Everyone’s favorite pink puffball returns for another go on home consoles.
Developer: Good-Feel/HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: October 17th, 2010
ESRB Rating: E
[starreview]
Everyone has played a Kirby game once or twice in their lives, and if you’re reading a Nintendo fansite, then there’s a huge chance you have. What makes them so special is the classic platformer spin on them, seen since Kirby 64, and their ability to turn the hearts of grown men into goo. They’ve always been fun, and with Nintendo pushing them out at a steady rate, they’ve always gained the most attention. That being said, Epic Yarn has been in the making since 2007, and with the anticipation, it’s only a good thing that it is being released…and it’s sort of, well, epic! (/pun)
So, this is Kirby’s anticipated return to home consoles since 2003’s Kirby: Air Ride, but is it worth it? Yes, it is, but not for the normal reasons you’d enjoy a game. First off, the storyline is irrelevant (having been written for kids entirely), and so is the amount of time it takes to complete the game (it’s extremely short). The story starts out with Kirby getting turned into yarn by the evil wizard Yin-Yarn, and he has to go on a quest with Prince Fluff to piece together Patch Land with 7 pieces of magic yarn, which stitches the broken worlds together. The story is entertaining, but can be written off if it’s really that boring to some. It’s told like a children’s bedtime story, from series of pictures with a kind and peaceful narrative over them.
The gameplay are great, having insanely simple controls which require the players to hold the WiiMote NES-style (sideways), and use the D-Pad, 1, and 2 to move and use abilities. Of course, there are always the extra powerups that Kirby gets frequently that allow him to turn into a UFO, Snowboarder, or even a Dolphin (my personal favorite). The gameplay is extremely short, cutting off at a few hours. However, there is the opportunity to go back, replay levels, collect all the items, and upgrade your house, etc…but is this really worth keeping the game?
That’s pretty much my only gripe with the game, because the rest of it is amazing. The Kirby franchise has always been known for it’s notoriously short games, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary. The graphics in the game are spectacular, and some of the most beautiful I’ve seen on the Wii in a while, probably since Super Mario Galaxy 2. Animations smooth? Check. Colorful, and wonderful palette and visuals? Check.
The music goes hand in hand with the cheerful atmosphere, which makes the game extremely fun and absolutely adorable to play.
The multiplayer is fun, and always a great hit to play with friends…but where’s the 4-player?
There are really few complaints I have about this game; it’s just that good. It’s simple, to-the-point, and deserves a replay or two for the fact that it’s hard to stop playing. I wouldn’t say the length justifies the buy, but the money spent renting it would not be wasted. Nintendo always manages to make ace first-party titles, and this is no exception…now let’s just get all of the 3rd party publishers caught up.
