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Review: Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush

Play with clay as the Kirby series adds another model game to its roster.

By Jack Taylor – 18 May 2015
Reviewed on Wii U (code provided)

One of the most fantastic things about game players is that we're often hugely passionate about the games we love to play. More often than not, the same can also be said for developers - particularly within Nintendo and its subsidiaries - and you'd be hard pressed to find a better example than Kirby. Nintendo and HAL Laboratory have managed to turn a ball of pure pink into one of gaming's most adored characters since his debut in Kirby's Dream Land back in 1992. Many of Kirby's platforming titles are renowned for offering unique new experiences, as proven by the likes of Kirby: Power Paintbrush and Kirby's Epic Yarn, and it's the former of those two titles which is expanded upon in a game which is as wonderful to play as it is to look at.

Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush is a game designed entirely using claymation and stop-motion as its inspiration. Everything - locations, enemies, menus, you name it - everything is designed with clay in mind. It's another example of Kirby doing something unique while still managing to provide a traditional platforming experience. The game's visuals aren't the only unique thing about it, as its undeniable pull is the way in which is uses the Wii U GamePad to guide Kirby around - in much the same way that Kirby: Power Paintbrush used the Nintendo DS touch screen. Your aim is to draw lines on the GamePad screen to guide Kirby around each level, as he'll follow the lines that you draw in the direction you draw them. You can also tap him to get him to move a little or to bump into an enemy to defeat them.

At the beginning of Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush, Kirby is quite happily rolling around Dream Land while his pal Waddle Dee does a spot of fishing when the rulers of Dream Land, Claycia and Elline, appear in the sky. Claycia, once a kind ruler, has turned uncharacteristically evil and sucked all the colour out of Dream Land, leaving Elline to join Kirby on an adventure to try and find out why Claycia has suddenly turned nasty. In this world, Elline is able to conjure rainbow ropes to guide Kirby around, which is how you'll travel around each stage. Those ropes are, in effect, created by the way you move the stylus on the GamePad's touch screen. He'll stay on the same side of the same rope at all times, so if you have the rope double back on itself, Kirby will change from being on top of it to moving underneath it.

There are other uses for the rope besides using it to guide Kirby around a stage. If Kirby's rolling around and you want to turn him around, you can draw a vertical line in front of him to turn him around. If there are projectiles coming toward Kirby, or a waterfall preventing him from moving forward, you can draw a line over Kirby to shield him or let him gain access through an otherwise obstructed path. Kirby doesn't stop moving, and you can't draw too much rope at once, so you'll have to think quite quickly sometimes to make the best progress and save Kirby from a slightly painful fate at the hands of Claycia's Cotta soldiers. Some of the game's levels also allow Kirby to transform into a submarine, a tank, or a rocket; while these are certainly very interesting mechanics, the submarine and the rocket in particular can be quite tough to control at times, as you'll still be trying to guide Kirby along using rainbow ropes.

Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush comprises a number of different colour-themed levels - the first two being Green Valley and Yellow Dunes - and each level includes four different stages, the last of which is a boss stage. Green Valley, being the first level in the game and a natural successor to Green Greens, starts things off quite comfortably for you, easing you through stages which offer up plenty despite being relatively easy. Though each stage has clearly defined beginning and end points, you'll sometimes find that there's quite a lot to be found all around, whether it's hidden away or just a little higher than everything else. Throughout each stage you'll find stars, which you'll collect to enable Kirby to use his special attack, and the number of stars you collect will also determine whether you receive a bronze, silver, or gold medal at the end of the stage.

Each stage in the game features five treasure chests for Kirby to collect. These chests include either a figurine or a music track, and these make up the majority of the game's collectibles. Each clay figurine is based on a character from the game and features a full 3D model and a short description for that character. Each figurine is hugely impressive and will even be displayed in an artist's studio when you take a detailed look at it, which is a nice touch. The music tracks are similarly impressive, with each displaying its title and original game - for example, King Dedede's Theme from Kirby's Fun Pak - and including some fantastic and catchy remixes. There are more than 120 tracks to collect for the music player, and you're able to pick out favourites, which will give you the chance to play all your favourites on loop if you want.

Visually, the game is so unique and so impressive that it's almost a little bit of a shame that - unless you're freakishly good - you won't be looking at the TV screen while you're playing. It's a fair trade-off for a game that makes such good use of the GamePad and still looks fantastic on its screen, and it still lets others watch your progress on the TV if you've got an audience. It also opens up the opportunity for multiplayer, as up to three players can join in as a Waddle Dee to help you on your journey, with these players using either a Wii Remote or Wii U Pro Controller for more traditional platforming controls and gameplay.

Many fans and players will often think that they've already got Kirby sussed in the sense that, more often than not, his games are considered to be really quite easy for anyone to play, with some more recent entries actually making it impossible for Kirby to lose a life at all. 1-Ups aren't in short supply here, though, as the game can get quite challenging in its latter stages, particularly when there's more going on around you and more enemies to defeat or avoid. You won't receive any handouts, either, as the only help you're going to get is from the occasional invincibility-providing lollipop and from your special attacks, which even then will be stopped in their tracks by some enemy attacks and obstacles. The game never seems unfairly challenging, even if one or two of the earlier bosses will take some time to suss, and the only thing that's likely to catch you off-guard is the fact that this is a Kirby game that will actually offer you quite a plentiful challenge.

As far as the game's length is concerned, that depends entirely on what you plan to get out of it. If you don't play for collectibles or extra modes, it isn't likely to last you beyond a few hours; it's maybe a little disappointing that each level only has three stages excluding the boss, as it sometimes feels as though more could be gained from exploring each environment with more stages. That said, trying to complete the game will take considerably longer, particularly since there's also a challenge mode with more than 40 unique 60-second challenges to be completed. That might sound simple, but each is split into four 15-second challenges, and you'll be astounded at just how quickly those 15 seconds will pass you by. Challenges will be unlocked as you progress in story mode, and the game will keep track percentage-wise of how much you've completed and collected. In that sense, the game will last you plenty of time, but like with many other platformers, it again depends on how much of a completionist you are.

You would be forgiven for going into Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush thinking that, as good as it's going to be, it's probably just another relatively easy-going Kirby platformer. We've probably all had that thought at some point since it was revealed at E3 2014, but in actuality, the game provides an impressive challenge that can be genuinely difficult at times. This is a very well-designed game that knows how to keep you on your toes, particularly with those 15-second challenges and especially when you're after all the collectibles. While there might at first appear to be a disappointingly low number of levels in the game, try going after all those treasure chests and challenges and it's a completely different story. Tie that in with the game's wonderfully unique visuals and you'll find that there's one thing the Kirby series continues to do very well: it continues to provide experiences that are as enjoyable as you're ever likely to find. This particular experience is no exception.

8

Verdict: Very Good

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