Revolutionary - Innovative, without feeling gimmicky
Though actually happens to indicate why in the game (not that it really matters), in this installment in the Kirby series, the little pink ball has become, well, a little pink ball; having lost his arms and legs, Kirby now rolls through the various areas he is charged with conquering, and it's up to you, the player, to use the "magic brush" to aid Kirby by creating magical rainbow paths, shields etc ti aid him with the challenges he faces. For those of you who may automatically assume this is a kids game, don't misunderstand; this is a wholly challenging game, and by ignoring it on the grounds of its cutesiness (which, I'll admit, I found a bit grating, especially the knaff music), you will miss out on an entirely new gameplay experience.
For that's what Kirby is; a very new experience. While Yoshi: Touch and Go created the idea, Kirby: Canvas Curse actually makes a good game out of it. It's by no means a perfect game; the music and sound effects are annoying, the graphics aren't any better than they need to be, and sometimes the stylus, not the game itself, can be what creates difficulty (mostly for those with clumsy hands such as I), but for every niggling flaw, there are many things to love about it.
I won't bore you with the details, but the best thing about this game is that nothing Kirby does feels gimmicky; all of his movements and abilities have a definite purpose, and each of his skills are useful and, most importantly, never feel tired or gimmicky. Additionally, the difficulty curve from one level to the next is as near to flawless as I've seen in a game, each of the various levels has its own unique feel and texture, and the boss battles require lightning reflexes, and occasionally even thorough forethought. The enemies our adorable friend faces are mostly unique, and animate quite humourously when stunned and defeated.
For me, what defines a truly fantastic game is when I continually die, yet I don't want to hurl the controller/console across the room in a wild rage. As this game fits that expectation, all I can say is this - buy this game, play it and love it.