Kirby sucks—and this time, I actually mean it.While Super Mario will always be my bread and butter, I've always had a sweet spot for Hal's little cream puff. Whether it's a platformer, a puzzler, or something in-between, Kirby games are usually good times. While
Kirby Air Ride had its ups and downs,
Kirby and the Amazing Mirror introduced an unprecedented degree of non-linearity for the series, and
Canvas Curse was the first quality, original title for Nintendo DS. Sadly, the series falls flat on its face in Kirby: Sqeak Squad, lacking any semblance of depth or exploration.
In Squeak Squad, Kirby must chase after a group of intergalactic mice known as the Squeaks, who are bent on stealing the land's treasures and sweets for themselves. Kirby has his usual arsenal of powers to copy, as well his trusty stomach. In fact, Kirby can now hold up to five items in his tummy, ranging from undigested powers to treasure chests. The touch screen, which displays Kirby's belly, allows players to select an item to digest or regurgitate (which is useful when full).
With Kirby's enhanced intestinal track, you'd think Squeak Squad would require careful collection of powers to reach secret areas. Well, forget it—the belly is a shallow gimmick construed to justify Squeak Squad's existence on the DS. Indeed, long-time Kirby fans will quickly lose interest in the simple level designs, which go through the motions but provide little challenge. Squeak Squad is most closely modeled after Kirby's Adventure (a.k.a. Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland), only easier. Levels contain anywhere from one to three treasure chests, which Kirby will open upon the stage's completion. Many lie out in the open for the taking; if a certain power is needed to retrieve the chest, it can usually be found on the very same screen or, at best, slightly earlier in the stage. The Squeaks guard larger chests and will attempt to take the booty into their hideout. Usually, Kirby can snag the prize and dash to the stage goal without a fight, but if the Squeaks manage to drag a box to their hideout, Kirby will have to enter and rough 'em up. Either way, the rodents are pushovers.
Frankly, Kirby's special powers are the game's only saving grace for players old enough to appreciate level design. Whether swinging a sword, throwing ninja stars, or breathing fire, Kirby has a solid set of moves, and the extra abilities for those powers found in treasure chests build upon them. Of course, this game is freeloading off well-crafted games such as Kirby Super Star and Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, downgrading this plus to a throwaway.
It saddens me to give a Kirby platformer such a lukewarm review, but Squeak Squad's underused powers, severely obtuse puzzles, and marginal variety sets the series back over a decade. After Flagship's quality work on Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, Squeak Squad comes as a complete shock. I can only hope the stupefying of this series was deliberate and will be swiftly reversed.
Pros:
Kirby's powers are still fun Decent boss battles Cons: No interesting new powers (and some are missing) Recycled graphics and sound Almost no exploration or challenge Low difficulty makes it short, even for a Kirby game Graphics: 7.0 The recycled GBA graphics are a bit bland after Canvas Curse, but they do the job. The crude, static backgrounds represent Nintendo and Flagship's laziness.
Sound: 6.5 The Kirby rearrangements from Nightmare in Dreamland sounded great in 2002, but it's time to stop rehashing them. Some of the new songs are great, while painful instrument samples ruin others.
Control: 8.0 Kirby and his powers handle well, mostly thanks to his prior two GBA games, but I really don't appreciate having to abandon the face buttons for uninteresting touch screen support. The multiplayer sub-games make decent use of the touch screen.
Gameplay: 6.0 This is a far cry from the Kirby I know and love. Players will initially have fun just because Kirby's powers are so awesome, but three hours with the game will reveal Squeak Squad's poor level design, which offers almost no challenge for experienced gamers.
Lastability: 3.0
My save file reached 100% in fewer than six hours, and even then the last hour felt like a chore. The multiplayer touch screen-based sub-games aren't very fun—at least not against computers—but the time trial mode may provide some entertainment.
Final: 6.0
Kirby games are made for players of lower skill, but they should also provide completionists with room for challenge and discovery. Wielding Kirby's arsenal of powers is always fun, but Squeak Squad's shallow design dismisses what made prior entries great for all ages, squarely targeting viewers of the equally mindless anime.
Topic: REVIEWS: Kirby Squeak Squad (Read 7244 times)
