
For a company so often associated as being at the forefront of innovative thinking in the video game industry, Nintendo can have a tendency to stick with a tried and tested formula. The Mario, Zelda and Pokémon franchises have all received their share of criticism for not drastically changing their instalments over the years, and while some would argue that Nintendo perfected the formula first time round, there's no doubt that an exceptional, out of the blue entry into a series can be an extremely pleasant surprise.
The Kirby series of platformers (like Mario) have often relied heavily on familiarity, with a new power-up, fresh narrative or tweak here and there being the only major distinguishable features. Imagine the gaming industry's surprise then, when - back in 2005, Kirby's Canvas Curse emerged onto the scene. Kirby didn't run, jump and flap his way from stage to stage, but alternatively rolled around like a pink, puffy pinball. The imagination and risk involved resulted in universal praise and eventually led to Canvas Curse receiving it's own spiritual successor in the form of Kirby and the Rainbow Curse.
So with Canvas Curse still fresh on the mind, Kirby Squeak Squad (known as Kirby: Mouse Attack in Europe) made its way to the DS only a year later. It's clear to see where the disappointment many had with the title stemmed from - Kirby had gone from starring in one of his most off-the-wall titles to one of his safest and most conventional. Squeak Squad merely acted as a modern iteration of the classic Kirby platformers of the 8- and 16-bit eras, with the title's (admittedly wonderful) visuals and touchscreen controls the only real indication that this was a modern release.

While Squeak Squad wasn't fresh or particularly exciting back upon release (and even less so currently), that shouldn't take away from what is still an enjoyable platforming experience, though. Kirby handles as well as ever, the music is as upbeat and joyous as one would expect from a Kirby experience, and the visuals are characteristically chromatic. Kirby was even given a few new adorable copy abilities to be able to perform such as the Animal, Bubble, Ghost, Metal, and Triple Star abilities. The brand new "Copy Scrolls" further modified Kirby's transformations, allowing his power-ups to be boosted beyond their ordinary abilities - such as performing charge attacks or increasing damage fields.
Squeak Squad's most novel introduction, though, was the ability to store and combine power-ups and other collected items, with the bottom screen of the DS serving as a window into Kirby's expansive stomach. Only 5 items can be stored at any given time, requiring the player to juggle their inventory. This adds extra dilemmas, requiring you to decide which items can be discarded in place of others, but can also be somewhat frustrating - you'll find yourself using stored abilities or health items unnecessarily as a means of freeing up important space for Treasure Chests. This system also allows for a neat ability to combine items, allowing you to merge mini-Kirbys into a 1UP and even allowing for power-ups like the "Fire" and "Sword" abilities to be merged into a extremely neat "Fire Sword" weapon - making Kirby as deadly as he is cute.
While the title may not be the longest - with the story mode easily beaten in a matter of hours - collecting each of the level's treasure chests provides a much more extensive challenge for those looking to pour more time into Squeak Squad and lengthen the experience. These chests can contain keys - opening secret paths and levels, puzzle pieces (similar to Streetpass), the ability to change Kirby's colour, music, trophies, hearts to increase Kirby's maximum health and various other little tidbits, perfect for collectable hunters and those seeking to fully complete the title. Bundle in three (somewhat uninspiring) mini-games and the content is rather impressive - more than making up for the shortness of the main campaign.
Conclusion
Kirby Squeak Squad suffers from doing little to build upon the tried and tested Kirby formula, and was always destined to be overshadowed by its sublime predecessor: Kirby's Canvas Curse. While it may lack originality or a truly captivating new mechanic, Kirby Squeak Squad still remains a solid, enjoyable platformer and a worthy addition to the Wii U Virtual Console library.
Comments 27
I wish this game comes to NA before 2017.
I already have the cartridge, so I won't be buying this if it came to the NA eShop.
I think the game's very good... maybe not the strongest in the Kirby series, but a good Kirby game nontheless.
Ah...memories. My sister got this when she was 7, and I would play it when she wasn't. This was the first Kirby game I played .
"So with Canvas Curse still fresh on the mind, Kirby Squeak Squad made its way to the DS only a year later. It's clear to see where the disappointment many had with the title stemmed from"
An this is where my opinion differs greatly. As someone who couldn't stand Kirby Power Paintbrush, finding it to be an unsatisfying and aggravating experience, the return to the formula of gameplay which made me crown the series as my favourite of all time was most welcome.
I loved how the entry returned to allowing Kirby to use multiple moves with just one ability, with the hidden scrolls being a nice touch. Speaking of touch, the use of the touch screen I felt was a fitting idea of how to create a Kirby game suited to the DS hardware. The Squeak Squad were a group of wonderful designed and fun to fight against opponents, and I overall loved this game.
Sure, it may not be one of the greatest entries, but it was a huge pleasure to play, and was a pleasing main entry to receive after my dislike for Kirby Power Paintbrush.
I want so badly to be able to play this delightful game on my television. Same with Kirby 64 and Return To Dream Land.
Oh, and Metroid: Zero Mission and Pandora's Tower and Sin & Punishment 2 and DKC Returns and Little Ninja Brothers and Flying Warriors and Advance Wars 2....
This was one of my favorite Kirby titles, and I ended up losing it on the DS, so this is a welcome game for me to get!
This game got its title in May 2006 if I remember correctly, and it was basically done. I was surprised they kept it in the freezer till 2007 in Europe.
This was actually the first game I ever owned. It's still one of my favorites and I'll be picking it up for sure when it hits NA.
Never played this but have played Mass Attack for DS, that was fun.
I didn't buy a Wii U to play DS games. Can't we move onto Gamecube or something already?
I love Squeak Squad. Clawing through enemies and barriers as Animal Kirby is so awesomely cute and satisfying.
I had a lot of fun times playing my cousin's copy of the game, I'll probably buy this once it releases in America since my cousin lost his copy.
This is a fair review. It's been years since I've last played Squeak Squad, but I agree that it was a solid title despite not being the most original game in the series. I don't own a copy of the game anymore, so I'll get it whenever it releases in North America.
Squeak Squad takes less than three hours to clear 100%. There are way better Kirby games out there.
@Storytime7 NoA seems to take an especially long time releasing Kirby games. They still need to release Return to Dreamland.
This game has Animal and Magic abilities, unique to this game only!
I always saw this as the unofficial third entry of the GBA games and I thought it was the best out of them. After Amazing Mirror kinda missed the mark with its metroidvania approach, this one was more on point.
You're reviewing the EU version but call it Squeak Squad?!
I hated Canvas Curse.
I don't think this one was that safe at all, sure it was more traditional, but the belly mechanic was an interesting enough twist to keep things fresh, and the new powerups were pretty fun.
I much prefer Kirby's traditional entries over his experimental titles like Canvas Curse, Mass Attack, and Epic Yarn. I hadn't realized this was one of them, so I'll definitely be adding it to my Wishlist once it hits North America.
Personally, I can't stand touch controls. So that made Squeak Squad the best DS Kirby title for me. 8/10
@manu0 yes. Madness!
@TomServo_89 You're a crazy person
Any time a portable game is released on the WiiU, a little part of me dies.
THe title reminds me of the COD players xD
@Stu13 If you're in NA, all of your dreams just came true today.
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