Game Review: Kirby Mass Attack

Action Platformer; Nintendo DS; Nintendo/HAL Laboratory; 2011

Sorry this review is a day late. Currently my cousin is visiting and yesterday we where snowed in which made getting him out kind of difficult. So I spent my day playing good host to him which included kicking his ass in Persona 4 Arena and Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3. Anyway, this week's review has nothing to do with Marvel, Capcom, or Personas. Instead we have a game about everyone's favorite pink creampuff being decimated. I think that's how you use that word. Anyway, it's time for Kirby Mass Attack (Not to be confused with Kirby Mass Effect where Kirby is constantly walking up to people and saying "I should be going").

This game involves a lot of pulling.

Kirby, having save Dreamland for who knows how many times, decides to take a vacation in islands of southern Pop Star. However, before he can begin relaxing, an evil entity known as Necrodeus appears and with a wave of his magic wand he split Kirby into 10 Kirbies, dividing his power, and Necrodeus process to eliminate each of the Kirbies until only one is left. It was then when a star appeared guiding the remaining Kirby to safety. That star was Kirby's own heart, and with his heart as his guide the remaining Kirby goes forth to revive his fallen Kirbies, defeat Necrodeus, and us his magic wand to restore the Kirbies back to their full self.

The story is what you'd expect from a Kirby game, it's there just to give context to the game and the new gameplay mechanics. That's what it's there for and that's all that it's there for, so moving on.

Of course you have to fight Whispy Woods, but how does he get around?

Like many games for the DS, Kirby Mass Attack is played almost exclusively with the touch screen. By touching the screen you will have a star appear and all the Kirbies will try to gather around it, double tap and you will have the Kirbies dash to it. Have the Kirbies grab the star in order to carry the whole group around the stage for a short period of time. Tap on enemies to make the Kirbies gang up on him, or tap a Kirby and swipe in a direction to fling him in that direction to make him jump or tackle enemies. And while you start off with only one Kirby, you will quickly gain more by eating fruit. But be careful, each Kirby can only take two hits. When they get damage they will turn blue, and if they are hit again they will become a ghost. If another Kirby grabs said ghost before he leaves the screen, then that Kirby will be saved, if not then you'll be down a Kirby and it's game over if all Kirbies are fallen. Because of this, a lot of the gameplay in Kirby Mass Attack is getting all 10 Kirbies and trying to keep them alive as some obstacles require up to 10 Kirbies in order to pass, which of course usually leads to hidden collectables. The core gameplay is fun, albeit frustrating at time which I will get into later, but we all know that no Kirby game worth its salt is chalk full of minigames, and Kirby Mass Attack is no exception. From Timing minigames, to matching, to the classic Pinball, Kirby Mass Attack brimming with such diversions waiting to be unlocked (including a Top-down Shooter which could possibly be more fun than the actually game).

Umm Dedede? Why are you trying to kill me this time?

Unfortunately the game has it's problems. Like most Touch Screen only games, issues arise with how accurate the controls are. Swiping and double tapping are not as responsive as you would like, especially in instants where you need speed and accuracy for a particular part. Sometimes your double tapping and the game doesn't recognize it others you are trying to swipe and either the Kirbies stay put or they are flung in a direction you don't want them to go. The Kirbies don't do anything in a hurry unless you are double tapping the screen to get them to dash, which for some parts of the game is all that you need, but others it needs to be just a tad faster or more reliable in order to get everyone out of danger. The camera is also annoying to work with. It tries to keep all the Kirbies on screen as much as possible, but because there is usually one or two Kirbies lagging behind you almost never get to see where you are actually going and the moment one of your Kirbies grabs your star all of them try to and you start moving a lot slower than you wanted to. Also, this game has imprecise controls, that's a given, and most of the game is built with these imprecise controls in mind. So why is it that I have scale two teetering tower that shift with the weight of my Kirbies when I can't accurately control my Kirbies!

Kirby Mass Attack is a fun game at times, and for that I can easily recommend it, especially to fans of the Kirby series. However, this game isn't perfect, not by a long shot. There are just as many instances where the game is fun as there are instances where the game is frustrating as all hell, especially if you are trying to get some of the medals that pepper each stage. While HAL Laboratories didn't drop the bomb on this one, it isn't close to being one of my favorite Kirby games. Kirby Mass Attack is recommended.

Until Next Time.

-Crescent, I hate this stage.