Kirby's Epic Yarn Review

With Nintendo's next retro-centric platformer, Donkey Kong Country Returns (which I have pre-ordered so maybe you'll see a review soon? ... though I do have a lot that still need writing first) on the horizon, it's a bout time that I finally write this review. I mean, it came out on the same day as it's visual polar opposite, Fallout: New Vegas, which I've surely invested more time in. But that's nothing against this game, after all it was my Game of E3 so hopefully my hyped meter was fulfilled... right? Read on to find out!

Story
What else were you expecting from Kirby? One day he's out walking aimlessly, when he spots food and decides to eat it ... but this is no ordinary food, it's made of yarn! Suddenly an evil wizard, Yin-Yarn, appears, angry at Kirby for eating his special food and warps him into a sock ... which happens to be a secret universe were Kirby realizes he is made of yarn and the whole world is as well. But there'sa problem, Yin-Yarn has disrupted the balance of this world and with the help of Prince Fluff, Kirby must literally sew the world back together.

The game's story is presented in a very storybook fashion, with paper/yarn cutouts representing the characters with minimal animation, and a mostly creepy narrator explaing the story and taking the speaking roles for all the character. It's a bit minimal by today's standards, but it totally works for the tone of the game.

Gameplay
What sets Epic Yarn apart from the traditional Kirby games is that there is no inhaling mechanic. To some scoffers, they'd say this isn't a Kirby game then, but if you recall, Canvas Curse on the DS also didn't use the standard inhale/use enemies' powers gameplay either, and it's regarded as one of the best in the series. Instead you are "yarn powered" which allows Kirby to transform into anything at any given moment, and use string to interact with the world and its inhabitants. Want to move faster? Turn into a car. Want float down instead of falling? Turn into a parachute. It's simple, but it works well.

Some if not all levels also feature parts where Kirby can transform completely, instead of just for one task like speed or floating; these include changing into rally cars, surfing penguins, giant tanks, UFOs, space ships and more, which add a lot of variety to the standard platforming, and if I do say so myself, the shmup-style levels are some of the best the game has to offer.

However, there is one gripe I have about the game ... it's insanely easy. Sure, it's a Kirby game, and has an incredibly light-hearted presentation, but having played nearly every Kirby game before it, I'd say this is by far the easiest game in the series. Don't be surprised if you can actually manage to beat this in a day, but unlike games like God of War III which only lasts few hours, theres actually some incentive to replay this game numerous time. There's also 2 player co-op, but I think because the game's already very easy having two players would probably just cause confusion than add any extra fun... and of course there's no online co-op. But, you can arrange furniture and play mini-games! ... yay?

Graphics
However, the gameplay isn't what sold this game for me. I was sold when I first saw this game's beautiful art-style back at E3 this year, and thankfully it stays completely fresh throughout the game with ever-changing level design and gameplay mechanics that further enhance this game's unique visual style. It's one of the few times I'd actually argue in favor of an HD capable Wii because 480p just doesn't do this enough justice and this game already out-rival's Sony's PixelJunk series (which I also love) when comes to fantastic play, unique looking HD 2D games. HD aside though, this game still looks great on my TV at 480p and sometimes I feel like the game is really made of physical material and not just highly detailed graphics. Whoever is responsible for this style needs a promotion.

Sound
You can't have a Kirby game without great music right? Well the its no different this time around, but instead of the surprisingly brutal polka tracks that we're used to hearing from Kirby games we're given a much more lighthearted soundtrack that certainly fits well with the visual style. It may not be for everyone, but for myself, when I was getting frustrated with the glitch-heavy wasteland of Fallout: New Vegas I'd turn on my Wii with Kirby's Epic Yarn and relax my frustrations away, and the music certainly helped.

Final Thoughts
Kirby's Epic Yarn is definitely one of the best games on the Wii right now, even if it is overly simplistic. Is it going to lure over the Halo crowd from their Xboxes? Probably not. But can you be a grown man and still enjoy a game that looks like it was designed for toddlers, definitely. Epic Yarn is surely a testament to that, and definitely embraces the all-ages approach of the Wii. Whether or not you'll be able to accept the game's incredibly easy gameplay is up to you, but it'd be a shame to miss out on a game that looks these beautiful and still has solid platforming.

Overall Score: 9/10

How Original is Kirby's Epic Yarn?

Nick sent me this video tonight, but refused to post it himself, so I'm doing it...

Thought Kirby's Epic Yarn was awesome looking, like I did? Now how would you feel if you found out it was actually done before? Yup, in a 1992 Japanese commercial for Kirby's Adventure on the Famicom, completely done in stop motion. As you can see, the style of Epic Yarn is almost identical to this commercial, give or take some tweaks in Kirby's modern design.

