Review - Kirby Squeak Squad

Developer/Publisher: Flaghsip / Nintendo, HAL Laboratory
Release Date: December 4, 2006
Rating: Everyone – Mild Cartoon Violence
Available On: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action-Adventure
Number of Players: 1 player; 2-4 players (local single-card)
Strong Points: Colorful and clean presentation; music is fairly strong; different graphic and combat options; tons of unlockable goodies; fun to play; decent puzzles
Weak Points: Game is short in length; not that challenging; some abilities feel useless; mini-games get dull quickly; combat is simple
Technical Score: B
Artistic Score: A
Final Score (not an average): B-
Content Warnings: Cartoony violence; a magician boss; ghost ability that allows you to possess enemies; an earlier boss transforms into a darker version of himself due to the ending boss's power


Kirby's previous outing on the DS had him rolling through levels as a ball in Kirby Canvas Curse. Utilizing touch controls only, the game was praised for being original and fun. His second outing on the DS comes in the form of Kirby Squeak Squad. The game goes back to its GBA roots as a pure platformer, so the stylus is not relied on as heavily as it was in KCC, but is still needed for some gameplay elements. The small puff of pink this time around comes with new abilities to dispatch foes with, multiplayer modes, and a new story mode to romp through.

The game opens with Kirby beginning to dine on delectable strawberry shortcake, but the dessert is stolen from him before he could enjoy it by some unknown bandit. Suspecting that it's the work of King Dedede (the main villain in a majority of previous Kirby titles), Kirby sets off to find his cake and the person who stole it. Soon it becomes clear that it wasn't the King that took it, but a band of mice called the Squeak Squad. Kirby begins to track down his shortcake all while collecting chests, inhaling food and enemies, and battling the Squeak Squad.

If you're new to Kirby, then the formula goes something like this: Kirby goes through a level to reach the exit, sometimes with multiple doors and puzzles. He can jump, crouch, float, and inhale objects. The objects include food, obstacles, and enemies. A majority of the enemies in the game have abilities that Kirby can absorb. If you see a foe with a sword, you can inhale him, press down on the D-pad, and acquire his ability (in this case, a sword). In Squeak Squad, you are able to hold up to five items in your stomach for later use, or you can combine them for a more potent effect. For example, you can inhale three normal enemies which show up as stars in your stomach. Using the stylus, you can combine the three stars for a big one that will do plenty of damage when launched at a foe. You can click on the icon of what you swallowed to use it. If you have a fireball icon in your stomach and you tap on it, you now will have the fire ability. Some abilities can combine together to become a more potent form. One would be adding Shock and Sword together; this will give your blade the ability to cause elemental damage and send out shockwaves that damage enemies slightly. There aren't a lot of ability combinations, but the ones that are there are decent. You can also combine food together to heal Kirby for more than you would when eating them by themselves. You are also allowed to combine 3 mini-Kirbies for a 1UP, but there aren't a lot of the mini-Kirbies to collect in the game.

There’s a story mode, three mini-games (which can be shared from a single cartridge across multiple DS systems), a boss endurance trial, a time trial mode, and a gallery where you can see everything you've unlocked. One timed mini-game has you tapping a certain food before the enemy Squeak does, but if you tap a bomb, you lose health. Another has you dragging the stylus into other enemies in a top-down perspective, the aim being to knock other star-rides off a platform. The story lasts anywhere from four to six hours depending on your play style and if you unlocked everything. The mini-games, while a decent distraction, aren’t that fun. The gallery will allow you to play music, go over art from the game, and show you what kind of odd trinkets you collected.

When playing the levels, you will run across chests, usually three in a level. Many times you have to use a certain ability to reach the chests or to clear a way to them. When you come along the single special chest in a level, you have to race a boss Squeak Squad member to get it. This can lead to some frantic moments when playing, but if you miss it, you can always revisit the level. If Squeak Squad members take a chest, you have a small window of opportunity to go inside their hideout, defeat them, and run to the exit with the chest. To get a complete 100% rating you must collect all the chests. Inside these chests are usually unlockables like pictures, skin colors, music, food, and ability scrolls (which add a passive benefit). One fun part of the game was figuring which ability to use to reach a chest, or narrowly escaping a boss with a chest.

The first thing that stood out when playing the game was the presentation. The colors are rich and crisp, the backgrounds change and move with Kirby, and the animation is smooth. The game is in 2D, but the cartoony look fits the character well. You are able to customize Kirby's color (once unlocked), so if you get bored of the pink hero, you can change him to lime green or even a black version. The health bar's icon will change to match the color as does the outfit Kirby wears when he has an ability. And though it's not a big change, it's a welcome one to this reviewer. The levels are standard themes like lava, snow, and space. I would’ve liked more variety, but what’s there still looks good.

The different abilities also change how Kirby looks and what he wears. The sword ability gives Kirby a green cap and large sword that resembles the Legend of Zelda games while the magician ability gives Kirby a large top hat that could easily cover his whole body. Some even change his body like the UFO and Wheel ability. The only problem with the different abilities (twenty-five in total) is the fact that some skills will rarely be used, and most enemies only use a certain amount of those abilities. There is a secret level that can be unlocked which allows you to pick up any of the abilities, so that's a good option if you don't feel like running through a level just to get a favorite ability.

The music is strong throughout and can be played at the menu when unlocked in-game. There was only one water level where the music was unbearable, but outside of that song, it has its good pieces. The sound effects get the job done, but nothing really stood out. There are sounds for all of Kirby’s actions, even falling face first into the ground from a high height only to rebound on his feet, smiling. The music helps pace the game and will get you rushing for that last chest when you see a boss race for it as well.

There isn’t much in the way for moral hang-ups when playing this game. There is an unlockable ghost ability that allows you to possess enemies for a time, but besides looking cute, you have the option not to use it. A boss is also changed into a darker version of himself, though it doesn’t have any type of occultic elements associated with it. There is a magician Squeak Squad boss, and he does use a wand, but that’s about as bad as the game gets.

I enjoyed playing Kirby Squeak Squad, even if was a breeze to play through. It was charming for the five or so hours it took to complete it, and I would easily recommend it for purchase if you have a young child or sibling, or if you’re a Kirby fan. For a game geared towards the younger crowd, I can’t complain much. With good production values, unlockables, and a candy-coated exterior, it’s a sweet treat best had every now and then.

-Jonathan Andrews (jonathan@revolve21.com)