Kirby: Mass Attack (DS) review "The inability to consistently fling puffballs is the biggest problem that you’ll likely have with Kirby Mass Attack, because at times that particular activity can be vitally important. For example, in one stage you must repeatedly ram a block to slide it along a platform before a timer counts down and it explodes. There’s specific placement you’ll have in mind, but getting the explosive charge positioned in time can be difficult when every second or third swipe on the screen doesn’t register."

One day, Kirby was taking a nap. Suddenly, a powerful wizard named Necrodeus split him into 10 miniature puffballs. With the brave windbag thus weakened, the wicked wizard set about eliminating each pint-sized portion of the hero … until only one pipsqueak remained. Not all was lost, though, because Kirby’s courageous spirit remained in the form of a floating star. Empowered by the reminder of his former greatness, the pint-sized hero set about reuniting with his slain fellows by gobbling up magical fruit that lies scattered throughout the world. If enough fruit is eaten and enough members of the wizard’s Skull Gang are defeated, there’s a chance that Kirby can become whole again and save Dream Land.

Kirby Mass Attack should not be mistaken for a conventional Kirby game, though it comes closer to feeling like one than the masterful Kirby’s Epic Yarn did last year for Wii. As Kirby, you won’t run and jump through stages while performing careful leaps, dodges and glides. You won’t inhale foes, take on their powers and turn into a spaceship or anything like that. Instead, you’ll assume the role of star general. You’ll tap the screen where you want Kirby to go (or more often, the mass of as many as ten miniature Kirby puffballs that you have accumulated) and then you’ll hope for good things.

The stylus is your sole means of control, and the good news is that mostly the odd setup works and allows for some ingenious moments that will surprise you with their complexity (particularly given the fact that really you’re just tapping the screen or swiping at it with your stylus). The bad news, though, is that the control method misfires often enough to get in the way of the purely joyful experience that Kirby Mass Attack otherwise might have provided.

Kirby and his clones tend to move around the screen like a swarm of ants. When you point to a destination, a star appears on-screen and the little pink pipsqueaks will trot over to it. If you quickly double tap to indicate that haste is in order, they’ll sprint instead. Pressing the stylus against the screen and holding it there will cause the puffballs to assemble, and then you can drag the stylus from there to carry the balls in cloud form for a few seconds before they drop to the nearest platform. You can also flick the stylus and in that manner toss the little pink heroes at objects that need some battering—weak blocks, armored enemies or various other obstacles—but it’s not always easy to predict when a swipe will have the intended effect and when the puffballs will just prance a few steps to the side because your swipe didn’t register properly.

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Staff review by Jason Venter (September 17, 2011) Jason Venter has been playing games for 30 years, since discovering the Apple IIe version of Mario Bros. in his elementary school days. Now he writes about them, here at HonestGamers and also at other sites that agree to pay him for his words.