If you've enjoyed any Kirby game before this, or if you want to try one out now, this is a great game to get.
The game starts when Kirby sets out to retrieve his shortcake after it's stolen right out of his hands. His quest takes him through the usual Kirby trip through several platforming worlds broken up by boss fights. Each level takes him through different environments like volcanoes and grassy fields and clouds in the sky. Most of the worlds don't actually seem to have that much of a unifying theme, even if individual stages themselves manage to have one. As the game approaches it’s end, the worlds containing the levels do appear to begin sharing more of a theme however.
The Kirby gameplay is the same as it's always been. Kirby can run, jump, and fly. He also has the ability to inhale his enemies and spit them back out at each other. He can copy the abilities of his enemies by swallowing them after they've been inhaled, giving him different attacks and sometimes allowing him to explore different parts of stages. New is the ability to store five different objects on the DS' lower touch screen. Essentially, by touching items or ability statues found inside bubbles around the different levels, Kirby can store them for later use. He can also combine health items on the touch screen, basically to save space, or abilities to gain a random different ability.
The game's presentation is as absolutely wonderful as always. The graphics are incredibly colorful and well-drawn, with many different highly detailed backgrounds. And of course, the animation moves incredibly smoothly, without any weird glitches or objects that appear anywhere they don't belong. Sound is also a high point, with a few tracks taken from older games in the series, including Kirby's very first adventure, and some new music that manages to hold up well.
Kirby Squeak Squad isn't the sort of game that will take experienced players very long to get through. It isn't very difficult, and thus it won't take an incredibly long time for them to finish. The game does add a bit to it's replay value by stashing secret items in every stage. Up to three different treasure chests are found hidden around each different level, containing items and other doodads for Kirby to collect. Collecting all of them provides a bit more substantial challenge to people looking for something more to do with this game. There are also three different mini-games that can be played either alone or with friends over the DS' wireless connection, but they're only good enough to provide a brief distraction from the main game, and most folks probably will get tired of them pretty quickly.
Overall, Kirby Squeak Squad is a platformer that can easily be recommended to almost anyone with a DS. It is a bit on the short and easy side, like almost any Kirby game really, but it's still a lot of fun to play. If you've enjoyed any Kirby game before this, or if you want to try one out now, this is a great game to get.