Review: Animal

Animal -- a very generic name for a very specific type of burrowing mammalian wildlife. Honestly, fish and birds are animals, and I'd hardly say they fit the bill (although, some birds do possess them...). Looking a bit like a frenzied berserker warrior from days of old, the puffball dons a furry pelt -- complete with clawed gauntlets -- and releases said implied rage by literally leaping through the air, latching onto a foe's face, and shredding it to pieces. ... Whoa, Kirby. That's hardcore. Maybe all these American game covers were right...

This copy ability had a single flash-in-the-pan time in the limelight. This had nothing to do with its unique (and possibly limiting) gimmick but more that it appeared in one of the briefest games in the Kirby series. Squeak Squad introduced many ability-to-environment effects that could alter, clear, or remove the terrain. Cold stuff froze water solid, burning attacks dispersed clouds and greenery, and the digging claws of the beast removed loose soil and unpacked snow. Given that it alone could perform this function on soil (the obvious exception being Triple Star which does every function), a source of the power (either Gaw Gaw or Gao Gao; I'm not counting Spinni's metal claw as that is more coincidental than planted) would always appear around -- or just prior to -- a scene with diggable dirt. Much like the Light ability and other gimmick/secret oriented powers, the appearance of its originators was pretty much exclusively limited to these scenes. Basically, if you saw the furry, little dude, just shuck whatever ability you may have and gobble 'im down if you want to get the treasures from the stage.

The basic attack of the ability is a short-ranged swipe that strikes the vicinity immediately before the player. The aforementioned latch-and-slash was another possibility with a double-tap forward, a standard "grab" attack that disposed off common foes but had no worth against boss-types. In its intended environment, Kirby could also cling to ceilings by holding up and burrow straight into it by pressing the action button -- useful for those hard to reach places. The same/opposite could be mustered by holding down and the button. The real selling point, however, comes no in action but inaction: when standing idle for a bit, Kirby will scratch an ear with his foot. That's just adorable. It's the best, really.

The true power of this power comes fully upon finding the corresponding Copy Ability Scroll, which thankfully is early in the game. This unlocks an aerial drill maneuver, performed simply by pressing down, left, or right and the attack button whilst mid-air. As you probably could have pieced together from the term "aerial drill", this launches Kirby in the corresponding direction -- about a screen's width in distance -- in a straight line while not just immune to harm but also dishing it out all along the way. In this whirling dervish, the player passes through both any hapless enemies in his path and any soft footing. This, here, is the intended purpose of the drill strike (especially given that it is a bit cumbersome to pull off repeatedly in boss battles) as it turns a massive dig site into a relatively quick job.

Animal has not poked its head out of its burrow since Squeak Squad, ten years ago as of the time of this article. Also not returning since was the extensive manipulation of the terrain with copy abilities. This title was one of the last sprite-based Kirby games to follow the standard action/platformer format, and I can't help but think that accomplishing such was easier in the time of sprites. This also was an ability hat that changed Kirby's hands and covered, really, just a lot of space, which might have thrown another wrench in any possible 3D transitional plans. Truly, the entire gimmick of this ability about boils down to little more than what other titles have shown with ability-specific blocks that are only destroyed with the correct power. This system, however, creates a more organic and natural feel to the levels, thrashing through a living world rather than a cubic obstacle course.

Overall, it is a good ability: unique, utile, and underrepresented. Much like the sole title that bore it (a whole rant all in itself), it seemed to just get its feet wet when the pool got drained abruptly. Would it be nice to see this not-that-type-of-furry Kirby get another chance? Yeah, okay, sure. Like someone offering you a glass of water on a mild day, one's response can only be, "Yeah, okay, sure." At last count, I believe there are sixty-some copy abilities throughout the Kirby series -- not including the combination powers. In a way, its one-time showing gives it a certain charm, especially when standing next to its other one-shot brethren: Bubble, Ghost, and Metal. It allows these abilities to define this title, and this title to represent these abilities, and these abilities to- wait, no, already said that.

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