Kirby and the Rainbow Curse

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse (known as Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush in Europe) is a platformer Kirby game for the Wii U that was released in Japan on January 22, 2015, on February 20, 2015 in North America and on May 8, 2015 in Europe.

The game is a sequel/successor to Kirby: Canvas Curse for the Nintendo DS, but rather than centering around a painted art style, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse uses a clay motif instead. It is the only Kirby title to be released for the Wii U.

Plot
"All the beautiful color has been drained from Kirby's home. Now it's up to him to bring it back to to life!"

- Official Kirby and the Rainbow Curse website

On Planet Popstar, Kirby is seen upon a hill. He brought an apple for a snack, but he accidentally dropped it down the hill. Kirby runs after it, but trips and begins rolling down the hill, still chasing the apple.

Bandana Waddle Dee is seen fishing with his spear when the apple rolls and falls into the lake beside him. Kirby follows and knocks Bandana Waddle Dee over. While Kirby tries to get his apple out of the water, Bandana Waddle Dee gets up and notices an unusual hole is forming in the sky.

The hole soon begins to shoot a ray of light that drains the color from the land and makes anything it touches lifeless. Bandana Waddle Dee tries to warn Kirby as the light approaches, but is too late and it turns them both into colorless clay.

The hole then begins to disappear, but before it closes, a paint brush-like being named Elline falls through. Two Grab Hands then come out and begin to chase her. She manages to evade them until she finds Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee.

Elline recolors them and Kirby saves her before she is grabbed. Bandana Waddle Dee then knocks the Grab Hands away with his spear before they can attack again, prompting them to retreat back into the hole in the sky.

Elline asks Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee for help and they both accept. She then paints a rainbow rope that Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee follow into the hole in the sky- this hole in the sky takes them to Seventopia.

Gameplay
Kirby can ride on rainbow ropes, much like he can in Kirby: Canvas Curse, and tapping Kirby will cause him to perform a Tap Dash; however, unlike its predecessor, dashing into an enemy in this game will not grant him a Copy Ability when hit, and instead cause Kirby to rebound. After collecting 100 stars, Kirby can use a "Star Dash," a charge attack with greatly increased power, speed, and range. This attack can be initiated by holding the stylus on Kirby; he will glow cyan and have a ring orbit him when he has enough power to use it. Multiple Star Dashes can be held before later usage, each being represented by a cyan ring around Kirby. Rainbow ropes can be used in order to interact with the environment, such as blocking off water- or lava-falls. Rainbow ropes will start to dull and lose their color before vanishing. Another Environmental element is a Gray Zone, which prevents the usage of clay, similar to the static zones in Kirby: Canvas Curse that prevent the usage of ink. Kirby can also travel behind some of the foreground objects.

Kirby has four Health points normally, and can transform into Tank, Submarine, or Rocket; these transformations replace his usual Copy Abilities. Kirby's transformations can also receive buffs via collecting 100 stars. With the multiplayer co-op, other players can use Bandana Waddle Dees (which have two hit points each) that can double jump and carry and throw Kirby. They will also be equipped with the appropriate weapons, should Kirby be in a transformed state that they are capable of mimicking. A version of the goal game appears, featuring eight rotating circles with which Kirby may collide. Each circle is labeled with a prize.

Rankings are given at the end of each stage depending on the overall numbers of stars collected. The rankings are Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals. Treasure Chests collected throughout gameplay unlock Figurines and music (some from previous games); in the game's Sound Test, players can even pick favorite songs by marking them with a star. The Figurines can be viewed on a shelf, or individually. Viewing one individually allows the player to control the camera, and also provides a description of the character. There is also a story book that can display cutscenes. Pages can be obtained for each goal game. If a player struggles too much with a stage, he/she may opt to skip it after having lost several lives in a row on the same stage.

Challenges are littered across the game. Every stage contains a Challenge door that, when Kirby enters it, presents a 15-second puzzle or endurance test with a Treasure Chest as the prize for success. Additionally, a full mode of the game called Challenge Mode allows Kirby to partake in even more of these. Challenge doors unlock when the pink puff collects a specific number of medals or completes a number of of other Challenges. Challenges in this mode contain four puzzles each. Survival Challenges contain a series of 12 puzzles and eliminate Kirby if he runs out of time on one.

The game is also compatible with Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede amiibo figures. The Kirby figure allows Kirby to use the Star Dash ability at any time, the King Dedede figure gives him two extra hit points, and the Meta Knight figure gives him greater speed during his Tap Dash attack. The player can use each figure in one stage per day, and the effects wear off after Kirby is KO'd, exits the stage, or clears the stage. Either the Super Smash Bros. series variants or the Kirby series variants of these amiibo figures can be used, with identical results. This contrasts with Kirby: Planet Robobot, where the two versions of the Kirby figure have different effects.

