That being said, I have got to get one thing off my chest about the big “N”: some of the gimmicks y’all use in your games are a huge turn-off. There, I said it.
So, why did I say it, you ask? Good question, simply answer: the upcoming release of Kirby & The Rainbow Curse. Now, aesthetically, the game looks friggin’ great. The use of claymation in video games is something I think we could all use more of, especially considering how ahead of their time (in my opinion) those Clayfighter games looked. Also, this is Kirby we’re talking about, aka one of the most adorable and destructive creatures in gaming. Hell, I’d go so far as to say there is no one who combines cuteness and terror better than the lil’ pink blob.
Here’s the thing about The Rainbow Curse, though: It requires heavy, heavy use of the Gamepad. Basically, you control the guy using only the Gamepad, as you’re tasked with drawing lines for Kirby to roll around on throughout each stage. Thus, instead of having the normal platformer feel of nearly every Kirby game, you’re just rolling him around… and that’s it? I can understand that there are likely plenty of imaginative ways for Kirby to be rolled to and fro, but I’m still skeptical because 1) I don’t want to be looking down at my Gamepad all the time and 2) I WANT TO PLATFORM WITH KIRBY. I want to jump around, eat enemies and take on their attributes, jump around again, eat enemies… you get my point.
To be fair, Nintendo is trying to do something different with the sweet-but-horrifying blog and I commend them for that. However, different doesn’t always equate to good (or great) and can sometimes lead to a product that’s more annoying than anything because of its “innovation.” Another point worth making is that I actually avoided consoles with motion controls some years back because I thought that was gimmicky. Nintendo proved me wrong, of course, but I still think there’s something off about transforming an experience like platforming as Kirby into a game that looks so simple?
But hey, don’t take my word for it. The reception for Kirby & The Rainbow Curse has been great so far—and it’s only $40, which is pretty enticing. Sigh, who knows, maybe I’ll end up caving and playing it after all… maybe.
