What would you do if an evil sorceress turned the world into a painting and then you into a ball? Probably roll around and feel sorry for yourself, right? Well, that’s just not Kirby’s bag, it seems, as he’ll be on a whirlwind adventure to return both the world and himself back to normal in his debut on the DS.

The only tool at Kirby’s disposal will be a magical paintbrush. Using the DS’s stylus, you’ll control this paintbrush to draw platforms for Kirby to roll on, and gain momentum while riding down. You can even make walls and boxes to stop Kirby in his place if you like, all the while depleting the drawing meter located at the bottom of the top screen along with maps and statistics. Be careful not to run out, though, as the various spikes and obstacles will demand that you’ve gone plenty of energy to maneuver Kirby away from harm.

Along the way, you’ll encounter a host of different enemies which you can easily take care of thanks to Kirby’s rolling attacks, as well as other techniques you’ll find throughout the title. Seeking to combine classic side-scrolling platforming and stylus control, Magic Paintbrush will have a lot of game to offer.

As you might expect from a world made to look like a painting, the visuals are very colorful and bubbly. The style is much like you’d expect from a Kirby game. Everything looks very impressive on the DS, allowing the handheld to show off what it can do in 2-D. As far as audio, it’s more of the same from the series, with a library of fast-paced upbeat themes. Sound effects are right on the money as well, creating a great atmosphere. Magic Paintbrush will be especially pleasing when it comes to presentation.

All in all, Touch! Kirby and the Magic Paintbrush looks to be a very interesting title for the DS and will surely offer a lot of quality gameplay when it releases from HAL Laboratory.