Playable Characters

 * Kirby
 * Waddle Dee
 * Green Waddle Dee
 * Yellow Waddle Dee
 * Cyan Waddle Dee (beta only, cut from full game)

Other Characters

 * Elline
 * Claycia
 * Bastron

Reception
The game has received generally favorable reviews from critics and players, holding a critical score of 73 out of 100 on Metacritic and a rating of 74.97% on Game Rankings.

GameTrailers gave Kirby and the Rainbow Curse a score of 7.5 out of 10, saying that '...it may not be Kirby’s most triumphant outing, but Rainbow Curse is still an entertaining ride.'

IGN called the game a 'delightfully charming and unique platformer,' and gave the title a score of 8 out of 10.

Destructoid gave it a 9 out of 10, praising the game's graphics and multiplayer functionality while criticizing Kirby's vulnerability while dashing.

Trivia

 * This is the fourth platformer in the Kirby series in which Copy Abilities are absent during gameplay (the other three being Kirby's Dream Land, Kirby's Epic Yarn, and Kirby Mass Attack). Also, the Warp Star seems to be absent from this game, excluding the end credits.
 * Unlike his appearance in Kirby: Canvas Curse, Kirby's hands and feet can be seen but are significantly smaller than in his usual appearances.
 * This is the fourth game in which Kirby and the world around him are made to look like a specific crafts material (clay in this case), the others being Kirby's Dream Land 3 (crayons), Kirby: Canvas Curse (paint), and Kirby's Epic Yarn (yarn).
 * Humorously, a clay bandage appears on Kirby's head when he has one vitality remaining.
 * Similarly to Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, there seems to be different color variations of characters, such as Bronto Burt and Bandana Waddle Dee.
 * Kirby and the Rainbow Curse was released in 2015, a little less than ten years after the release of Kirby: Canvas Curse.
 * Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is one of the few Kirby games that launched in the United States with a price below the usual Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, where most Wii U games sold for $60, this game sold for $40.
 * When Kirby is being painted by Elline during the transformation phrases, he temporarily takes the shape and color scheme of the Animal Friends. He'll reference Rick when turning into the tank form, Coo when turning into the rocket form, and Kine when turning into the submarine form.
 * The power-ups Meta Knight's and King Dedede's amiibo figures grant Kirby are similar to their own respective stats in Kirby: Canvas Curse (quickly ramming through weak enemies for Meta Knight and increased vitality for King Dedede).
 * A cyan Bandana Waddle Dee was shown in promotional artwork at E3 2014. This Waddle Dee, which was presumably meant to be a fifth player at one point, was left unused in the final game.
 * Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is the first Kirby game to show Kirby's face at his health meter having dimples.
 * Some of the songs that were used in Kirby: Right Back at Ya! are reused in parts of the game.
 * Unlike other Wii U games, this game does not run at 60 frames per second. This was done intentionally to capture the look of claymation, in both the cutscenes and in the gameplay.
 * Excluding his cameo appearance as a figurine, King Dedede does not appear in this game. This makes Kirby and the Rainbow Curse the second game in the Kirby series in which he doesn't appear, the first is Kirby & The Amazing Mirror.
 * Due to Club Nintendo's discontinuation on July 1, 2015, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is the first Kirby game to not come with a Club Nintendo PIN code since the program started in 2003.
 * Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is the first Kirby title to be playable in high-definition graphics, excluding upscaled Virtual Console versions of older games.
 * The Green Valley landscape shown on the box art and start-up screen was actually constructed and photographed by HAL Laboratory in real life.
 * This is the first Kirby game in which the Waddle Dees are given voices.
 * A nautilus-like enemy was shown in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse ' s announcement trailer at E3 2014. It was cut from the final game but would have appeared in what looks to be an early version of the stage Kirby Submarine's Torpedo Time.
 * Kirby and the Rainbow Curse and Kirby's Dream Land are the only platformers in the series that are devoid of icy stages.
 * The color of the clay that covers the screen when Kirby enters a door corresponds to the primary color of the level Kirby is traveling in. For example, the clay is green in Green Valley and yellow in Yellow Dunes.
 * If Bandana Waddle Dee hits Kirby with an attack, he will drop a star. He can drop up to 50.
 * In the Music Room, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is represented by an image of a rainbow.
 * Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble, and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse are the only games in the Kirby series to save the player's life count.
 * Kirby and the Rainbow Curse and Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition are currently the only games in the series that contain footage and/or photography from the real world.
 * Due to the way certain Challenges are unlocked, it is impossible to play them all in numerical order.
 * Kirby and the Rainbow Curse and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards are the only games in the Kirby series to not have Waddle Dees as enemies.
 * Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is the first game in the series since Kirby Mass Attack to have a soundtrack composed of completely original and remixed tracks. No track is reused directly from a previous game.
 * Character models of King Dedede and Meta Knight exist in the game's memory, as they have collectible figurines. Unlike other figurine-exclusive characters such as Drawcia, the models are fully rigged and stand in T-poses, suggesting the actual characters were at one point intended to appear in the game.