Kirby: Mass Attack

Kirby: Mass Attack is another game in a long history of titles starring Nintendo's pink puffball hero. In the tradition of extra-creative Kirby games such as Kirby: Canvas Curse, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, and Kirby's Epic Yarn, Kirby: Mass Attack takes the iconic Nintendo character and yet again reinvents the way he can be used. This time, using only the DS stylus, players will control a small army of up to ten Kirbys to tackle otherwise traditional side-scrolling platforming challenges and puzzles.

Story

Like Kirby's Epic Yarn, the pink puffball is facing off against a new foe, this time named Necrodeus, who seems to be targeting Kirby specifically as he launches an attack that splits the little guy into ten tiny copies of himself. For once, the focus isn't necessarily on saving Dream Land, but instead, Kirby is intent on delivering justice to this mysterious attacker--one who clearly wants Kirby out of the way for unknown reasons. Kirby's only hope of being whole again is to catch and defeat Necrodeus and his Skull Gang.

Gameplay

As noted, the game is controlled entirely with the Nintendo DS stylus, and requires no other input. Players can tap on the screen to make the gaggle of Kirbys move in a certain direction, they can tap enemies cause the group to launch an attack on foes, and double tapping causes the horde to run, even to escape tougher enemies. Players can snag each Kirby individually and launch them across the screen to attack baddies, break blocks or knock over obstacles, or access various items strewn throughout the stages. Pressing and holding the stylus against the group of Kirbys causes them to cluster together and they may then be moved about the screen in any direction for a limited distance.

Each Kirby can take two hits before he gets KO'd--and when that happens, a little angelic Kirby floats up off the screen. However, if players move quickly, they can launch active Kirbys up to the ghostly one to recover it. A game is only over once every single Kirby has been completely defeated.

Extras Kirby: Mass Attack features a large Extras menu made up mostly of various bonus and mini-games. Along with the mini-games, there are other items, such as a Music Player, and there are 14 Extras altogether which are unlocked by collecting various quantities of the 168 Medals found hidden in the regular game. The bonus games include a Kirby pinball table (Kirby Brawlball), a Kirby take on Whack-a-Mole (Field Frenzy), a timing-focused turn-based RPG battler (Kirby Quest), and even a shmup (Strato Patrol EOS), among others. The games feature multiple levels, tables, stages, challenges, and high scores are recorded--and like the main story of Mass Attack, the concept of using multiple Kirbys (sometimes up to 10) in some fashion in the games. For instance, in the overhead shmup-themed Strato Patrol EOS, the player will use the stylus to move a constantly-shooting Kirby around the stage--with nine more constantly-shooting Kirbys in tow.

Last but not least, Mass Attack features a kind of built-in Achievement system referred to as the Checklist. There are 35 tasks to be completed on the checklist, all of which, however, are kept a secret until the player unlocks them. These tasks include things such as completing your first stage with ten Kirbys, earning a gold medal on a stage for the first time, and defeating boss characters of an area with all 10 Kirbys surviving.