Kirby, the cute little pink blob, is back in action. Kirby has always been one of Nintendo’s most experimental heroes. The same goes for Rainbow Paintbrush, it’s far from a classic Kirby platformer but it works just fine. It’s a rather easy adventure but the gorgeous world made out of clay offers a very unique experience.
Guide Kirby trough the levels
The first thing you’ll notice in this colorful adventure, is the way you control Kirby. You’re never able to control the pink blob directly, only by drawing rainbow line. These lines guide Kirby to wherever you want him to go. It’s the same technique that was used in Kirby and the Canvas Curse on the Nintendo DS.
Since you aren’t able to control Kirby, the game turns out rather easy. By drawing lines, you’re not only able to create paths; you can create a ‘shield’ to protect Kirby from danger. It’ isn’t the most accurate or precise way to control Kirby but it works just fine. The biggest downside to it, is that you’re forced to look at the GamePad. The gorgeous HD world on your television can hardly be watched since you really need to pay attention to the GamePad. It’s a perfect game for spectators but it’s a shame for those who want to see the true beauty of the clay world.
A gorgeous world of clay
That world out of clay is by far the best thing that could happen to this game. It’s clear form the start that Nintendo gave the developers a lot of freedom to experiment with the clay look. Everything looks like it could have been created in the real world and a lot of it actually is. The small dents that you see in environments and characters almost look like fingerprints. The entire world is created with a lot of freedom and more important with a lot of love!
It’s a shame there aren’t a lot of worlds to enjoy this beauty. There’s a total of seven different worlds, divided into four levels. The fourth level of each world features a boss to defeat. To keep things real, the first boss you’ll face if of course the infamous tree, later on you’ll face more original characters. Seven worlds isn’t much, so you’ll reach the end of the game way faster than let’s say a Donkey Kong game.
Looks great but far too easy
Although there aren’t a lot of worlds, almost every level is fun to play. Nintendo mixes a lot of traditional elements with new, very creative elements. To stay true to the theme, all worlds feature a certain color, think about the Green Hills and Yellow Dunes for example. Aside of this little detail, the worlds also feature the classic underwater and air levels. It’s interesting to see how the gameplay changes in these worlds. When underwater you need to draw lines above Kirby in order for him not floating against enemies. Once in the air however, you’ll need to draw lines under Kirby so he won’t fall down in the abyss.
Transformations are back
Also back from the past are the transformations. Kirby can transform in a tank, rocket or submarine. Those levels are by far the most fun to play. Once Kirby is transformed, the rules change as well. The way you need to draw your lines differs from the transformation. It’s a shame there aren’t a lot of levels using this but it’s fun the creators included it anyway.
Aside of this, you can also use three Amiibo figurines: Kirby, Meta Knight and King Dedede. The Kirby Amiibo unlocks the power mode for Kirby, allowing him to transform in a giant pink ball (no pun intended) at any time. King Dedede gives more lives and Meta Knight increases the Dash speed and gives Kirby an epic mask. Every Amiibo can be used only once a day but it’s a fun extra!
The controls aren’t always that great
So based on the way the game looks, you can really speak of another success for Nintendo, too bad the controls aren’t always that great. Since you’re forced to draw lines, you’ll always watch the GamePad to play. Since it has a bigger screen than the 3DS, you get more space to move your arm around, which is an improvement for sure. The problem with the controls is that they aren’t that precise at all.
Sure, at first this won’t bother you. It isn’t a hard game so precision isn’t always needed. In the later levels however, it really is. These feature a lot of enemies and very small platforms, so in order to survive you really need precession. Drawing lines isn’t that accurate at all. Kirby doesn’t always follow your line the way you intended, losing a life due to these inaccuracies could become rather frustrating.
Aside of just flowing the lines, Kirby can also dash forwards to break blocks or destroy enemies. Once again, this works very well in the first levels but in levels with lots of enemies, it’s hard to track the fast movements of the blob. It’s a shame Nintendo didn’t include traditional controller support for the game, with traditional controls, this point of critique wouldn’t be necessary to give.
Too easy for veteran gamers
The other big point of critique is the difficulty level of the game. The game is aimed for a younger audience so it’s really forgiving. Fail too much in a level? The game will give you hints or even an option to skip to the next level. Awesome for kids but too easy for veteran gamers. A harder level of difficulty would have been better, even if it was optional.
Because of this, the game is really too short for veteran players. Aside of the main quest you’re able to unlock some challenges in the Challenge Mode. These feature short levels where you need to gather the treasure chest under fifteen seconds. Again, fun it’s there but way too easy to solve. It feels like Nintendo had a lot of ideas but got stuck due to the level of difficulty.
Local co-op experience
To make up for the short game, a co-op mode is included in the game as well. The system of this mode is rather genius. A second player can enter the game at any point they want, just by pressing the plus button on the Wii Remote. Want to stop? Just push the minus button. This drop in or out principle is great for the small levels in the game but how does the co-op works?
The second player or players take control of a Waddle Dee, introducing traditional controls to the game. Playing as a Waddle Dee makes it clear that the game really benefits of traditional controls. Player One will still have to guide Kirby with rainbow lines. The combination of traditional controls and touch controls don’t always work out that great in co-op. It’s a great attempt but it like trying to combine to worlds that just don’t match.
A lot of collectibles
To end the review I would also like to point out that not everything about the game is a bad, the game features a lot of collectibles in the form of music and figurines. You gain those by finding all stars or treasure chests in the levels. Thanks to the collectibles, you’ll really search the entire level for hidden rooms. If you try to find every collectible, you’ll spend a lot more time in the game of course. It’s a cheap way of extending the gameplay but it works, mostly thanks to the gorgeous clay figurines you can unlock.
Conclusion:
All in all we can conclude that, aside of how the game looks, Rainbow Paintbrush is a game that doesn’t take a lot of risks. It’s clearly designed for a younger audience, resulting in a very easy game for veteran players. The biggest problem with it, are the controls. Drawing lines on your GamePad isn’t as accurate as it should be, playing the game with traditional controls would have been better for the overall experience. The gorgeous world and original characters are the reason why this game is still worth your time. It’s by far one of the best-looking Wii U games on the market. Lower your expectations, this isn’t a full 3D Kirby game; just enjoy this colorful ride on the rainbow.
