Kirby and the Rainbow Curse - Wii U

Kirby & The Rainbow Curse is Finally Here! Can you believe this is really the first Kirby game to ever be in HD? Seems odd. But, boy are we glad it has finally arrived. It was well worth the wait let me tell you. First, let's look at those HD graphics. To put it bluntly, this could not have been accomplished on a DS. Yes, it is a 2D side scrolling game. Yes, you use a stylus to let loose a barrage of rainbow ropes that guides Kirby along the path. But, I assure you, you have never seen a Kirby game as beautiful as this!

GRAPHICS: Our last major Kirby game with a crafty theme on a console was Epic Yarn. The focus there was making everything look like it was made of crafty wool or yarn. Here, most everything is made of clay! Funny enough, the only character that is a little smoother than normal clay is Kirby himself. All of the other bad guys and environments change shape and move in that awesome herky jerky way of old Claymation. It is a cool effect rendered perfectly on the Wii-U.

GAMEPLAY: This game is very similar to previous Kirby titles on the DS, where you must draw the lines that Kirby moves along. You will not be pressing any buttons to make Kirby jump here. It is all controlled with the stylus on the Wii-U's gamepad. What does this mean? You will never be able to look at the TV while playing this game. Weird, right? Why buy a game for the Wii-U that can only be played on the Wii U gamepad. The answer is simple: graphics (plus it is only available on the Wii-U). As noted above, the graphics this Kirby game pulls off are only possible on the Wii-U. You would never see graphics this good on the DS. Thus, this makes a perfect game for people to play while the rest of you watch something different on the same TV. Or you can watch the player playing live as it is quite a beautiful game to behold.

DIFFICULTY and LENGTH: This is a pretty tough game. There are a solid 28 levels in this game. It will take you roughly 7 hours plus to complete. Know that Nintendo quickly throws you into the deep end in terms of difficulty, and you may need a few minutes to gather yourselves. However as difficult and long as the levels sometimes are in this one, they are always fun and exciting. You will never regret having made your way through one of the levels. The game amazingly always leaves you with a since of real accomplishment when completing a level.

NEGATIVE: Other games make you become somewhat obsessive about collecting 100% of the items in the game. However, the payoff for collecting everything in this game is so shallow and pointless, that it will quickly kill your desire for perfection.

OVERALL: All in all, this is another great Nintendo Game and another great Kirby game. If there is ever any wonder why Nintendo is still around, you need look no further to see how even their second tier characters are getting the awesome sauce treatment in games like this one!

I always feel bad for reviewing Kirby games. Not because they're not fun to play, or because I don't like them. Quite the opposite, actually. As a whole, I love the franchise for all of its various entries and incarnations, almost to a fault. That is to say, there isn't a single entry in the series that I dislike, and so, I feel bad, because anybody reading a review will immediately see my subjective bias towards the cute, cuddly and inventive worlds that various developers always seem to cook up. This time, HAL Laboratory picks the reins back up and takes the series back to the gameplay of 2005's "Canvas Curse," but also brings two new things to the table: claymation and GamePad-snapping difficulty.

You read that last part right. "Kirby & The Rainbow Curse," the pink puff's first go at a Wii U title, steers the series in a completely unexpected direction. Historically, the Kirby games have been satisfying little romps that are none too difficult to complete, unless one is trying to 100% the title. Usually, players are able to set their own difficulty, go at their own pace, and play how they want to play. If you're expecting more of that here, you're out of luck, buddy. "Rainbow Curse" has a very specific way it wants you to play, and if you don't play by its rules, be prepared to send Kirby careening into chasms, spikes and to a multitude of other grisly ends.

Well, grisly to an extent. It's still a Kirby title, meaning that everything is adorable, right down to the sugary sweet story. Kirby's world is attacked by Claymia, who sucks the color out of everything, meaning that the world is a colorless wasteland, and more important, the apple Kirby's about to dig into turns into a grey sphere. Heavy stuff. It's up to players to guide the little guy (with the help of new friend Elline) through a variety of worlds to restore order to everything. Except, Kirby opts out of walking this time around, and with the aid of your trusty stylus and touch screen, you have to draw lines and tap him as he rolls through almost every level. Again, it's the exact same concept as "Canvas Curse," only on a bigger screen and with a new art direction.

But as far as that bigger screen is concerned? You won't be using it much, unless you're playing co-op. That's because, due to the very nature of the game, players are forced to almost constantly look down at the GamePad throughout the entire experience. This means that, regardless of how big your TV is, you won't be seeing much of it if you're playing alone. If you even so much as try to draw lines while looking up at the TV, it's going to end disastrously. This may sound like a minor trifle, especially if you have a couch co-op partner (thankfully, my girlfriend loves Kirby as much as I do, so that wasn't an issue,) but it's a massive disappointment because of how utterly gorgeous this game is. Of course, it's hard to focus on the visuals when you find yourself frantically struggling to stay alive.

