Nintendo World Report

Impressions

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One of the most unique ideas for the second screen yet.

Kirby is back, this time on the Nintendo DS. In one of the more bizarre uses for the second screen, Kirby DS uses the touch screen to display the interior of Kirby’s stomach! The inside of Kirby’s stomach is full of stars, as you might expect for that black hole of a digestive system. When Kirby swallows enemies and items, they appear briefly on the lower screen and are immediately vaporized. However, items found in bubbles as well as treasure chests are not absorbed by Kirby’s stomach, and instead remain on the touch screen for future interaction. Popping the bubbles allows the power to be absorbed and Kirby will immediately transform. Interestingly, powers can also be mixed, in a similar manner to Kirby’s Adventure, resulting in a random power. Food items can also be combined into a Maxim Tomato. Treasure chests inhaled by Kirby will remain in his stomach until the end of the level, after which the contents will be unlocked.

Other than the inclusion of his stomach, Kirby DS looks and plays much like the Game Boy Advance versions of Kirby, which isn’t a bad thing. The backgrounds are gorgeous and the characters retain their Kirby charm. At least one power not seen recently makes its return in this game, Ninja. While the game doesn’t even have a name yet, the demo was quite polished and fun, and it will be interesting to see how Kirby’s stomach will come into play when the game is released.