Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 95

95: Kirby’s Canvas Curse (DS)
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Year: 2005

I was a huge anti-Nintendo DS spokesman. I belittled the device for years and years, saying it was a gimmick handheld and not something to be thought of seriously. The graphics looked kinda iffy, the games seemed to need the stylus to function, and classic remakes seemed like rehashes made for cash rather than quality. And, while I still believe the DS to be a gimmick, through and through, this game made the console work for me as both an idea and as a source of great joy and amusement.

The story was simple enough: a witch attacks Dream Land and Kirby springs to the rescue, eventually following her and getting trapped in her world. This art-style dimension is the “canvas” and the “curse” is the removal of Kirby’s limbs, trapping him as an armless, legless ball. However, the Magical Paintbrush (the player) elects to help Kirby navigate the world and strike back at the witch and return peace to both lands. As I said, its a simple story, but in a game based completely around gameplay, a simple story is all that is necessary to keep the “ball rolling” (haha get it? I’m so smart).

Canvas Curse used the DS’s dual screens to great effect, but most importantly was the device’s touch screen, in which you – the player – draw the paths for Kirby to roll on, guiding the little ball through the obstacles and mazes of the game’s worlds. Rapid, quick-draw like reflexes on the part of the player make or break the game, as enemies can only be hurt by Kirby is they’re stunned, something the player does by tapping on them with the stylus. This may not sound too terribly difficult, but keep in mind that if the paint-path under Kirby should stop and he falls to his death, a stunned enemy becomes pointless.

Kirby can – as always – acquire power-ups and bonus abilities by defeating enemies and what have you, and doing so helps the player defeat mini-game-style boss fights and – in the end – the witch herself in a final level that is two parts innovative, three parts frustrating-as-Hell. But that’s really most of the game, when it comes down to it; there are parts of the game that will be a breeze to get through, you’ll be thinking to yourself you must be the best player in the world because – hey! – check out your mad skills. But, at the same time, other levels will have you running Kirby around in circles, confounded as fuck. That’s what makes the game great.

All in all, Canvas Curse offers a fantastically frustrating challenge for gamers who need to be quick and agile with their timing and precise with their placement. In a series as diverse as the Kirby games, you’re bound to have some stinkers – true – (prime example: Kirby 64) but this is not one of them. With great level design based around an innovative and engaging gameplay mechanic, this title keeps one entertained the whole way through.

Classic Moment:
The evil witch (did I mention her name is Drawcia or something dumb like that?) draws Kirby’s arch-nemesis-friend-pal-enemy-tennis-partner King (of what?) Dedede. This leads to some of the game’s best boss battles, as old-style battles are clearly not going to work in a game in which your titular character is a lump of pink poo on the floor. Guiding Kirby as he does damage leads to Dedede giving off the best of expressions, as he always does. It is always such a pleasure inflicting pain upon this guy because of the overly ridiculous faces he makes.

Added September 29, 2016
I will admit it now, after all these years: This one is a list-filler. This is a cute, fun title, but not Top 100 quality.
Sorry, Zak!