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Doesn't paint the Canvas Curse masterpiece, but still a treat

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 28 / 33
Date: December 09, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Kirby's Canvas Curse was a Nintendo DS sleeper and one of the highest-rated Nintendo DS games in early 2005. One of the first fully-featured Nintendo DS games, Canvas Curse showed what the DS could do with lots of touch screen innovation, creative graphics, and deep gameplay features. Kirby Squeak Squad, Kirby's sophomore DS effort, is nothing like its predecessor. It is instead much more like the NES, SNES, N64, and Game Boy adventures of this beloved ballooning Nintendo character, and as a result it offers much of the same.

Strawberry shortcake is quite a tasty morsel. With this in mind, one must understand why Kirby is so inclined to tracking down and finding the thief of his delicious treat. After finding out that the normally devious King Dedede is innocent of charge, Kirby discovers the Squeak Squad, a menacing band of baddies, is responsible. This leads to his trek through eight cute, colorful worlds in search of his dessert. The story is so bare-bones that it's hard to call it anything but ridiculous and unimportant, but one must ask how important a 2D platformer's storyline really is in the first place.

With the 2D platformer standards already in sight, Kirby hits on all cylinders: the levels are fun and have a great design. Enemies fill up every one of them, some hidden in walls for an extra challenge. Kirby's suck-things-up skills come in handy like always, and there are more than 20 abilities to help the little guy get through each level and defeat his countless enemies. These abilities are mostly familiar; you'll spit fire, blow ice, and even emit sparks. Rather than only destroying enemies, some abilities affect your environment-for example, blowing ice over lava keeps the molten substance from burning Kirby. Another perk this time around is that Kirby can keep up to five abilities or items stored in his stomach, and using the touch screen, the player can combine things to form other abilities or items. I'd have liked to see more abilities, though. This is where Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards really excelled; letting the player combine several different skills for really fun effects. How could I forget Fridge Kirby?

Kirby Squeak Squad doesn't offer much depth to its formula and rarely strays from what's worked in the past. One could go as far as to say that it's simply an update from the GBA titles, and those that really enjoyed Canvas Curse will be disappointed to find that the amount of gameplay modes and the depth found in each is noticeably missing here. Kirby Squeak Squad is as short as any Kirby game, too, clocking in at about five or six hours for a trip through each of the eight worlds. In its defense, there are collectibles that serve as a bonus for exploring each level. By finding treasure chests scattered through the worlds, you'll unlock things like enhanced abilities (throw a bigger Cutter!) and even different Kirby colors (paint him Green!) This extends the length of the game a few hours, but I only missed a few treasure chests in each world, so they're not much of a pain to go back and get.

Kirby has a distinct style and this style was preserved very well in Canvas Curse, despite the major functional change. Squeak Squad has no excuse to mess this up, and it doesn't. The visuals are crisp, clean, colorful, and are 2D greatness. Kirby and everything in his world animates very well. The abilities yield some decent 2D effects. I'd have liked to see some 3D here and there, though-if a game like Super Mario 64 DS can deliver a totally-3D experience, I'd imagine a game like Kirby could integrate some 3D into its style, and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards looked great. The music and sound effects have Kirby written all over them, so series fans will find a lot of familiar sounds and such.

Kirby Squeak Squad is no Canvas Curse, but it's another great platform effort for the DS and yet another solid Kirby title. Though they seem to come out by the year, Kirby games always generate some excitement with younger crowds (partially thanks to the television series) and I'd imagine that age group will really enjoy this title as much as the others. One might notice that I gave Kirby Squeak Squad the same score as I gave Yoshi's Island DS. Both are solid DS platformers, and I'd say they're interchangeable-if you're into the Kirby series, check out Kirby. If you're into the classic Yoshi's Island, try that one. If you want to try both, by all means, it's no mistake on your part. Despite its shortcomings, Kirby is a fun game that joins New Super Mario Bros. and Yoshi's Island DS for a very solid trio of Nintendo platform games.

Great Fun for Kirby Fans

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 18
Date: June 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Kirby Squeak Squad DS lets you take the deliciously fun shape-shifting pink guy on a platforming trek, storing and mixing up skill sets.

I adore Kirby games, and Squeak Squad DS is no exception. You're jumping down holes, climbing up ladders, and navigating mazes of course. But the main task of Kirby-land is to figure out what items are available to eat - and then to combine together multiple items to come up with cool new techniques.

The activation sequence is a bit tricky - you have to spin your finger around the four directions of the D pad to turn things on - but it's well worth it. The cool combinations you can come up with are great fun!

