Kirby Squeak Squad: - T'was A Case of Stolen Cheesecake

Earlier in it's life, the Nintendo DS saw the release of a Kirby game. Unfortunately for diehard fans of the series, this was a vastly different sequel making use of the touch screen completely for gameplay. I kept up the faith that Nintendo would eventually release a traditional Kirby title on their handheld, and now this faith has paid off.

This new release is Kirby Squeak Squad, and it takes everything we've all loved about Kirby, and keeps it well in place. Although Kirby Canvas Curse did muster up a rather large following, few can argue that the unconventional touch screen controls actually improved the formula. To be completely frank, there's nothing better than classic Kirby, and in this case, he's in his best form.

Kirby Squeak Squad

Squeak Squad begins as our favorite pink fluff sits down to partake in a luscious piece of cheesecake. From out of the blue a mysterious enemy snatches his precious desert as he easily escapes from Kirby. Determined to get back his piece of cake, Kirby sets out for the prime suspects headquarters; his old nemesis King Dedede. This entire opening is told through still motion cut scenes, which is actually a pretty nice effect.

For those that don't know, Kirby games are side scrolling affairs. The pink ball has several abilities which carry over to this game. These include the ability to swallow enemies and gain their powers, puff up with air and float through the sky, slide across the ground to hurt enemies, and more. Specifically the ability to absorb attacks from monsters was always the complex and best aspect of the Kirby universe because of the diversity it adds to gameplay.

Kirby Squeak Squad is pretty much the same old Kirby. You've got all the old power-ups from Amazing Mirror and Nightmare in Dreamland. As a matter of fact, as far as I can tell they didn't even add any new powers to the formula for this installment, save for the triple star used in the final battle. I'm actually okay with this, because what's there is phenomenal. The powerups give you numerous ways to deal with opponents. Kirby can acquire a sword, punching and kicking skills, the ability to fly while shooting arrows, and many more. There's hundreds of possibilities.

Adding even more possibilities is the fact that you can now mix and match Kirby's abilities. Throughought the game you'll encounter powerups which are stored in bubbles. Upon touching these they will be transferred to the pit of Kirby's stomach, displayed on the bottom display. This allows you to store powerups and use them as they become necessary, but there's more. Using the touch screen you can combine these powers, and sometimes create hybrids between the two. While this isn't a defining feature, it still fits in very well with the Kirby universe.

In the past Kirby games have lacked replay value. The developer must have realized this, because they've set out to correct the problem. Kirby Squeak Squad is full of hundreds of treasure chests which contain very interesting items. These items vary greatly; some increase the power of specific power-ups, others give you the ability to change Kirby's color, and many others. There's around fifty hidden items, and there's a surprising amount of incentive to find them.

The game is quite fun, but it does have a few problems. First off, it feels like the same old Kirby. I'm not asking that they reinvent the wheel with each new installment, but memories of playing this installment run together with those of playing the GBA games. I mean, at least Amazing Mirror went more of an adventure route with non-linear level progression. Squeak Squad just isn't that different, not even with the ability to combine Kirby's abilities. I'm not saying this ruins the game, but it's still a small issue the series faces.

The next problem involves the main enemy. The Squeak Squad isn't nearly as inventive or creative as King Dedede, and they just feel thrown in. It is cool to note the inclusion of classic characters from the Kirby universe, but they take back seat to the fiendish pack of rats. I think it's more a problem with running out of ideas personally, but even so, this too is a small issue.

Easily the most major of all the problems this Kirby installment faces is it's level of difficulty. I understand that this game was made with children in mind, but it could still use a serious ramp in difficulty. It wasn't until I faced the two final bosses that I even died, and I'm far from a Kirby expert. Overall though, I'd say that Squeak Squad is slightly more challenging than Nightmare in Dreamland, and while this is a step in the right direction, I think it needs a bit more of an overhaul.

In usual Kirby fashion, Squeak Squad gives you numerous optional mini-games. These are pretty usual fare, except each makes use of the touch screen, and you can play multi-player with a single copy of the game. While this is far from a major feature, it's a decent diversion, even if their main purpose is just to make you scratch up your touch screen. What I really wish is that Nintendo had included the ability to play through the main game with two to four players at once, even if it required multiple carts it would still be awesome. Maybe I've just been spoiled by Kirby and the Amazing Mirror, which was primarily for multiplayer.

Kirby Squeak Squad could easily be mistaken for a Gameboy Advance game. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because the GBA sported some of the prettiest 2-D sprite based games of all time. This might just be the most colorful and detailed Kirby game yet, with lush backgrounds, great animation, and the same old character models we've grown used to. The game just visually oozes of Kirby's signature style. Overall this is a very pretty 2-D game. I just wish that the next installment would change things up a bit, maybe rendering everything in 3-D.

The music is a slight drawback. It's composed well enough, but it just sounds archaic. I'm referring to the fact that it's all rendered in bleeps and blips. If you can get past that, you'll find some pretty cheerful and uplifting tunes which also reek of Kirby's style. While I don't particularly dislike the soundtrack, it doesn't really do anything for me. If you've heard one Kirby game you've heard them all. The sound effects also lack any sort of umph to them, but they're insignificant so it doesn't really matter.

Controls are average. The only real problem is that the up button on the d-pad will make kirby flap in the air, and this can screw you up. Flying can already be performed with the A button, so it's completely unnecessary to also map it to the d-pad. Another slight issue is with the mapping of the touch screen. This is used to enact or combine your stored powers, but sometimes you need to use one on the fly which forces you to drop what you're doing, pull out the stylus, and focus on it enough to touch it. Sometimes you'll be under heavy enemy attack, or flying, and looking away from the main screen can get you into some trouble.

Final Recommendation
If you're looking for a fun game for your children than this would be a perfect match. I also completely recommend this to Kirby fans, because this game is very much an awesome traditional title in the series. Gamers looking for a challenging side scroller should look elsewhere though.