Kirby has been a Super Star, a ball of yarn, and has even been limbless at one point in the series. Now, Kirby faces another quirky adventure and he isn't alone. Kirby Mass Attack features not just one Kirby, but ten! The adorable pink puffball has been split into ten weaker versions of himself by the villainous Necrodeus, in an attempt to rule the land of Pop Star. Necrodeus, taking advantage of the weaker Kirbys, manages to defeat all but one. One Kirby manages to make an escape to nearby planet Green Grounds. Here he finds a piece of him that was lost in the attack, his heroic heart.
Kirby's heroic heart plays a very important role in the gameplay of Kirby Mass Attack. It functions as the pointer in this completely touchscreen controlled game. Touching the bottom screen will cause the heroic heart to appear which Kirby will then walk towards. This is how you will control your herd of Kirbys. Tapping twice will cause them to run. Make a flicking motion with the stylus and your Kirby will jump. Sounds pretty easy, right? Surprisingly, this game is extremely easy to control even when controlling what may seem like an overwhelming group of ten Kirbys. That was initially one of my concerns, but Nintendo really hit a home run with these controls.
Kirby Mass Attack plays very similar to traditional platformers with the goal being to reach the door at the end of the stage. Throughout each stage, players will solve puzzles, collect fruit and battle enemies. All of which is easily done with the stylus. You gain additional Kirbys by collecting fruit; each piece being worth a different point amount. After reaching a total of 100 points, a new Kirby is born. Gaining new Kirbys is important for solving puzzles and even defeating enemies. Certain puzzles elements will require a set number of Kirbys, while enemies will face a massive beating with 20 little Kirby fists. I think Kirby beating up his enemies with his fists and not relying on copy abilities makes him quite the bad ass.
Kirby Mass Attack features a wide variety of stages that are accessed through the overworld map. Some stages require more Kirbys to enter. Almost every stage will introduce some new mechanic that will keep the game feeling fresh right up until the very last stages. Kirby will be faced with pushing and pulling objects, smashing blocks, finding keys and a number of other objectives that range from easy to moderate difficulty. Some sections may even surprise you with the level of challenge,but as long as you stay alert you will be fine. In terms of level design, your team of Kirbys will be faced with grasslands, ice, and even horror themed stages that are both well structured and fun to play through. Stages may even be longer than you think and even feature alternate paths which will no doubt have you coming back for more. Stages also sport bouts with mini-bosses, pinball games, riding in a tank and a lot more I could talk about, but that would ruin the experience for you. Bosses are also quite fun to fight, and even Whispy Woods has a few new tricks up his sleeve.
This game is also strong in other areas as well. The presentation for this package is fantastic. It is a very colorful and attractive looking game from its menus to the sprites and level design themselves. Kirby's animations are some of the most adorable I've ever seen, and even while running some Kirbys will showcase different emotions; this level of detail is incredible and will charm you like no Kirby game before. Kirby Mass Attack, like many Kirby games, is also strong in the soundtrack itself. It features a huge soundtrack that includes the main game and unlockable content (which I'll get to in just a moment. A lot of new Kirby songs are introduced, but some old songs show up in the form of remixes which are quite nice to hear.
What could be the biggest surprise to me is the amount of content that is contained within this Nintendo DS game. There are a large number of stages that are usually quite lengthy taking anywhere from 10-15 minutes to fully explore and complete. While exploring each stage you will run across Medals. There are 186 to collect throughout the game, with some being hidden very well and some right out in the open. Usually, however, you will have to go off the beaten path to discover them all. Why would you want to collect these medals? Well, this is how you gain access to the extra content and it is definitely worth your time.
After acquiring a set number of medals, you will be rewarded with an extra! Extras include mini-games, music player, and others. Now, I won't reveal too much about the mini-games, but you will be rewarded with some nice Kirby nostalgia. Some of these games feel much larger than a mini-game including a short, but fun Kirby RPG and challenging Shoot 'em up adventure. Trust me, this content is extremely well done and will have you breaking away from the main game quite often. One last thing I wanted to mention about the replay value in this game is the list of achievements. Much like X-Box 360 games, when certain conditions are met you will be rewarded with an achievement. I'm not sure what clearing the entire checklist does, but it adds even more to a game that already has it all.
Gameplay (10/10)
Kirby Mass Attack is a lot of fun to play and sports surprisingly easy and intuitive controls. A wide variety of levels and game mechanics keep things feeling fresh until the very end.Story (7/10)
While the story is pretty straight forward it is enjoyable. Our new villain, Necrodeus, puts Kirby in a situation he hasn't faced before, but once again the ultimate objective is to defeat the bad guy and save the Island of Pop Star. Saving a downed Kirby to keep your team strong against the enemy adds a little emotion that will always keep you marching forward.Design (10/10)
This game is presented well right from the opening screen with colorful menus and awesome stage design. Throw in adorable Kirby sprites with varying emotions and gorgeous backgrounds and you have a huge winner.Sound (9/10)
Kirby Mass Attack has a huge soundtrack including new Kirby songs and great remixes of some old favourites.
Value (10/10)
This game will probably be the last great Nintendo DS game. It features a lot of stages, unlockable content, and collectibles that will have you playing for hours on end. I'm roughly 10 hours in and there is still about 40% more to be seen according to my save file. This game is worth every penny you pay.Overall
Kirby Mass Attack feels like Nintendo's swan song for its handheld, and it will be considered such if this is the last great Nintendo DS game they release. It features easy controls and extremely fun gameplay, as well as a library of unlockable content and hidden collectibles that increase the replay value greatly. Up against a large and great Nintendo DS library, Kirby Mass Attack definitely holds its own. Gamers will feel proud to have this game in their collection.Final Score: 92%
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