Yes, this game is hard. Very, very hard, to an almost unbelievable extent at times. Not even including the seemingly impossible challenge maps, almost every level after the second world or so is a large-scale, fast-paced puzzle, where the penalty for not solving it is death after death. Kirby rarely stops moving, and the amount of magical brush power stuff that creates lines is limited, meaning that precision becomes critical if you want to survive. A single, tiny flick of your wrist can make or break an entire run, and with the sometimes unforgiving checkpoints and introduction of several heinous enemies, the game eventually evolves into a frustrating exercise in trial and error.

That said, unlike some negative reviews directed at this game from big-name websites, I don't believe "too hard" is a valid criticism, and in fact, I admire "Rainbow Curse" for its challenge. It rarely feels unfair when you lose a life, and generally speaking, it's easy to see where something went wrong. Only every once in a while have I suffered a touch screen hiccup, and for the most part, success relies purely on learning the mechanics. It's the type of difficulty that can be overcome by getting good, as opposed to the type based on artificial boosts in enemy strength or other such garbage. To other critics's credit, though, there are some irritating moments (mainly boss battles) where I felt stuff was up to blind luck, which could have been smoothed over to make a consistent package. I'm not really a fan of "randomly send Kirby flying everywhere and hope you hit something" types of encounters, which are admittedly rare, but still present and accounted for. Altogether, however, I do feel like over 90% of the game is based on mastering the mechanics, which is the best sort of difficulty in my mind.

Aside from guiding your cute Kirby ball through the colorful worlds, you'll also take control of his various forms, ranging from tank to submarine to airplane. These segments are a nice break in the gameplay, and a total blast to play. Aside from the delight of watching a clay Kirby get molded into another clay figure, the shifts in gameplay are definitely remarkable. That is to say, all of them feel significantly different, and lend variety to the overall package. My personal favorite insofar would have to be the sub, where Kirby automatically fires missiles, and players have to steer the missiles into stuff while simultaneously managing where they are on the screen. It's fun little challenges like this that help make "Rainbow Curse" feel like a well-rounded package.

Yet there's even more to help with that feeling. Aside from the core game, which is of a decent length, there are numerous, numerous challenge maps, most of which are hellish. There's a whole library of music to collect and listen to in a cute screen where Kirby dances to the beat. You can collect pages of Elline's Secret Diary, which all fit together to form one of the cutest things ever put in a video game. But, most importantly (to me,) there's the collection of virtual figurines you can build. Each one has an adorable description, and can be looked at from virtually every angle, a la the trophies in "Super Smash Bros." It's in this collection that you get a real appreciation for the painstaking effort HAL put into this game, ensuring that everything look as much like stop-motion claymation as possible.

Which, in turn, makes this a visually arresting experience unlike anything on the market. I feel like this is something I have to say about every major Wii U game at this point, just to remind people that raw processing power does not equal good visuals, but I'll say it again: "Rainbow Curse" has better graphics than most PS4 or One games. I would know, I own both consoles, so please, keep that in mind before mouthing off. Look, when you look at this game, you see a beautiful world that looks and moves and feels like it was handcrafted. Coasting or rolling or diving through levels, or looking at the gorgeous virtual figurines, I was convinced that this game was interactive claymation at several points. It's bright, smooth, crisp, and just downright pleasing to look at. You can use however many polygons or whatever high-tech engine or whatever other thing that can be done better on a PC to render 1886 London or Revolution-era France, but that doesn't change the fact that your game is grey and brown and full of people and stuff that run together, not to mention look the same as almost every major release on the market. I may get flak for saying this, but add "Rainbow Curse" to the pile of Wii U games (including "Super Mario 3D World," "Pikmin 3," "Mario Kart 8" and "Bayonetta 2") that look better than almost anything else the competitor has to offer, outside of rare exceptions like... I dunno, "Sunset Overdrive," I guess?

And tying this aesthetically stunning package together is something I rarely take time to commend: the soundtrack. This, hands-down, might be the best music ever put in a Kirby game. Not only does it provide catchy takes on classic jams, but most of the soundtrack is composed of new music, and it's all stellar. Utilizing several different styles and instrumental arrangements, the musical soundscapes here are top-notch, and I seriously hope that consumers are able to get their hands on a copy of this soundtrack, whether physically, digitally, or both. Yes, it's that good, a perfect blend of retro and modern sensibilities. Marvelous, in a word. Oh, and Kirby's little squeaks and grunts are cuter than ever.

"Kirby & The Rainbow Curse" has a few issues. I'm not denying that. Some of the boss stages are frustrating. Having to look down at the touch screen in single-player is a bummer. The controls definitely mess up at times. But despite those, it's excellent based on three criteria that I hold near and dear to my heart, and help me decide how to score a game. Firstly, it's a wildly original title, what with the inventive art style, great implementation of the GamePad, and a great co-op mode (the second player plays the game like a standard platformer, making for some interesting times.) Secondly, it has a distinct style of gameplay that is undeniably challenging, but based in mastery and problem-solving as opposed to mindless repetition. And third, it's a bang for your buck. For forty bucks, you get a great single-player AND co-op game, loads of supplementary content, and hours upon hours of replay value. It's a total bargain. Oh, and to top it all off, it's all cute as a button.

