...as a proof of concept, Rainbow Curse works great for me. I don’t even need to look at the TV when the game is this good. It’s a little strange that the best home for touchscreen gameplay is now the Wii U, rather than the 3DS. But I’ll take it where I can get it.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse isn’t Kirby as you know it. It’s a departure from the traditional mechanics and a new experience for veterans of the franchise. Maybe Nintendo will dedicate more titles to the Gamepad, but this shouldn't be the future of home console Kirby games. At $40 it’s okay, but as long as you're not expecting Kirby games of yore.

If you're willing to alter your usual gameplay style and take a different approach, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse offers up one of the most enthralling and magical experiences yet for this 'tough cream puff' I completely understand that some people aren't going to vibe with this game. I also know some gamers will avoid this title like the plague due to the cutesy graphics alone. There's also people that won't be willing to alter their usual approach to games to learn something new. That's all well and good. Not every game has to be for everyone. With that said, those people are going to miss out on an absolutely fantastic experience. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse provides an experience that is almost zen in nature, and that's something I'd like to see a lot more from this industry.

Don't let Rainbow Curse's relatively small length put you off; it's a sublime experience that completely washes its hands of the padding most games employ to justify a retail release. If you're used to finishing games out of a sense of weary obligation, expect to be pleasantly surprised when this latest Kirby spin-off leaves you fully satisfied by the end of its final level.

It's a game that has a little something for everyone, all without compromising its unyielding, unique, and undivided attention on its mission to blast pure adorableness into the world in all directions. If Kirby and the Rainbow Curse doesn't make you smile, you may need to see a doctor for that."]It's a game that has a little something for everyone, all without compromising its unyielding, unique, and undivided attention on its mission to blast pure adorableness into the world in all directions. If Kirby and the Rainbow Curse doesn't make you smile, you may need to see a doctor for that.

Bright, colorful worlds brought to life by a unique art style, coupled with challenging, diverse gameplay highlights yet another successful Kirby spin-off that is as good or better in many ways than its predecessor.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse shines because it’s a simple game that delivers superbly on a simple concept. You’re repeating many of the same actions again and again, but with each new stroke it feels more refined, more graceful. I’ve never felt smarter or more sophisticated while playing a Kirby game.

Ten years ago, Canvas Curse helped Nintendo explain its handheld oddity better than any press presentation or Q&A session ever could. The gameplay was so intuitive, so immediately familiar and smartly designed, that it went a long way toward convincing me that a touch interface could do more than simple mobile experiences. A decade later, those mechanics work just as well wrapped in a beautiful new presentation, but by its very nature, it feels more at home on a handheld. Just in this case, it's a handheld system that's tethered to your living room console.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse plays to the strengths of Nintendo this generation: great level design, cute characters, simple story, beautiful music, unique concepts. It’s fun and silly and laidback, with little punishment for failure, but plenty of challenge for those who are looking for it. It has some awkward controls for more precise movements, and a few gratuitous features, but those don’t distract from the goodness of the gameplay.


The biggest drawback is that there’s just not enough of this game. After clearing the main Story Mode, unless I want to pick up all the collectables, there’s not much left to play for. I feel like the game cut off right as I was getting comfortable with it, and I would’ve loved secret levels like in the Donkey Kong games, or for the already-existing levels to have an increased difficulty after I’d beaten it once. Unless I’m missing something pretty crucial, such a feature doesn’t exist.


If you’re the sort that loves puzzles and full completion, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is the game for you. It’s another feel-good Nintendo title that focuses on good gameplay–cute, low-stress, and lots of fun the whole way through.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is one of the series’ better experiments, with warm, lively visuals working in tandem with a dynamic, unusual approach to platforming. It’s no epic, and the extras are a little on the shallow side, but it’s great while it lasts. The Wii U is in desperate need for strong content and justification for its extravagant controller, and Rainbow Curse provides both.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is a brisk, gorgeous platformer that has no qualms with taking off the training wheels.

I never fully fell in love with only having secondary control of Kirby. Drawing platform lines is undeniably different, but I’m not convinced it’s the best way to play a platformer. Rainbow Curse smartly toys with the mechanic, adding surprising twists and changes, and by the end I was having a good time – even if I still was yelling at Kirby to just do what I told him every now and then.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon: a pleasant roll through a gorgeous world, with some novel concepts, and one of the most beautiful games the Wii U has yet seen. However charming the game may be, Rainbow Curse is a few strokes from greatness: overly repetitive mechanics, underused ideas, and a failure to integrate its clay theme into gameplay in any meaningful way keep it from reaching the lofty heights to which it potentially could. Well crafted, but not a masterpiece.

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is a tiring game. It's taxing without being rewarding, like doing a mile on a stationary bike and discovering that you only burned away calories from one bite of your lunch burrito. The game gets frustrating quickly due to repetitive obstacles and there's not much incentive to dig into a game that won't give you that agency. It's a mediocre romp through a gorgeously detailed world that doesn't give you the control you need as a player, which ultimately dulls its shine.

Playing Kirby and the Rainbow Curse was a tedious experience from beginning to end, and it lacks the "time and place" factor of Canvas Curse. If Nintendo was more open to bringing its properties to mobile and tablets, I could see the game being more appealing as a cheap eShop or iPad title. As a full-fledged $40 Wii U title, however, it only feels like a disappointment.