Kirby Mass Attack

This is the first review I do in this newly opened blog, so I'm sorry if I did something wrong.

Developer(s): HAL Laboratory, Inc.
Publisher(s): Nintendo

Release Dates:
*JP: August 4, 2011
*NA: September 19, 2011
*AU: October 27, 2011
*EU: October 28, 2011
*SK: December 1, 2011

Ratings:
*CERO: A (All Ages)
*ESRB: E (Everyone)
*ACB: G (General)
*PEGI: 3
*GRB: All


Other Names:
*JP: あつめて！カービィ (Atsumete! Kābī, lit. "Gather! Kirby")
*KR: 모여라! 커비 (Moyeola! Keobi, lit. "Gather! Kirby")
*Kirby (From the initial announcement on September 2010 to April 2011)

Number of Players: 1

Notes:
*Available Languages: English, Español, Français.
*Downloadable Demo Version available on the Wii's Nintendo Channel.
*Originally scheduled for a release on July 7, 2011 in Japan.

If you thought the DS was dead when the 3DS arrived, then, you're wrong, Kirby Mass Attack offers a new and unique experience to the DS, and one of the best Stylus-controlled games on the system.

Story: Kirby was visiting the Popopo Islands, located in the south of Pop Star, it was a peaceful day, and Kirby fell asleep, when suddenly, a mysterious character called Necrodeus, leader of the Skull Gang, appeared, and with his magic staff, he struck Kirby and split the poor pink warrior in 10 smaller Kirbys, he then proceeded and defeated all the Kirbys, expect for one, as the remaining Kirby looks up in despair, he notices a star, which turns out it's Kirby's heart, that tells him to follow it so they can defeat Necrodeus together, and so, Kirby's adventure to defeat this new threat to Pop Star and get back to normal begins.
It certainly is an interesting twist for a Kirby game, since it has a bit of a darker theme.


Gameplay: Like Kirby: Canvas Curse, this game is controlled entirely with the Stylus, unlike other Kirby games, this one isn't a platformer, it's more of a RTS, think of it as a 2D Pikmin. You control your Kirby horde with the Stylus, tapping a certain area will make the group go there, tapping an object will make the group interact with it (An enemy=They'll pummel it; A fruit=They'll go and eat it; A root, painting, etc.=They'll go and drop it), you can flick the Kirbys to make them jump or smash blocks. In each world, you start with just one Kirby, but you can add more simply by eating 100 fruits, and once you hace 10 Kirbys and eat 100 fruits, there's a bonus; hidden through the levels there are Medals, wich serve to unlock contents in the Extras section. When a Kirby is hit, it'll turn blue, if it's hit again it'll turn grey and fly away, but you can "save" him if you grab it, and it'll be a blue Kirby again, there are special rings that restore blue Kirbys' health, so they can be pink Kirbys again, the game is over when you lose all your Kirbys or fail to accomplish a mission in some levels; a certain number of Kirbys is necessary to enter some stages. The enemies in this game are mostly new, but we get to see classic faces like Waddle Dee, Gordo or King Dedede.

Difficulty: It can be easy at times, but if you don't realise it's an RTS, it can be hard at times, mostly if you think of playing it as a platformer. If you don't go for completition, then it can be either Easy or Normal, but if you go for a 100%, then it can easily get Hard, especially from latter Level 3 onwards.Things that can become a chore are pushing blocks and restatring a stage after you lost on it, stages don't have checkpoints.

Graphics: The graphics in this game are a bit like those in Yoshi's Island, so if you like the graphical style of that game, you will most likely enjoy the art style.

Sound: The music was composed by Shogo Sakai, and it features both, new songs and remixes of past tunes, the sound effects, provided by Masaaki Iwasaki, are a bit different than most Kirby games, since some of them sound as if they were from an NES game. This is one of only two games where Kirby uses "verbal" expressions, and as expected, Makiko Ohmoto lends her voice to Kirby, she's the only voice actress in the game. Some of the sound effects are reused from Kirby: Squeak Squad.

Extras: Finding Medals in the Main Game unlocks content in the Extras section, including Subgames and the Music Player. The subgames include Field Frenzy, a whack-a-mole style of game; Kirby Brawlball, a somewhat remake of Kirby's Pinball Land (You can play this game with either the Stylus or the L and R buttons); Kirby Curtain Call, a game where you have to count how many Kirbys are there on the screen; Dash Course (also known as ○△□けんけん), a hopscotch game to see how far you can get in a determined time; Strato Patrol EOS, Kirby's very first SHMUP; and Kirby Quest (also known as KIRBY MASTER), the closest that Kirby has to an RPG. The Subgames is where the classic characters are, and they make a lot of references to past Kirby games, other games and even Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, only Kirby fans will get some of those references (the name Popopo Islands is a reference itself). Additionally, the Music Player can be used as an MP3 Player by plugging some headphones and closing the DS, similar to other games like SONIC RUSH ADVENTURE or Art Style: PiCTOBiTS.
Kirby Mass Attack also includes some sort of Checklist list, that achieves different things like if you defeated a boss with just one Kirby.


Closing Comment: Kirby Mass Attack certainly is a good game, with some flaws here and there, but overall is a game that should be in your collection if you're looking for some Touch Screen action, you're looking for a portable RTS or if you're a Kirby fan in general, just remember, don't play it thinking that it's a platformer, and you'll be fine.

Well, that's it for my first review, I'm not going to include a number attached to the review (at least, not for now), so again, I'm sorry if I did it worng.