Kirby: Canvas Curse

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Kirby: Canvas Curse is a 2005 Kirby platform game for the Nintendo DS. In Europe it’s known as Kirby: Power Paintbrush. It was made by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. This game stands out because you control Kirby using only the stylus on the touch screen.

How to play
- You draw rainbow lines with the stylus for Kirby to roll on. These paths become ramps, bridges, or walls to protect him from enemies.
- Painting uses rainbow ink that recharges slowly when Kirby is in the air or on a path, but recharges quickly when he’s on the ground.
- Tap enemies to stun them, then roll into them or dash to defeat them.
- Some enemies give Kirby special powers that you can use at any time by tapping him.
- Kirby travels through eight worlds, most with three levels. The goal in each level is to reach a rainbow-colored doorway.
- Some barriers block drawing inside them, so you must roll, dash, or use powers instead.
- There’s a Rainbow Run mode, where you try to finish parts of a level fast or using little paint.

Story and bosses
- A portal opens and Drawcia the witch turns Dream Land into a paint world. After she escapes, the Magical Paintbrush (Power Paintbrush in Europe) helps Kirby.
- Drawcia creates copies of Kirby’s old foes to slow him down. World bosses are mini-games: Paint Roller, Kracko, and King Dedede (each fought twice in worlds 1–6). The final boss in world 8 is Drawcia Sorceress, who becomes Drawcia Soul after defeat.
- Medals you collect unlock extras like characters, sound tests, and alternate paint colors.

Reception and legacy
- The game received generally favorable reviews, with many critics praising the innovative stylus-based gameplay.
- It’s been called a fresh take on platformers and one of the DS’s standout titles.

Sequel and re-releases
- A sequel, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, came out for Wii U in 2015.
- The game was re-released on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015–2016 (Power Paintbrush in Europe and Australia, then in Japan and North America).

Sales
- In Japan, it sold well at launch and finished the year with strong numbers (about 276,000 copies by the end of 2005).
- In North America, it sold around 80,000 copies in June 2005 and was the top DS game in July with about 50,000 copies.