Is that a bad thing? No, the game still looks freaking awesome and the animation is great, thanks to computers, it's smoother than any 2D platformer I've seen before. Who knows? Maybe Good-Feel did look at this commercial as inspiration for the game's unique style, if not, whatever I'm still really pumped for the game.

My Favorite Trailer from E3, Seriously

There were definitely some neat things to see this year at the big three's press conferences. The Metal Gear Solid: Rising trailer shown during Microsoft's conference makes it look like a really cool, fresh entry into the Metal Gear franchise, and looks to be the most promising of the games that will use Kinect. But otherwise I wasn't amazed by the rest of the execution of the device.

Today, during Nintendo's conference, I thought the new Zelda, now named Skyward Sword, was going to be my favorite of the show. But the technical hiccups during Miyamoto's presentation really turned me off, but it's a new Zelda, so I'll end up buying it anyways; plus I really love the Wind Waker-ed Twilight Princess graphic style they're using. Heck, as awesome as it was to see a new Kid Icarus and the 3DS, one game still really stood out for me... Kirby's Epic Yarn. Which, despite the silly name, and even sillier timing by presenting it right after Disney Epic Mickey, is honestly one of the coolest looking games I've seen in a long time.


Like, seriously, LOOK AT THAT! I don't think I've ever seen another franchise get such a drastic visual overhaul and still feel like it should... except maybe Wind Waker. Point being, I really love the way the game looks and moves and I'd say it's a Day 1 purchase for me, based on this trailer alone. Now... if the Wii could output 1080p that'd make this even better, but I'll take this as is.

Sony, a new Last Guardian trailer would've surely won my heart, but ya blew it.

New Nintendo media

Nintendo's Press site just released some media, descriptions, and release dates for four upcoming titles!

"Wario Land™: Shake It!, a classic side-scroller for the Wii console launching Sept. 29, stars Wario, the smelly, bad-mannered alter ego of Mario™. With the Wii Remote™ controller turned sideways like an old-school controller, veterans and newcomers alike can run, jump and smash their way through hectic side-scrolling stages. Players shake the Wii Remote to help Wario take down his enemies, empty bags of treasure or cause earthquakes. Best of all, there are numerous stages each offering multiple missions to keep players coming back again and again to unlock everything, collect more coins or just improve their best times."

"Kirby Super Star™ Ultra for Nintendo DS, launching Sept. 29, re-imagines one of the most beloved Kirby games of all time. Kirby Super Star Ultra features new graphics and fully rendered animated cut scenes. With so many adventures waiting to be unlocked, there will never be a dull moment as Kirby runs, floats, copies enemies and uses Helpers to fight King Dedede and Meta Knight. New modes like Revenge of the King and Meta Knight Ultra await, along with classics like The Great Cave Offensive and Milky Way Wishes. On top of the main modes, there are also three new touch-screen-controlled mini-games that can be played with up to three friends via DS Download Play. Not only that, but players can go on Kirby adventures with a friend via local wireless as well."

"Mystery Case Files™: MillionHeir™, launching Sept. 8, uses the unique Nintendo DS interface to expand upon the seek-and-solve game play of the popular series from Big Fish Games. Players seek out cleverly hidden items in a multitude of painted scenes. Players progress through an interactive detective story investigating a cast of characters and uncovering new evidence to find the rightful heir to a million-dollar fortune. This new portable installment is available only for Nintendo DS. With interactive logic puzzles that use both the touch-screen interface and built-in microphone and include the first ever multiplayer mode for a Mystery Case Files game, Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir presents a new generation of seek-and-solve games for casual gamers and franchise fans."

"Mario™ Super Sluggers, launching Aug. 25 for the Wii console, stars the ever-lovable Mario and his crew of friends. It builds on the social-gaming fun and movements people learned in Wii Sports™ and turns them into a full-fledged baseball game that can be played by every member of the household. Players make a throwing motion with the Wii Remote controller to pitch the baseball and make a swinging motion to swing at the pitch. The game boasts more than 30 playable Nintendo characters and all the madness of a Mario sports game. Just like Mario Kart® Wii, it bridges the gap between experienced players and those new to the Wii console, with fun challenges and beautiful graphics."

All in all a decent batch. Wario Land still seems interesting to me, but I'm not sure how Nintendo plans to market something so simple in design, and at $50... It's nice to see we're getting the new Kirby, as i'll finally get the chance to own Kirby Super Star. Mystery Case Files from what I know is a Windows series... so as to why it's on DS and published by Nintendo is beyond me. And Mario Sluggers... I'm not sure what to think of it, I never played Mario Superstar Baseball; and unless the game has wi-fi and Wii Sports like control, then I probably won't even care.

via Nintendo Press Room