Its been seven years since Kirby got his own game on a console, can Kirby’s Epic Yarn make up for the lost time?
When I first saw Kirby’s Epic Yarn at E3 I didn’t know what to make of it. The idea of the all world made of cloth was certainly original and innovative but not having the ability to copy enemies powers didn’t seem like the best decision in my opinion. Thankfully I was wrong, and the new style Nintendo picked for Kirby works quite well.
Kirby now transforms to different vehicles/objects depending on the situation you are in, each vehicle is pretty original and fun to use which definitely makes up for lack of copying enemies abilities. Like New Super Mario Bros Wii, you hold your controller horizontally to control Kirby, in some occasions you will use motion controls for transformations but its a rare and well executed occasions. The controls are very responsive and they never feel frustrating, if you make a mistake its your fault not the game’s.
The game is a very simple platformer, the only problem that its too simple. The game has no losing condition, meaning that you can’t die no matter how many times you get hit, or fall on a pit. The only incentive to not get hit, is the beads. Beads works much like Sonic’s power rings, if you get hit they will scatter across the screen, except that they don’t move, making it much easier to recover them in case you get hit. At the end of each level you will receive a medal depending how many beads you have. Getting gold medals will unlock secret levels that would not normally be unlocked.
Beads also allows you to buy decorations for Kirby’s apartment. You can also buy extra floors for apartments, decorating those floors will unlock extra challenges for stages. The only real challenge in the game is actually reaching the end of the level with enough beads to earn a gold medal. While you don’t need gold medals to beat the level, for some reason it feels quite wrong to finish a level without it. And even though getting gold medal in some levels may be a cake walk others can be quite challenging. Even though the game overall is not the very challenging, its still a pretty fun to play through, but at same time its obvious that they were targeting a casual audience with this game.
Of course the most noticeable aspect of the game is the graphics. People can complain about the not having a Wii HD all they want, but when you have games like Kirby’s Epic Yarn HD really doesn’t mean much. By far one the greatest aspects of Kirby’s Epic Yarn is the visual art style. You will be amazed how creative the developers were with the all the cloth/string elements of the game. There is so much genius in this game’s art style that you have to see it to believe it, plus the entire game just looks so adorable you can’t help but say awww.
You can play the game either by yourself or with a friend using prince Fluff. Co-op is a lot like New Super Mario Bros Wii, you can carry your friends and throw them at enemies, and use each other to reach hard to reach places. Playing co-op will make it easier to reach items amongst other things. While the co-op is nothing special, its pretty cool to have the option to play with a friend.
There is a total of seven worlds in Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Each one has it’s own unique style, and unique levels. While the game will only take you about five or six hours to complete, it will take you much longer to get everything in the game. Almost every level will have two furniture items and a CD soundtrack to collect. While most of them will be pretty easy to find, some can be pretty difficult and can take multiple run troughs to get them. Overall there is a lot to collect in this game, so if you like to get 100% of a game, you’ll have plenty to do in Kirby’s Epic Yarn.
The game has a story but its what you expect from Nintendo game. Kirby comes across an evil wizard Yin Yarn who sucks Kirby into his magical sock. Kirby is turned into string and finds himself inside an entire world made of string. He comes across Prince Fluff who seeks to get the magical string to stitch his world back together. Yes its silly, but if you played Nintendo games in the past it does not come has a surprise.
Kirby’s Epic Yarn is absolutely amazing, the game is just fun to play. We waited seven years for a new console Kirby game, and Kirby’s Epic Yarn is well worth the wait. If you are looking for a challenging game, then Kirby’s Epic Yarn may not be the right game for you, the game is not very challenging (even if you are trying to get the gold medals). But if you are looking for a fun platformer, with a great sense humor, music and art style then Kirby’s Epic Yarn will fit just like a glove. While some may think “oh it’s a kids game” they are truly missing out in one of the most creative games of this generation. I wasn’t planning on buying this game but after playing through it, I will definitely be adding this one to my collection, we need more games like this.
