When I played Yoshi Touch & Go, I had a feeling the game was simply the framework for something far grander. The ideas were all solid, the gameplay was smooth, but an entire package wasn’t presented. It felt like such a shame, because the content was perfect for a platforming game, rather than the short-but-sweet arcade challenge it was. I waited several months after Yoshi T&G for a similar game being developed by HAL Studios titled Kirby Canvas Curse. The gameplay seemed similar to that of Yoshi T&G, and it piqued my interest because this was being classified as a platformer.
I wasn’t the only one who felt that Nintendo had their heart in the right place when Yoshi Touch & Go came out, and I wasn’t the only one who drew comparisons to it’s gameplay with Kirby Canvas Curse. I’d like to say that I’m now joining the ranks of those who praise this title for finally putting this gameplay to good use. Kirby Canvas Curse is one of the best platformers to come out in the last five years, maybe longer. The touch-screen is put to use flawlessly, a sizeable amount of content is provided, and a unique platforming experience finally surfaces on the DS.
Royal Rainbow
Kirby Canvas Curse is a platforming title, but it does some key things differently. Similar to a normal platformer (see: Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog) you go across the screen and try to get to a goal. The goal could be the end of the stage, a boss battle, or whatever else might await you when you get there. You avoid pits and spikes, and you also defeat enemies that might get in your way.
Unlike a normal platformer however, Kirby is controlled via the touch-screen. When you want Kirby to go somewhere, you have to draw a rainbow-colored path beneath him and lead him there. He then rides this path to where ever it may lead. If an enemy is in Kirby’s way, you can poke them to stun them and Kirby will run them over. You can also tap Kirby, and he performs a dash attack move that defeats the enemy in front of him.
"... the first original full length title to come out for the system..."
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This rainbow-colored path also has other uses. If you draw a vertical line straight down, it acts as a wall, both reversing Kirby’s direction on contact, and protecting him from enemy projectiles. The thing is the lines you draw aren’t permanent. They really only last a short time, and you have a slightly limited amount of "ink" to draw them with, so it’s up to the player to be cautious not only with where they draw, but how often they do. Luckily, the meter refills automatically, and it refills faster when Kirby is on solid ground.
Kirby Has Fixed His Eating Problem... For Now
Unlike other platforming stalwarts who simply stomp their enemies to death, Kirby takes a more savage route and eats them, or at least he used to in his previous titles. Eating his enemies would sometimes give him the powers of that particular foe. In Canvas Curse he simply needs to run them over in order to get their powers. A few of the powers are stage specific, but most repeat themselves, and not all enemy types provide powers. The powers available provide useful attacks, and some are used in puzzle solving.
"... there’s always a good amount of depth to the tasks presented..."
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The puzzles aren’t particularly complex in Canvas Curse, but they add the right amount of challenge to coexist with the platforming and they’re mixed in smoothly. As the game goes on things get a lot more interesting; there’s always a good amount of depth to the tasks presented, though they’re never overwhelming.
For example, in the underwater stage you have to draw the path for Kirby to travel above him in order to get him to move, since gravity is effectively reversed. It’s a minor detail to be sure, but it also provides that little bit of freshness. Kirby Canvas Curse is full of moments like that, and it’s at those times you realize a lot of thought was put into this title.
Secrets Secrets Are No Fun...
I lied; secrets are very fun, and Cursed Canvas has a decent amount of things for players to find. Hidden in each stage are three medals. It’s up to the player if they want to find these medals. Medals are used for unlocking secrets. You can unlock different colored paths (zebra is one of my favorites), life bar extensions, or even full blown stages and playable characters.
"... there are seventy stages alone in the main game, and that’s not counting the unlockable stages..."
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For the most part the medals are hidden cleverly, but take some skill and thought to access them. However some of the medals I discovered were done so purely by accident, leaving me to wonder how some people would find them. In most cases you can check the map on the top screen to see where a medal is, but some are hidden deeper than that and don’t appear on the map. The map doesn’t show a complete stage view, but a slightly bigger portion than that of what you see on the bottom screen, making it helpful, but not a built-in strategy guide.
Also, after you complete each of the seven worlds available, the "Rainbow Run" for that set of levels is unlocked. The Rainbow Run consists of a time trial for one stage, and a stage where you use as little ink as possible from start to finish. Each challenge has three scores to beat, and beating a score provides a medal, meaning each Rainbow Run section has a total of six medals to unlock. This mode extends the life of the title immensely.
A Whole Game For The DS
With seven worlds that consist of nine sublevels and a boss battle, there are seventy stages alone in the main game, and that’s not counting the unlockable stages or the Rainbow Run, arguably making Kirby Canvas Curse probably the first original full game for the Nintendo DS.
I can’t recommend Kirby Canvas Curse to DS owners enough, but I’d also highly recommend it for platforming fans as well. It’s been a long time coming, but this is the first original full length title to come out for the system that not only provides a full gaming experience, but also uses the touch-screen successfully. It also helps that this is one of the most enjoyable 2D platformers to come out since Yoshi’s Island. If more games like this come out for the DS, it’s possible the system will shed its "gimmick" image and take it’s place among the halls of Nintendo’s respected ventures.
