Kirby and the Rainbow Curse

Go Nintendo wrote:Kirby: Canvas Curse seems like it came out a million years ago. That DS title was extremely important for Nintendo, as it really showed what types of new gameplay the DS' touch screen could bring to the scene. I remember being absolutely blown away by that game at the time, as I had never played anything like it. There seemed to be a huge swell of support around that title at the time, which is why I was so surprised to see a sequel ignored in the years following.

People sometimes accuse Nintendo of going to the well too many times, but I think they may have left the well a bit untapped with the Canvas Curse mechanics! A few years after I had given up hope for a sequel, Nintendo surprises us with Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. Not only was this a direct sequel to Canvas Curse in terms of gameplay, it also packed in an amazing visual approach. Does Kirby and the Rainbow Curse stand up to the DS outing, or was it better left on a portable?

If you ask me, that all depends on how you play the game and what type of gamer you are. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse falls into the category of easy to pickup, hard to master games. There's a certain flow of gameplay you have to get yourself into when you sit down with the title. I don't mean that as a knock against the game at all. That's actually one of my favorite aspects of it! You have to approach this title in a different way from most games out there, and I fear that fact may be lost on some people. As long as you clear your head and take everything one step at a time, you'll be fine.

As I said, the actual mechanics of Kirby and the Rainbow Curse are very simple. You don't control Kirby as you would in most of his other titles. This time around you either tap him to give him a speed boost along the ground (which also kills enemies), or you draw lines on the touch screen for him to ride along. This is how you move Kirby from area to area, drawing out a 'track' for him to follow from start to finish. Collecting enough stars while out and about will give you the ability to do a super charge attack, but outside of that ability, you've pretty much learned all there is to learn when it comes to controls!

Certainly seems simple enough, doesn't it? The controls aspect is as easy as could be, but becoming proficient with them can take a lot of time and patience. Again, you don't have direct control over Kirby, other than tapping him to make him speed along. It's all about the lines you draw and how you draw them. You'll be drawing lines up, down and all around the screen to get Kirby to go where you want. You'll also draw vertical lines to bounce him off of if he gets close to a ledge or other precarious position. This can all become very frustrating early on in the game, but this is where the point I made above comes into play. You have to have patience to enjoy Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. You have to learn to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run. I don't think all gamers are going to be able to do that. They're going to want to zip through levels and they'll get quite upset when things don't work out according to their plans. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is all about plotting your path ahead and taking your time to get through each level.

You'll see reviews that complain about frustrating controls and lackluster mechanics. I wholeheartedly feel that those reviews are missing the point. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is all about taking your time...taking on a leisurely pace. You're supposed to stop and smell the roses as you play. You have to look at what goodies lie ahead, what paths are paved out and figure out the best way to tackle them. Slow and steady really does win the race here, helping you fall into that delicious rhythm that the game wants you to grind out.

Man, when you hit that sweet spot, it feels oh-so good. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse teaches you to enjoy yourself as you play. It wants you to be graceful with your movements and really wrap your head around the mechanics. In an odd way, it's a lot like The Wonderful 101. Now Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is MUCH easier to play on a base level than TW101, but they do share a similar approach. Both games have unique input methods and both games want you to really learn the nuances of their design. When you do take the time to figure all that out, you're left with a truly engaging experience. 've played very, VERY few games like Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. The more I played, the more I realized just how the design bleeds into every area of the game. Most platformers have short, quick levels that you run through at top speed. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse isn't a traditional platformer, but the ideas are all there. With the design yearning for a more slow-paced approach from the player, you get levels that are quite lengthy and varied. It's not uncommon to spend a good 10 minutes in levels, with even more time spent in them if you're trying to track down all the collectibles.

This deliberate attempt at pacing also ties in very well with the game's visuals, which are some of the best I've ever seen. The claymation approach is one that has been used in a few games before, but I've never seen anything to this fidelity. These clay-style levels in HD are absolutely astounding to look at. Even the animations take on a claymation approach, with fewer frames of animation to give them that realistic feel. This clay style is used expertly throughout the entire game and makes for a visual tour de force. This brings me back to the days of the Neverhood, which I was enamored with years ago. That same attention to detail and whimsical nature is present in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, but it truly glistens in this HD era.

If you take the approach that I believe was intended for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, you should find plenty of fun things to do. There's the main story mode to tackle, a host of other unlockable modes and plenty of goodies to hunt down. All of these extras once again show the developer's intent. They want you to really take your time and explore each level to its fullest. That works SO well with what kind of game this is. You'll get to really appreciate the visuals and also get a better, deeper understanding of how to maneuver about levels. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse continues the recent trend of Kirby games that really offer up something special. Kirby's Return to Dreamland absolutely blew me away. Kirby Triple Deluxe had some fantastic tweaks and additions to the Kirby formula. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse offers up not only a unique way to control Kirby, but an entire different approach for the series. All too often, us gamers spend years talking about games to no end. When those games come out, we blast through them as quickly as possible...and then it's on to the next thing. I know I'm guilty of that and it really is a shame. This is something that developers have spent years finely crafting and we should certainly slow down and enjoy it.

If you're willing to alter your usual gameplay style and take a different approach, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse offers up one of the most enthralling and magical experiences yet for this 'tough cream puff' I completely understand that some people aren't going to vibe with this game. I also know some gamers will avoid this title like the plague due to the cutesy graphics alone. There's also people that won't be willing to alter their usual approach to games to learn something new. That's all well and good. Not every game has to be for everyone. With that said, those people are going to miss out on an absolutely fantastic experience. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse provides an experience that is almost zen in nature, and that's something I'd like to see a lot more from this industry.