NekoJonez: First Impression: Kirby – Mass Attack (DS) ~ Plural For Kirby?

kirby-mass-attackOfficial site

So, what’s the plural for Kirby? I never thought I would ask myself that question. The plural that most people use is Kirbies. Thinking about the rule in English grammar. If the singular ends with a -y, the plural is -ies. You might be thinking, what in the name of holy handhelds is this blogger talking about? Well, in this article we are going to take a look at Kirby Mass Attack on the Nintendo DS. It’s going to be a first impression since I haven’t finished the game. And like my friends the Cynical Bastards said in one of their videos: “You need  to beat a game before you review it.” Otherwise, I might have to write several articles to update the previous one. And I don’t plan to write as many articles as there are Kirbies in this game. So yeah, I’m enjoying this game. But is it actually good? Is more Kirbies, more fun? You probably know already that Kirby is mostly used when Nintendo wants to try out new gameplay ideas. This, of course, is one of them. Now, I think my mind is getting into pieces, just like Kirby is this game. Don’t worry, I won’t continue using this joke in the rest of the article. I think I’m ready to finally take a look at this game. Oh yeah, one thing. Feel free to leave a comment about this article and or your opinion on this game.

Kirby is fun

 kirby-mass-attack-whispy-thumbA few days ago, I was playing with my niece on my Wii. We were playing Kirby Adventure Wii. (Which is Kirby’s Return To Dreamland in the NSTC region) She had a blast. Kirby is indeed fun. The story on the other hand is always similar to the Mario series. I don’t want to say that the story is weak or anything, it’s just difficult to make an interesting story for a platformer.

In this game, Kirby is cursed and split into 10 Kirbies. But the bad guy, the Skull gang, was smart enough to also split the power in ten. So, what this means is, the story explains why you can’t fly or suck up enemies.

I can’t be too harsh on the story since it does what it’s supposed too. It draws the children in to the game and makes an interesting setting for veteran players. Up until the point I have played this game, it will present nothing interesting for older players in terms of story. But then again, I already said it makes for an interesting setting.

If you played the previous Kirby games on DS, you are in luck. There are some things in the story that really surprised me. Certain characters have an interesting role in the plot. And that made me hope for seeing the story expand more then just the introduction. I’m secretly hoping that the story will be more present then in a main Mario game. But I fear for that. The story won’t develop more unless you beat the game. So, no explaining why you go to another world next I suppose.

How does it play?

kirby-mass-attack-nintendo-ds-1319642235-052_m

A screenshot in another language? Interesting right? This game plays very different then your normal Kirby game but it feels similar. Like the screenshot here, you also recognize certain things that are typical for a Kirby game.

I already told you guys earlier that you can’t fly or suck up enemies in this game. So, you will have to be smart to defeat your enemies.

This game really benefits from being on the DS. The use of both screens is just amazing. You have a nice overview of your score, amount of Kirbies and medals on your top screen. The bottom screen is used for the actual gameplay.

I have my doubts about the controls, honestly. I can understand that everything is done on a touchscreen, but I sometimes get the impression that a few button commands would help this game. This might just be how I feel about this game, and maybe the rest of the game might prove me wrong.

One thing that will be a negative in some people their eyes is the fact that you loose all your Kirbies if you go from world to world. I honestly find that a great idea. It helps the challenge of this game. Talking about that, this game isn’t really easy. But it’s not hard either.

The problem with this is game is that’s it’s a bit too unique for a Kirby game. When you want to reach a higher up platform, you where able to get Kirby to fly. Now, you have to actually group up the Kirbies and drag them up. Hoping that you can do it in time since if the meter runs out, they all drop to the ground.

My final thoughts about the gameplay is that it’s very interesting and a great spin on your standard platformer game. But you need to get used to it. I will take a more in-depth look in the review.

Clones?

Kirby Mass Attack Title Screen

I know that this game tries to be child-friendly but I think that clones was a bad choice of words. But explain that, would take us too far for just a little nitpick.

The game really delivers in being child-friendly. The visuals of this game are cute and colorful. They are just what you would expect from a Kirby game. The animation is nearly flawless. If only it was a bit more clear if you were either going to defeat the enemy or if the enemy will be able to throw you off. You can’t really make it out.

I can’t really talk about the game’s length just yet. Since I’m now in the 2nd world of the game. If we look at previous Kirby games, I think we might expect a solid ~ 20 – 30 hours game. Please, don’t take my word for it, since I’m not that good in guessing the length of games.

Interestingly enough, this game has achievements. Yes, achievements. But I will comment about them in my review. But there is something else that is a negative for me. There are mini-games included in this game. But sadly enough, you unlock them way too fast. I nearly unlocked 1/2 of them by simply beating the first world. I just hope that there are more mini-games then shown.

So, that will conclude my first impression of this game. When I ever finish this game, I will surely write a review to talk a bit more in-depth about this game. Thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing this one. Hopefully I can welcome you in another article.

2 Comments

  1. I love the Kirby games, especially in this age of ultra hard platformers, but I don’t think I would enjoy this spin-off. I have never gotten on with the DS stylus controls.