Mini-review: Kirby Canvas Curse

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 5:01 am

The US release of this one came out today, and I've had a little time to play it now. So far, it seems a little slower in pace than Yoshi Touch and Go, but is definitely more refined, and there's more substance to it. The stylus control is very easy to use, nd you should have little trouble getting Kirby around the levels. I haven't played far into it, but from what I've heard, there are eight areas with three levels apiece, for a total of 24, which seems a little short, especially compared to some of the other Kirby games which may have three times that number. The reviews I've seen indicate that there's a fair amount of replayability to the levels. You'll probably only see a small portion of each level on the first time through anyway. Later on as you clear the areas, you'll be able to go back and do either time trials (fastest time through) or Line Trials (try to get through with the least lines used.)

I'll try to post some more thorough impressions later, but so far this seems like another rather interesting game for the DS. I'll probably end up playing it for something with a slower pace.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 7:41 am

I got this about a month after I got Yoshi's.... didn't touch Yoshi's again. This blows it out of the water on just about all fronts. After I completed the game, I was only around the 50% completion mark... and I had done about half the time and line trials.

Great game... get it. It makes the DS worth having. Fun as balls.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 2:21 pm

Hey guys, how are the boss battles?

24 levels? That's not short, that's a nice full game even if it's shorter than other Kirby games. Craig Harris's review on IGN DS has me anticipating this big time.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 2:56 am

The Boss Battles aren't too bad. They're not super challenging... fine I would say. Get the game. It rocks.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 3:51 am

The one boss battle I've done so far was interesting, but a bit hard to control. I haven't actually played this any more since I wrote stuff yesterday, as I ended up putting Meteos back in. This is more a testament to the fact that Meteos absolutely rocks than it is that I'm getting bored with this one. I'll spend some more time on this tonight. With Meteos coming in a couple of weeks to the US, the DS will finally start getting some more of its must-have titles over here soon.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:38 am

I just want to know why in the name of all that is %$#@! unholy hasn't Nintendo thought of releasing a conversion of the N64 Zelda on the DS. They could do it with Mario 64, what's wrong with Zelda on the DS???

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:41 am

Specineff wrote:I just want to know why in the name of all that is %$#@! unholy hasn't Nintendo thought of releasing a conversion of the N64 Zelda on the DS. They could do it with Mario 64, what's wrong with Zelda on the DS???

Just wait till November...

sethsez · Post by **sethsez** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 4:43 am

They probably HAVE thought of it and just haven't gotten around to it yet. The thing hasn't even been out for a year yet.

Besides, OoT already exists in two forms on the Gamecube, and was given out for free both times.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Wed Jun 15, 2005 6:56 pm

A question about porting N64 games (specifically Goldeneye) was asked in the latest mailbag over at IGN DS (Link) and this was the answer:

We were thinking of this possibility months before the Nintendo DS system came out. The problem is that it's a licensing nightmare, and the game would still have to be programmed from scratch. The Nintendo DS isn't some sort of magical handheld box that can port Nintendo 64 games quickly...a development team still has to do all the hard programming in order to get it to work. It's a nice dream, but it'll probably stay a dream.

-- Craig

I take that to mean that N64 games are no easier to bring to the DS than anything else.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 8:21 am

I've now gone most of the way through the main game now, and I'm now finding that rather than playing the main game, I find myself spending a lot of time on the Paint Panic minigame. The short version is that you are given different shapes which you have to draw on screen (think manic connect-the-dots), and you get points based on how quickly and how accurately you draw. You also lose points for mistakes, and you're also being chased by a bunch of walking bombs... Of the three "boss fight" stages, I'd say this is the best of them. I don't know hoq much time I'll spend on this once I've finished the main game, but it's not a bad game, and it's certainly better than Touch-and-Go. Even so, I'm still finding it a little shower paced than I'd like, but that may be because I seem to be comparing it to Meteos.

There's a sample on the game's website that'll give you some idea of Paint Panic, although it works a lot better on the DS, of course.

tsunami0ne · Post by **tsunami0ne** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 12:15 am

This game's OK, everyone seems to be overhyping it a tad. It's an above average game, but the problem is that the time trials/ink trials aren't that hard and that overall, the most of the game's levels feel tacked on (there are a few really good levels, but that's it) I personally thought the boss levels were lame.

