Post by Gilvan Blight on Jun 4, 2007 10:24:09 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Quickly:[/glow] a great example of the DS control system. An interesting take on Platforming.
[glow=red,2,300]Summary: [/glow]This one was hailed as the Killer AP for the DS when it came out back in the day. That one game that was just the perfect game for the system. Now quite a few years later it's still a great game.
They story, which really has nothing much to do with the game is that an evil witch steals all the colour from Kirby's world and takes off. Kirby chases her through various worlds trying to get her magic paint brush. She curses him to be a flat ball on the canvas of these worlds. So Kirby has to travel through various worlds trying to find and defeat the witch and get her magic brush so he can reverse the curse and save his world.
The Gameplay is semi-typical platforming. Start by picking a world (only one open at first), then select from 1 of 3 levels in that world. Each world has it's own theme, from Ice world, to grass world, to underwater world, etc. On each world Kirby has to traverse up to 5 levels getting from the start spot to the door at the end. Along the way he will collect stars, search for hidden coins (to buy unlockables), and collect power ups. Some power ups are found scattered throughout the level, others are gained by defeating enemies (typical of the Kirby series). These power ups either make Kirby stronger vs the enemies or allow him access to new areas of each map. There are a wide variety of enemies each with their own patters of attack and movement. All in all pretty typical, except:
The controls: This is what sets this game apart from every other platformer out there. There is no jump button, there is no control to walk left or right. There is no duck. There is no run button. Everything is done with the stylus. Tap Kirby and he starts to roll slowly. Tap him again and he does a dash attack. Other then that all movement is done by drawing 'lines' on the screen. You draw a path a Kriby will roll up and around it. You want him to jump, you draw a ramp. Need to get to a circle of rings, draw a loop de loop. Need to make Kirby go underwater, draw a sloped ceiling. (see the image below to get an idea how this works). In addition some of the environment is interactive to the player. You can tap on blocks to destroy them, fans to turn them on, code blocks to open doors, etc.
After defeating the three levels on a world you get to challenge one of the three main bosses in the game. You will fight each multiple times, with growing difficulty each time. Each is a type of mini game, these range from racing (you just draw a continuous line curing up and down, avoiding obstacles and grabbing power ups), to pinball (you use the stylus to draw bumpers). Also between each level you play a silly jump game, where you tap Kirby repeatedly to speed him up then quickly draw him a ramp to launch off of, this gives stars for distance which can turn into extra lives.
[glow=red,2,300]Screen shot:[/glow]
[glow=red,2,300]The Good:[/glow]I can see why this was considered the Killer AP. This game perfectly uses the capabilities of the DS. Colourful graphics, stereo sound, and amazing use of the control options and touch screen. Both screens are used to good effect as well. Plus it's a ton of fun! I normally hate platformers, but removing the jump and putting in a line drawing system changes everything. The controls are so unique that for a while you will find yourself just drawing lines for a while, playing with your little pink ball and doing nothing to advance through the game. The wide variety of powers are interesting to play with as well, though I never really did find a use for balloon. Having the map constantly available encourages exploration. If you see a little alcove off the pre set star path, you can bet there is some kind of power up there, and that allure has you doing a lot more then just rushing through the levels as quick as possible.
[glow=red,2,300]The bad:[/glow] The modes past the story mode just aren't that much fun. Once you beat a level you can go back and try it again but this time do it with only a limited amount of line, or do it in a set time. It's much more fun to move on to the next level, then to just keep trying to beat your record on old ones. Maybe if you had a group playing the game at once, bragging rites would make this more fun, but playing single player it's just not that great.
This is still a platformer and like most platformers gets near exponentially more difficult as you near the end of the game, this can cause some frustration, but still not as much as say a super Mario game.
[glow=red,2,300]The Ugly:[/glow] The replay value on this is pretty low. Sure you can go back and attempt to get every single power up or every coin in the game. Which will let you buy a bunch of silly unlockables. But really I would rather move onto another game, then re play through levels multiple times. It's more like the illusion of replay value then actual replay value.
[glow=red,2,300]Overall[/glow] this was a must have when it came out, and I still think it's worth picking up for every DS owner. This exemplifies what the system is capable of and is a ton of fun. Being a rather classic game now, you can often find it used at places selling such games, and it's well worth the $20 or less you will pay.
