Kirby: Canvas Curse for Nintendo DS Reviews by Gamers

Earlier this year, Yoshi Touch & Go introduced the concept of a side-scrolling platform design in a touch-sensitive control mechanic. As successful as the game was in its completed form, it was an unbelievable tease due to the fact that it wasn't a full-blown production, at least in a contemporary sense. Without the usual beginning-middle-end structure, this more arcade-style of game design felt hollow to gamers expecting more out of their gaming buck. To those people, I say this: let me introduce you to the excellent Kirby Canvas Curse experience.

Kirby Canvas Curse is one of the first platform games to take away traditional control over their on-screen character, yet at the same time give these players an entirely new way of maneuvering around the world. Kirby's lost the use of his legs due to the Canvas Curse, having been turned into a ball permanently in this original adventure. Here, players must guide the spherical hero through eight worlds of three levels each using nothing but the power of the Nintendo DS stylus and the wonders of the touch screen technology. And believe it or not, it works incredibly well; the game is among the few titles on the system that could never be done without the touch function because it's been integrated so well into its design. What's more, it makes the game incredibly unique and amazingly fun to play.

Kirby, in his new, balled up form, moves with the environment with relatively accurate physics; all players can do is help him along the way. Tapping on the little guy will cause him to zip in the direction he's already moving, giving him momentum to make it through the hills and platforms in the levels he inhabits. The power of movement comes from the ability to paint rainbow roads anywhere on the screen; if Kirby rolls onto one of your created paint strokes, he will follow its path as precisely as he can. Drawing vertical lines in his path can act as walls to stop his progress, which is absolutely necessary to prevent the little guy from rolling into harm's way. And believe me: there's plenty out there to cause damage to our pink hero.

Each level of a world is laid out in segmented fashion, each having at least three portions to the challenge. Within these levels, players will encounter the traditional Kirby enemies; Kirby can take them out if the player can make him speed up to a "boosting" rate, or if he's not boosting, players can stun enemies temporarily by tapping on the bad guys and letting Kirby run into them while they're dazed. Some enemies hold onto specific powers that Kirby can acquire and utilize; a Spark ability for example, will enable Kirby to send out a shower of electricity in 360 degree fashion. A Tire power-up can turn the little guy into a speeding wheel to zip along paths and bash into destructible environments. A Bubble pick-up will inflate Kirby and let him float and bounce around the levels. These power-ups give Kirby (and players) the upper hand against enemies in a level, as well as give a lot of variety in controlling the little guy. But, more importantly, they're also used to gain access to much more hard-to-reach areas.

The task isn't just to get through the level; if that's all that was involved, the game would be over very, very quickly. Tucked away throughout each level in a world are three bronze coins. These coins vary in difficulty to acquire; in some cases, they're completely out in the open. In others, players will have to find the "trick" that will open up the path to scoop up the token. These coins have much more value than bragging rights, because they can be spent outside the main game to acquire extras, such as new game modes and extra Kirby abilities. If you don't score the tokens, you won't see everything Canvas Curse has to offer, and it's these coins that really increase the replay value of the adventure.

The power of the touch-screen brush isn't just used as a guide for Kirby, it also has the function to protect Kirby from specific harm. The rainbow streaks have the ability to block enemy projectiles as well as shield Kirby from powerful wind gusts, so the skill involved is way more than in creating pretty pathways. It's all in looking ahead and seeing what needs to be done before Kirby gets there. There's a surprising amount of depth in these level designs, and even when you think you've seen everything, each world seems to offer something more clever than the last.

And as untraditional as the main game is, boss battles are even moreso. At the end of each of the three levels within the world, players can choose to battle one of three different and familiar enemy characters in a unique touch-screen design. These are more "mini-game" challenges than they are standard battles...or at least what's expected for an End of World Battle in a platform game. Which is why it's not surprising that these battles unlock specific game modes after playing through each one twice.

Even when you're finished a world, it's not complete. The developers really poured a lot of replay value into Kirby Canvas Curse by creating multiple gameplay challenges for each of the levels once they're completed the first time. Time Trial really puts players painting and Kirby-tapping skills to the test, forcing them to reach a designated exit in a level in a set amount of time without the use of the upper-screen's map. Line Trial is an even more unique take, as players have only a set amount of painting fluid to get players to the designated exit. Both of these modes reward players with coins if they're successfully performed.

There's so much gameplay in Kirby Canvas Curse that it's almost unfair in making the one real complaint about the product: there's no multiplayer mode in the production. This game pushes nearly every aspect of the Nintendo DS platform, and yet doesn't push the wireless connectivity support. Seeing some sort of competitive or cooperative mode in this already excellent and creative platformer would have seriously rocked.

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