner. More than just jumping from platform to platform and collecting items, Kirby: Canvas Curse really brings you into the game, making you more important than ever...even if only to keep Kirby from suddenly rolling off the edge of a cliff. I could easily see a game of this caliber translating to the Nintendo Revolution and, in fact, I hope it does, for it would certainly guarantee the system a hit!
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
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| 8.0 |
Posted: 2006-02-20 12:18:05 PST