In a gaming landscape where things keep getting greyer and big-name releases keep blending together, a game like "Kirby & The Rainbow Curse" helps to remind me that there are still people out there that care about making fun, original titles that don't shove DLC down your gullet and end in a series of quick-time events. Because of that, it comes with my highest recommendation.

And seriously, guys. It's really adorable. Do you see that cover? Do you? If that doesn't sell you on it, well, I have nothing left to say to you.

Pros:
- A wildly original title
- A beautiful art style
- Fantastic soundtrack
- Loads of content
- Cute
- Really, really cute

Cons
- Occasional control hiccups
- Some boss fights are mechanically frustrating
- Solo players barely get to look at the TV

Score: 9.0 (Bomber)

amiibo Impressions: The amiibo integration here is pretty nifty, as it's useful, but you won't suffer without it. Kirby amiibo figures allow you to use a super dash ability at anytime; DeDeDe lets you have twice the normal amount of health; Meta Knight makes your attacks tougher. Keep in mind, these only work for one level, you can only do it once a day, and oh yeah, it's next to impossible to get DeDeDe or Meta Knight currently. I used a Kirby for the sake of this review, and will probably use it again at times. Again, it's not imperative to the game, but it's a nice supplement. Plus, the figures themselves are, of course, fantastic. A nice complement to an already stellar game!

I spent the last couple of hours playing this game at the dorm room of my college friend and let me say that though I do not own a wii u myself, this is one of the games that make buying the console worth it. Here is my review of Kirby and the Rainbow Curse and I will aim to be as unbiased as possible in retelling my experience of this game.
_________

STORY: The plot is basically bare bones here but that is what you can really expect out of Nintendo games but they are basically the king of making absurd simple stories into incredibly fun games so no complaints here. Basically the story starts of with Kirby goofing off and a hole in the sky appears and rids dreamland of all its color creating a black and white world and everyone else is frozen in place. It is up to Kirby to bring color into dream land again and beat the evil force who had taken away all the color. Basically the plot sets into motion how the rest of the game plays out so let's get into the game already.
__________

GAMEPLAY: The basics of the game is that it is a 2D platformer but instead of actually controlling Kirby, you use the stylus to make rainbow strings to move Kirby along the level. This time of gameplay is both unique and creative and you don't really get to see these types of manipulation on other games that do not have a stylus input. The rainbow strings allow for you to not only manipulate Kirby, but the world around Kirby as well allowing for even more creative gameplay.

The levels themselves were different and allowed for one to think creatively on how to get past certain obstacles and take down certain enemies. Some parts were exceptionally hard so this game is definitely not for children but more for adults who are seeking a platforming challenge. There are tons of levels to go through and lasts a couple of hours. The only problem that I really have with this game is that this should definitely be a 3ds title because you have to constantly work on the gamepad and there isn't really any time to look at the big screen since you are so invested with the stylus.
__________

VISUALS: Though the game is a 2D platformer, I applaud this game for the artistic aim that it went for. It is a blend of the New Super Mario Brothers series type of art style mixed with claymation. If you do not know what claymation is, the movie Chicken Run is a very good example of it. It is highly original and I just loved looking at the world and the level designers did a superb job at creating such a unique level scheme. The art style itself is another wonder of the game that people have to buy this for. The only downfall is that since was playing the game with the stylus on the gamepad, I rarely had the time to see the beauty on the big screen though I did get glances at it while it was my friend's turn to finish a level.
__________

CONCLUSION: This games is well worth playing and a lot of fun to go through. I recommend it to anyone who loves challenging platformers and own a wii u. BengirlxD approved.

I can't believe I am giving a Kirby game less than a 5, especially one that looks this gorgeous in HD and clay. The two Kirby games on the Wii were astonishingly great and my daughter and I still play them both. ThiS is NOT a traditional Kirby game. Player one looks at the GamePad for the ENTIRE game and if Kirby dies, the game is over. The two Kirby games on the Wii has some of the best same-couch co-op of any game ever. This Kirby is more difficult (which I am ok with) but the problems are compounded by the undesirable controls.

I really hope Nintendo makes a proper Kirby game for the Wii U for 2016, like Kirby Epic Yarn or Return to Dreamland.

This game is not really a wiiu game. It is more of a gamepad game. Sure, it wont look quite as nice on your hdtv, but it is still a fun game. The claymation was an awesome decision, especially with the 30fps to make it look more authentic. The stylus controls also take a while to get to. While it is still a fun game, I guess I would have preferred to play with the more traditional buttons and analog stick. Also, the three transformations is a bit disappointing, albeit understandable due to the games style. I felt t was priced right at $40, but you wont be missing anything if you wait until a price drop.

On a side note, I highly recommend picking up a screen protector for this game, and other stylus heavy games. I thought a wouldn't need one, but that proved wrong when a grain of sand or something got between the screen and stylus and left several scratches.