But still, the idea is good, and I really love the pinball-ish physics... but I'd rather spend my time with Meteos... I will probably be selling it soon in Soouthern CAlifornia if anyone is interested. ($25)

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 12:43 am

My general feeling on the game now is that it just plays too slowly. This tends to make it feel like more of a puzzle game than an action game, and although it's definitely better than Yoshi TnG, I just don't see it having quite the replay value some of the reviews seem to give it. Something like this seems like it would be perfect for some Sonic-like speed segments, and some big flying jumps (one other part I quite like is the Dash Jump segment at the end of each level, although there seems not to be any way to unlock it as a minigame.)

jp · Post by jp » Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:58 am

I think it has one of the best boss fights I've seen in a long time. Also, the "extra" characters just rock. It has a lot of "replayability", but yeah, at times it does drag on (i.e. any level with underwater parts... I HATE that).

tsunami0ne · Post by **tsunami0ne** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:36 pm

Vexorg wrote:My general feeling on the game now is that it just plays too slowly. This tends to make it feel like more of a puzzle game than an action game, and although it's definitely better than Yoshi TnG, I just don't see it having quite the replay value some of the reviews seem to give it. Something like this seems like it would be perfect for some Sonic-like speed segments, and some big flying jumps (one other part I quite like is the Dash Jump segment at the end of each level, although there seems not to be any way to unlock it as a minigame.)

I think to unlock the Dash jump, you have to beat the game with all 5(?) characters...

I hate unlocking stuff.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 7:39 pm

Hmmm... That is quite a bit of work. The fact that one of the unlockable characters requires one of the GBA Kirby games to unlock ( you unlock it by putting either Either Nightmare in Dreamland or Amazing Mirror in the GBA slot after beating the game once) doesn't help either, although I do have Amazing Mirror.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 5:44 pm

I'm getting this today after I get my paycheck. Can't wait to try a full featured platformer using just a stylus after being teased by Yoshi TnG. The unlockables sound cool too. Extra characters? Killer.

I was going to pick up Coded Arms for PSP until I read all the severely lukewarm reviews. Besides, Kirby will be more suited my roadtrip this weekend along with Metroid NES.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 6:19 pm

As long as you're bringing the thread back up, I'll have to say that since my initial postings I've reconsidered my initial thoughts on it, and I have to say that it's got a lot more replayability to it than I originally thought. Going back and trying to collect all the tokens I missed , as well as running through the Rainbow Run stuff has actually proven quite enjoyable. I've got 4 of the 5 characters unlocked now (all I'm missing is Meta Knight, and I'm about 10 tokens short on that.) I still wish it was a bit faster paced, but it works out reasonably well. I still spend a lot more time on Meteos, but this one's still plenty of fun.

By the way, has anyone managed to beat Paint Panic on level 3 yet? If so, how far does it go?

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:45 pm

Just played the game, on the first stage (grassy field) and I love it! I'm playing around with the baloon ability right now. I like how you have total control within the environment unlike Yoshi which just auto-scrolls nonstop with no objective other than points (not that I don't like Yoshi TnG) This game is gonna keep me sane during my 13 hour workshift today. Ya gotta love the nice hand drawn/painted backgrounds, reminds me a bit of the art in Yoshi's Island.

Anyways, so far this is the perfect colorful game to play on a summer afternoon. Thanks to Gaijin and Vexorg for steering me toward buying the game.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:55 am

Just wanted to add that Tiny City is my fave stage so far. I love using the stylus to make Kirby shoot through the pipes and cannons. Awesome space age themed art combined with ambient synthesized tech-guitar-bell music and echo effects...incredible, again my fave level so far. The art and atmosphere are unique even for a Kirby game. This game restores my faith in Nintendo's ability to innovate when trying new things.

jp · Post by jp » Fri Jul 15, 2005 2:01 am

Worst.Final.Unlockable.Ever.

50 tokens for what? Yeah... right. After you beat the game with all the "purchasable" characters do yourself a favor and just quit.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 3:46 am

OK, how do you get the token on Tiny City stage 2? It's hidden behind a power switch block and I cannot find the switch to break it anywhere. Bah.

Vexorg · Post by **Vexorg** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:30 pm

The switch to open that block (as well as a number of other ones) is found in 3-1, although it's somewhat hidden, and a little tricky to get to once you find it. There's a couple of other hidden switches as well (I think I 5-1 and 7-1) for other colors of switch blocks.

Dylan1CC · Post by **Dylan1CC** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 6:36 pm

Thanks, Vexorg! I actually suspected the switch might be in another level so I dug around quite a bit in some of the earlier level 1 areas like grassy field, ect. Looking for the switch in 3-1 now (what a great game to have at work)

EDIT: Got the switch, finally. Rift Ruin is one beautiful and twisted little maze!

I love those eyeball chomp guys.