You're allowed to store items in "bubbles" in Kirby's stomach, which is what the bottom half of your DS screen is dedicated to. This lets you choose what item to use in a certain situation, or to combine them together if you wish.

Even more fun, as you go you unlock color options for Kirby himself. Interested in a blue kirby, or a citrus-colored Kirby? You can do it! Of course, many traditionalists will insist that Kirby only comes in one color, that is Pepto-Bismol Pink.

The game is well done, in that it's both simple enough for younger players and entertaining enough for older players as well. It's relatively short, so that you can use it to pass the time while waiting in line at the supermarket or taking a bus ride without worrying about memorizing arcane combinations of keys or memorizing a rule book of negotiation tactics. You have just as much fun replaying it, aiming to unlock every chest you find and to get through as quickly as possible.

I admit that I still adore the days of The Crystal Shards and hope that these styles of games will come out on the Wii in the future. But for travel playing, Kirby Squeak Squad definitely fits the bill as fun, easy to learn, engaging and short enough to fit in the spaces you have available in your schedule.

Well recommended!

The multi-talented pink puffball returns to the DS with a rather easy platform game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 17
Date: December 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

(Scroll to the bottom for point-form pros and cons of the game.)

I have to start off with a warning -- Kirby Squeak Squad is an incredibly teeth-rotting, sickeningly cute game. And for those that played Canvas Curse, be aware that Kirby's brought back his old platforming style for this one.

Visually, it's vibrant, colourful, and has those old school sprites that many of us older gamers welcome and are used to. Musically, it has all the cute little Kirby tunes that should be familiar for veteran Kirby gaming fans; the tunes are simple, fun, whimsical, and "childish" which perfectly compliments the little pink puffball.

The story of Kirby Squeak Squad is very simple: Someone steals Kirby's shortcake and he's out to find out who and get it back! Since it's a platformer, you really can't expect some complex, mind-provoking plot, can you? :P Plus, it's Kirby who, in recent years, seems more and more targeted at the younger, pre-teen crowd anyway.

The game has you guiding Kirby through 8 colourful yet dangerous worlds. He comes with his standard abilities which are jumping, ballooning-and-arms-flapping-to-fly, and, of course, inhaling and copying enemy skills. The gimmick this time is that you can carry more than one ability -- but only if you found them in bubbles. Up to 5 bubble items or abilities are stored in the copy palette which is on the bottom/touch screen of the DS. Touch an ability bubble within the palette and Kirby will don the headwear or costume of the one you chose thus gaining a new ability. Touch an item bubble and he'll reap the healing or life-extending benefits of it! The player is also free to mix them to get new items and abilities. (There are some exceptions though.)

It should be noted that this game is very VERY friendly in that it practically holds your hand when it comes to problem solving. For example, if you're about to head into a boss battle, Copy Ability bubbles will readily be available outside for you to use and these are usually the ones needed to defeat the boss. However, from experience, it's a good idea to mix these bubbles together to get another ability. (Tip: Tornado, although it can be hard to control, is a sure-way to take down bosses without receiving much damage. Trial and error in mixing can get you the ability if it's not available as a bubble or from the tornado enemy.) And if you need to get a chest that's seemingly impossible to reach -- no worries! There's an enemy nearby with the ability you can use to get it!

The helpfulness continues when you complete a stage by allowing you to freely enter and leave after picking up 1-Up items, as well as bubble items and abilities. Indeed, there's no need to replay the stage from start till end to keep those items. This is extremely handy if you just loaded up a save game since Kirby defaults to having 3 lives (1 in use and 2 extras) and has no special abilities.

Kirby Squeak Squad also features four single/multi-player sub-games for up to 4 players. (All participants don't need the game to play as they're downloadable off the player with the game card.) The game allows you to play 3 of them right from the start but the 4th one is a post-game unlockable bonus. The default mini-games are all based on reflexes and judgement; the first one has you grabbing shortcakes before the opponent(s), the second one features bumper-stars where you can ram foes off the platform while zipping around on a star, and the third one's all about shooting as much food as you can within 30 seconds. The unlockable sub-game is an endurance boss rush mode where you get to fight all the bosses in the game in succession without extra lives or anything. Unfortunately, none of these sub-games reward you for your efforts. In fact, it doesn't even maintain a high scores list.

