Released in 2005, Kirby: Canvas Curse was one of the first AAA videogames released for the Nintendo DS, and it showed the kind of innovative gameplay you could create with the unique mechanics of the console, like the touch screen.

Kirby is turned into a ball that can't move by its own, something normal in the spin-offs, but this time you don't play golf, or pinball, or shake the console, but draw lines to move across the stages filled with obstacles and enemies. As always, you can get copy abilities when defeating certain enemies, which make the levels easier and sometimes are necessary to get optional collectables.

The main collectable are level medals, which can be used to unlock many things, such as songs, characters, or optional stages. There is a level medal per stage, but you can get more in optional modes, like the Rainbow Run, where you replay certain levels while using as little paint as possible, or a fast as you can. There are a total of 250 to get, but you don't need them at all if you just want to defeat the final boss and watch the credits, just to get the 100% completion rate.

However, I'd say the main gimmick can feel a little stale after a while, as it doesn't feel that different playing the first levels in comparison to the last ones, but thankfully the bosses have unique mechanics and feel really refreshing, especially after playing 9 normal stages in a row. After defeating them in their two phases you unlock a subgame where you can get level medals if you get a really good score, which adds more to the replayability factor.

In conclusion, Kirby: Canvas Curse is a very good example of how unique was the Nintendo DS, but while it's really fun at first, the gameplay can feel repetitive after a while. So, unless you really liked the drawing mechanic, I doubt you'll want to try all the optional content after defeating the amazing final boss.