[glow=red,2,300]Summary: [/glow]This one was hailed as the Killer AP for the DS when it came out back in the day. That one game that was just the perfect game for the system. Now quite a few years later it's still a great game.
They story, which really has nothing much to do with the game is that an evil witch steals all the colour from Kirby's world and takes off. Kirby chases her through various worlds trying to get her magic paint brush. She curses him to be a flat ball on the canvas of these worlds. So Kirby has to travel through various worlds trying to find and defeat the witch and get her magic brush so he can reverse the curse and save his world.
The Gameplay is semi-typical platforming. Start by picking a world (only one open at first), then select from 1 of 3 levels in that world. Each world has it's own theme, from Ice world, to grass world, to underwater world, etc. On each world Kirby has to traverse up to 5 levels getting from the start spot to the door at the end. Along the way he will collect stars, search for hidden coins (to buy unlockables), and collect power ups. Some power ups are found scattered throughout the level, others are gained by defeating enemies (typical of the Kirby series). These power ups either make Kirby stronger vs the enemies or allow him access to new areas of each map. There are a wide variety of enemies each with their own patters of attack and movement. All in all pretty typical, except:
The controls: This is what sets this game apart from every other platformer out there. There is no jump button, there is no control to walk left or right. There is no duck. There is no run button. Everything is done with the stylus. Tap Kirby and he starts to roll slowly. Tap him again and he does a dash attack. Other then that all movement is done by drawing 'lines' on the screen. You draw a path a Kriby will roll up and around it. You want him to jump, you draw a ramp. Need to get to a circle of rings, draw a loop de loop. Need to make Kirby go underwater, draw a sloped ceiling. (see the image below to get an idea how this works). In addition some of the environment is interactive to the player. You can tap on blocks to destroy them, fans to turn them on, code blocks to open doors, etc.
After defeating the three levels on a world you get to challenge one of the three main bosses in the game. You will fight each multiple times, with growing difficulty each time. Each is a type of mini game, these range from racing (you just draw a continuous line curing up and down, avoiding obstacles and grabbing power ups), to pinball (you use the stylus to draw bumpers). Also between each level you play a silly jump game, where you tap Kirby repeatedly to speed him up then quickly draw him a ramp to launch off of, this gives stars for distance which can turn into extra lives.
[glow=red,2,300]Screen shot:[/glow]
[glow=red,2,300]The Good:[/glow]I can see why this was considered the Killer AP. This game perfectly uses the capabilities of the DS. Colourful graphics, stereo sound, and amazing use of the control options and touch screen. Both screens are used to good effect as well. Plus it's a ton of fun! I normally hate platformers, but removing the jump and putting in a line drawing system changes everything. The controls are so unique that for a while you will find yourself just drawing lines for a while, playing with your little pink ball and doing nothing to advance through the game. The wide variety of powers are interesting to play with as well, though I never really did find a use for balloon. Having the map constantly available encourages exploration. If you see a little alcove off the pre set star path, you can bet there is some kind of power up there, and that allure has you doing a lot more then just rushing through the levels as quick as possible.
[glow=red,2,300]The bad:[/glow] The modes past the story mode just aren't that much fun. Once you beat a level you can go back and try it again but this time do it with only a limited amount of line, or do it in a set time. It's much more fun to move on to the next level, then to just keep trying to beat your record on old ones. Maybe if you had a group playing the game at once, bragging rites would make this more fun, but playing single player it's just not that great.
This is still a platformer and like most platformers gets near exponentially more difficult as you near the end of the game, this can cause some frustration, but still not as much as say a super Mario game.
[glow=red,2,300]The Ugly:[/glow] The replay value on this is pretty low. Sure you can go back and attempt to get every single power up or every coin in the game. Which will let you buy a bunch of silly unlockables. But really I would rather move onto another game, then re play through levels multiple times. It's more like the illusion of replay value then actual replay value.
[glow=red,2,300]Overall[/glow] this was a must have when it came out, and I still think it's worth picking up for every DS owner. This exemplifies what the system is capable of and is a ton of fun. Being a rather classic game now, you can often find it used at places selling such games, and it's well worth the $20 or less you will pay.