Lastly, there are A LOT of things to collect in this game such as sounds, spray paints for Kirby, scrolls to upgrade abilities and more -- all of which are obtained through the various chests scattered across the worlds. Each stage has tiny chests under its number to indicate the amount of chests that are in that stage. Note that there are five particular chests that contain seals that are needed to continue on after world 7 so grabbing all chests is a good idea! Or you can just check a walkthrough/guide to figure out which ones you need. :P

Overall, the game is a lot of fun but simple (thanks to the hand-holding approach) and unfortunately, sort of short. A lot of gamers seem to be able to finish the game within just a few hours to under 2 days. Of course, those are the ones that don't have butterfingers and are platform game veterans. Sadly to say, I'm neither. :/

PROS:
- Vibrant and colourful
- Very cute (this could be a con, I guess)
- Fun soundtrack
- Familiar Kirby gameplay
- New mixing items and abilities system
- Lots of things to collect

CONS:
- Game guides you in overcoming barriers and bosses (could be a pro?)
- Short game
- Should have more sub-games or at least had incentive prizes that could be added to the collection or used in-game

My kid loves it!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: February 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I know nothing about video games. But my 11-year-old LOVES this game and plays it all the time. Well, not all the time...he takes breaks to eat and sleep and go to school. But you get the idea. ;-)

A true all-ages game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Let me begin with some demographical context. I'm 29 years old and bought this game for my 3 year old daughter. She's slowly begun taking over my video games and one of the first games she learned was Kirby for GBA. But that was then, and lately I don't get to see my Nintendo DS very often.

SO, to make a long story short, finding games she likes to play has been informative. She doesn't play any of the American games like Little Mermaid because quite frankly, they suck at being intuitive and fun. But watching her on Kirby DS is downright spooky. Even growing up with Nintendo, I would have never thought a 3 year old would be able to take out end bosses and clear levels. A very well designed, high quality game.

Kirby Squeak Squad

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is really fun!! It is very similar to the old kirby from NES and Super Nintendo. The game is side scrolling and Kirby can hold powers in his stomach which is the bottom touch screen. Has mini games that you can play with your friends. Everyone can enjoy it because the game isn't too hard but it can get hard when you try to get all the extras and treasure chests.

Kirby gets a ten in my book!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

My friend let me borrow Kirby S.S., and I had it for about eight hours. In that time I found out Kirby was at first a relatively simple game but as the game proggressed I found it much more challenging. After a few interuptions I finally got to the boss level of Cushy Cloud and it took me forever to beat that- thing. The game is a must-have for Kirby fans, and as I said beofre, the farther you go, the harder it gets, and for the little time I got to play it enjoyed it so much that I'm using my allowance to buy it [this is incredible people, for I have been saving my allowance for BIG things.. I recommend it to anybody, since its such a neat game. By inhaling your enemies you earn there "powers" and can use them to get back the treasure chest and defeat the boss.
Due to its minigames you can DS download play with your friends and play the entertaining games. Enjoy!

Good Game!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: April 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I helped my friend finish this game. It was really fun. I like that this DS Kirby game was similer to the Game Boy Advance Kirby games. There are 8 differnt levels to play. The ending was sad at first, but overall it had a happy ending. Overall this game is a really fun game.

A great kirby game that's a little too easy.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: January 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The story is that kirby is about to take a bite out of that delious strawberry short cake then all of a sudden something comes out of no where and steals it. Then kirby relises that the cake is gone and blames on no other than King DeDeDe. Then kirby goes to DeDeDe's castle to get his cake back. But what kirby dosn't relise that the mousers were the ones that really stole the cake and that King DeDeDe has nothing to do with what happened to the cake. In this game, you can store certain amounts of items and powerups in kirby's stomach. You can use these items and powerups whenever you want. You can mix items and powerups to get certain things like a 1-up, A tomatoe, a radom power up, or a special power like the thunder sword altho both the sword and the elaments thunder, ice, and fire must have special scroles in order to get the elament swords. This mixing ability was in kirby 64 before but this system is not as active as the one in kirby 64 but is going in the right step. You can efect certain things in this game such as cooling the lava to make platforms. You can collect chests that are in the levels(except the very first one) and when you touch the larger chests a mouser will come out and try to get the chest from or will already try to get the chest that's wide open. When you get the chest, you have to run to the exit with it or you have to fight them in order to get the chest back. In ordewr to get to the last two worlds, you must have all the star selers and in order to get them you must keep collecting the chests until you have all the star selers. The final boss is a dissapointment. It looks like a giant star with one eye and is easier than nightmare and darkmind. The backgrounds and sprites are great. The music is very good. I like the new halberd theme, king DeDeDe, and doroche's boss music. There is one power up that owns all boses and that's the tornadoe. This game was great and was in the right step but was just too easy. If you're a fan of the kirby series than buy this game or rent it first.

My 7 year old son loves this game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

My son received this game for Christmas. This is by far his favorite game. If you like the Kirby games for the Gameboy Advance, you will like this game, also.

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