A classic Kirby game, although not as good as Kirby Superstar.
For Nintendo DS
Kirby Canvas Curse was one of the first games for the DS that really showed the potential of its innovative touch screen, since the entire game was controlled by drawing lines for Kirby to ride on. After its success, however, Nintendo decided to go back to Kirby’s classic platforming roots. The touch screen is only used slightly in the game.
The game begins with Kirby sitting down to eat a delicious piece of strawberry shortcake, when suddenly it is swiped away by the Squeaks, a group of mice bandits. Kirby sets out on a mission to get his cake back. Like most Nintendo games, the story is not that deep.
The gameplay is like all of the other kirby games (except for Canvas Curse). The player must navigate Kirby through over 40 various levels. Kirby can inhale other enemies and copy their ability. When this happens, Kirby will have on a certain cap to represent that ability. The player also has to find various treasure chests along the levels that unlock secret items, which vary from bonus stages to changing Kirby’s color. When all the chests are collected, an extra mode will be unlocked. What is it? Play through to find out!
One of the new features of Kirby: Squeak Squad is the ability to hold up to 5 items in Kirby’s stomach, which is shown in the bottom screen. Players can tap an ability in a bubble to use it, or mix abilities together for a completely new one. However, the disapponting part of this is that most ability mixes just create a different ability. It doesn’t create a unique blend of the two like in Kirby: The Crystal Shards. The only three ability mixtures are the fire, ice, and lightning swords, which really aren’t that great. Food can also be mixed together for more energy. The player just has to tap the item to use it or drag two together to mix it. Food, chests, powerups, and other items are stored this way.
The graphics are very sharp and clear for this game, with gorgeous 2-D stages that contain lots of detail, like falling snow and water in the ice world and the scorching fire in the lava world. Kirby’s hats look great, as do the enemies.
The sound is what one would expect from a Kirby game. It really reflects the tone of the stage and is really happy and upbeat. Of course, there are some classic Kirby songs thrown in for nostalgia, which is sure to make classic gamers happy.
Overall, Kirby Squeak Squad is a very solid platformer for the Nintendo DS, the best out there in my opinion. It’s not quite as good as Kirby Superstar, mainly because there are only a few attacks per ability, (wheras Kirby Superstar had tons). The cheery atmosphere it provides and brilliant gameplay makes this game one to check out.