Kirby has a wide array of powers, among them the little known aura that inspires complete adoration. Who could look upon the puff and not smile? In that, most of us agree. But there's something that no one can agree on when it comes to the newly released Kirby: Squeak Squad -- and that's the difficulty of the game. Sure, reviewers may be extolling Kirby's virtues, but the list of virtues is not quite the same from one write-up to another.Yahoo! Games - 70%: In terms of difficulty, this is one of the easier platformers on the DS ...This game definitely catered to the less patient and less experienced DS owners. Mini-games are another beloved aspect of Kirby titles, but Squeak Squad's are disappointing: Play a variation on bumper cars, engage in speed eating, or avoid bombs in a treasure hunt. Even the prospect of multiplayer competitions can't add much longevity to these quickly cast-aside diversions.
Cubed3 - 90%: ...people oft complain that Kirby's adventures are far too easy, thus do not manage to scale the heights of Mario's platform games. They generally point out that it is especially due to the fact that he can inhale fresh air and then just float along at the top of the screen until the end of a level. However, this really is not the case with Squeak Squad as the levels are extremely intricate, housing so many secrets that it is practically impossible to find them all on your first play through. There are eight worlds in total, broken down into separate levels, with a final boss at the end of each one. Altogether there are 37 stages, seven hidden ones and eight boss battles. The main stages and boss battles alone should be enough to keep the average gamer happy, but thankfully for those Kirby masters out there, much more is added on top of this to make the package truly complete.
GamePro - 80%: The only thing we didn't like about Squeak Squad is that it's a tad on the easy side. To say that it's forgiving is an understatement. Food, which replenishes your health, is readily available and the bosses don't put up much of a challenge. Also, the cartoonish visual style might turn off more mature gamers who like their games to have a little hair on their chests. But there is no denying the ineffable charm of this title and gamers looking to give their DS a workout should gobble this one up like it was made of sweet, sweet candy.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-08-2006 @ 4:01PM
joshua said...
Sounds like a perfect 1st DS game for my 5 year old son.
Anyone else think of good DS games for this age?
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12-08-2006 @ 4:09PM
DiahrreaMan said...
New Super Mario Brothers! Also, if he likes that, also get Super Princess Peach. They're all fun, and easy to pick up and play games.
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12-08-2006 @ 4:57PM
DiRT said...
Pssst... Games rated "E" that your son might like are also perfectly OK for you to play! "All Ages" doesn't just mean "little kids."
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12-08-2006 @ 5:48PM
Dan said...
Squeak Squad is the most fun I've had with a Kirby game since Super Star. It's really quite good. Unfortunately, it's also extremely short. A few hours is all it takes to finish, and there's really not enough replay value to make up for it.
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12-08-2006 @ 6:57PM
Kefka said...
I love the way that two of the reviews say it's too easy, and the other says it's hard :P
Methinks Cubed3's review maybe doesn't have l33t gaming skillz ;)
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12-08-2006 @ 7:16PM
John H. said...
Actually, I think it's possible the first and third reviews didn't play all the way through the game, or it might be that it's a case of Kirby's pastel artwork influencing how they see the game.
Kirby games can sometimes be among the most difficult platformers you'll play. Kirby's Adventure (especially) and Super Star had some surprisingly tough sections later on. Even Kirby 64, which was laughable in difficulty, did have some remarkably sneaky secrets.
Note that I *have not played* Squeak Squad, so I do not know how difficult it really is. I am just noting that a good many gamers tend to underrate Kirby as far as difficulty goes.
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12-08-2006 @ 7:43PM
joshua said...
I like that the 1st DS kirby game uses the stylus too... since he needs to learn how to write and gain better fine motor control... the DS seems like a perfect platform to letting kids learn to write, draw, etc. but there are no games for it.
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12-09-2006 @ 6:45PM
GOB said...
Games, how? The stylus is just another method of input. Trauma Center, Canvas Curse, and Elite Beat Agents are more enjoyable than your standard button masher.
About 70-80% is what I expected. Definitely getting this soon, since I missed out on the GBA ones.
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12-10-2006 @ 5:38PM
Matt Rix said...
I'm thinking/hoping what joshua meant is that there are no DS games for specifically teaching kids how to write and draw... And he's got a point, because games like that really would be handy.
I don't think anyone would be silly enough to say that the DS has no good stylus games at all.
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12-10-2006 @ 8:20PM
GOB said...
Hmm, sorry for misreading.
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12-10-2006 @ 11:28PM
Grant said...
I think Brain Age has some writing recognition parts, doesn't it?
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