When I first saw Mass Attack I was actually really interested in this game, and this was before I even really liked Kirby. It looked so much like what a Pikmin game would be if it was a platformer, and in general looked like a really fun game. Thankfully when I got it from amazon, it was exactly what I thought it be and actually a lot more too.
I've obviously not been a fan of Kirby till recently, but mass attack I think is what makes me really like the series. Sure Kirby does a lot of gimmicky stuff, but honestly Kirby can pull it off, it just works for him. And seeing a Pikmin-esque platformer is something that I never knew I wanted. Kirby honestly does adapted the Pikmin style of gameplay quite well, and mixes wonderfully with his own universe. Fighting enemies in Kirby games has never really been more satisfying till you beaten them down with 10 Kirbys, and the way puzzles are solved are a lot more inventive then just pressing some buttons like in most Kirby games. Not to mention there really is always something to do it Mass Attack that can really you put yourself on the edge of your seat. Having to constantly maintain 10 Kirbys at once, directing them where they need to go is always a challenge and getting through any stage with a gold ranking of not getting damaged at all is a real challenge. Then there are medals that need to be collected throughout the levels, sometimes its 3, most of the time its 5, but you always have to be on the look out on where the medals might be and double goes for the rainbow coated ones. Once you collect a certain amount of medals you also unlock a bunch of cool extras, like galleries or subgames. A lot of these sub-games are surprisingly in-depth for an extra thing, and most can actually be beaten like a regular game. In a lot of ways, Mass Attack is a bit of a successor to Super Star having 3 other sub-games to play and 3 mini-games. Personally like the shooter kirby sub game the most, but the pinball and mock rpg kirby games are really fun too.
Course, Mass Attack isn't without its flaws. For one thing, if you are hoping to keep your DS bottom screen safe, that’s just not going to happen. Mass Attack is a real screen killer, one of the worst I've seen, and I've played a lot of Meteos. This is of course without mentioning the the downside to controlling 10 kirbys at once. There is just a lot of lag when controlling all 10 kirbys, and when you have them all it can be a real disadvantage compared to having 3 or 4. Sometimes the kirbys just don't respond correctly or the platform or area you tap at doesn't let all the kirbys fit snuggly. Grabbing all the kirbys at once is also a handful as most, but not all the kirbys get taken and the one or two left cause a lot of problems with the camera. Which brings me to the next major flaw to this game, the camera. While camera angles have never been an issue in previous kirby games, in this one its a plague. Its not so much that the camera doesnt focus, but it focuses incorrectly. While playing the game and having several kirbys out at once, the camera seems to pick a favorite and stick with it, this leads to a lot of problems when you happen to throw a kirby the wrong way. The camera switches all its focus on to that kirby and you're left wondering how the other kirbys are doing. Worse yet is when you try to backtrack with a group of kirbys and when you try to move forward again the game only gives you the tinest space to see where you are going, and this can often lead to a kirby or two getting hit or possibly dying. Not to mention that many of the levels can just be very trying and tedious throughout this game. While some levels certainly are shorter, the majority over state there welcome when playing this game for an extensive period of time. Course this usually means to just take a break rather than being a major flaw. While there are certainly are a hand full of flaws with Mass Attack, it still provides enough fun to make them more so annoyances then clear game breaks though, and really it just works out in the end.
Final Thoughts:
Mass Attack is a wonderful new light on the Kirby series, and proves that a pikmin-esque platformer can work. While there are a few flaws with the touch controls lag and camera issues when there are a lot of Kirbys around; Mass Attack still shines through with its robust Kirby throwing/ solving gameplay and medal fetching side-quests. With a bunch of mini-games and a lot of levels to explore, Mass Attack is an excellent and highly replayable addition to the series.