Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (2015)

In 2005 Hal Laboratory Kirby: Canvas Curse, a Kirby spin-off for the Nintendo DS where you have to draw rainbow lines with the stylus (or using your finger, if you are feeling daring) in order to guide Kirby through a stage full of obstacles. Ten years later, in 2015, that game finally had a sequel named Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, for the Nintendo Wii U.

Photo taken from Hardcore Gamer

While the gameplay is pretty similar, there are many differences between the two games, with the main one being the art style: While in Canvas Curse you are in a world of paint, in Rainbow Curse the main setting is a world of clay, which looks stunning, and is easily the most beautiful Kirby game ever created. The attention to detail is huge, and you can see lots of imperfections and dents in the models, which make them look like real clay figures.

Photo taken from Nintendo Life

Aside from that, the gameplay also has some differences. Unlike Canvas Curse, where Kirby could copy abilities, in Rainbow Curse the only times he gets different abilities are some levels where he transforms into a vehicle, similar to Epic Yarn. He can be a rocket, a tank and a submarine, all of them with their own fun gimmicks and gameplay, so they are a nice change of pace that don't feel rushed or forced, which shows how much effort went into the game.

Photos taken from Nintendo Life

Finally, the optional content is totally different: In Canvas Curse there were extra stages and medals that you could get by completing the main levels with limited ink/time, while in Rainbow Curse you have an entire section of quick challenges that you have to beat under 15 seconds. You need to beat four (sometimes twelve) of these challenges in a row to get a golden medal, something that can be frustrating at first, but after a while you get used to the fast speed and they become really fun and a nice change of pace when you get tired of the normal levels, which are a lot longer and slower in nature (which isn't a bad thing at all, of course!)

Photos taken from IGN.

You can also get chests in the normal levels that unlock three things: Diary pages (one per level), character figures with pretty funny descriptions and music remixes of older Kirby entries. They are some of the best optional unlockables in the franchise, as they are really creative and fun to experience, especially if you are a Kirby fan who can appreciate the fanservice.

In conclusion, this is a really fun and charming videogame that has a lot to offer aside from the amazing art style, and I enjoyed it a lot more than its predecessor. Easily one of my favorite Kirby entries, and it's a shame that you can only play it on the forgotten Wii U.

So far this game is very fun, with one enormous issue.

Who the hell designs a game that perfectly resembles claymation, to the point that it may be the best looking game I have ever seen in my life, and then forces you to look down at a tiny, dusty screen to play it?!

Damn you Nintendo!

I feel like my TV screen is taunting me and daring me to look up. Maybe I can convince my wife to play as Kirby, so I can have Waddle Dee adventures.

Finally finished this one up after an embarrassingly long hiatus, which I'll partially blame on the arrival of Super Mario Maker.

This platformer is constantly inventive... I was impressed by how many new ideas (and novel spins on previous mechanics) were introduced consistently till the very end.

The visuals are stunning. The idea of animating the game at 60fps but the characters at a much lower framerate (I'd guess 9 or 12 if they're following stop-motion conventions from film) is truly ingenious. It really does feel as if the characters were molded from clay.

When I started the game, I found the Canvas Curse style of controls frustrating... I felt out of control of the protagonist. But after a few levels it became second-nature, especially once I learned how to make the most of extra lives and power-ups. The game encourages you to play in a casual, laid-back manner... in some ways the opposite of a Mario game.

It's a little on the short side, but as an adult I've come to appreciate games that provide a concise, polished experience. I'm sure the developers could have padded the game with more incremental twists on the same mechanics, but I doubt it would have been any more fulfilling to play.