Kirby's Epic Yarn

One of the few examples I can think of as videogames being an art form, different from film and music.Who cares that you don't die? Maybe sometimes we need to not die. The fact of being a Kirby game means all different skill levels can enjoy. I had a stroke in February 1st, 2019, it's much better now, but I would imagine this would be one of the few games I could play. Actually this game could be difficult due to the fact the 2 button on my Wiimote does not register only if I didn't press it hard enough.

Videogames are a transformative work, it would be hard to actually write a review that objectively reviews the game content. You kind of have to put yourself in the review. That's why I'm not a big fan of linear story-based games like The Last of Us or Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, the latter of which contains a confrontation that you have to lose in order to progress. Winning or losing, what is the difference in those games? Give me a game where if I win or lose, I carry on. Give me The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [ゼルダの伝説 ブレス オブ ザ ワイルド] over The Last of Us Part II any day of the week.

Back to Epic Yarn, the cutscenes look like they were made out of a scrapbook, and they're adorable. That adds to the therapeutic style of the game. Say if a game in the Super Mario [スーパーマリオ] series is akin to a happiness pill, then Kirby's Epic Yarn is a calming pill. This game helped me through a tough school year when it came out, now when I think about it. Playing this game again on the Wii U is a miracle, for lack of a better word, to see those beautiful graphics looking crisp as ever on a 4K television set. Ten years ago, I played it with component cables on my Wii in progressive scan mode, and even then it looked a little, off. No doubt it was the best possible way to play Epic Yarn in 2010, but now with the mClassic it's eons ahead.

Kirby's Epic Yarn is the most mediocre Kirby game with exception of maybe the original Kirby's Dream Land on game boy. Which feels weird to say, the music, graphical style, gameplay, everything really is all perfectly fine. But that's just it, it's fine. It has nothing that makes a Kirby game exceptionally good despite being one.

This game takes away one of the defining characteristics of Kirby as a franchise and does practically nothing to justify or make up for it, making for a very watered down and overly easy, even for Kirby, experience.

Nintendo seem to like creating charming but strange games, and here is another. Based upon the world of Kirby, a magician called Yin-Yarn is changing the world into Yarn, and it is up to Kirby to progress through the levels, collecting beads and use the magic yarn to patch the world together and eventually return to his home of Dream Land. The story is wonderfully narrated much like a children's story, and given the game's colourful graphics and simple game-play; there is no denying it is a children's game.

Due to the simple graphical style, the resolution is super sharp and looks high definition. Kirby is animated brilliantly and he transforms smoothly as you traverse the levels. When you run, Kirby transforms into a car, a spring when you jump, parachute whilst falling, tank when pulling zips, ball when swinging, and a submarine when swimming.

At the end of most levels there is usually a section where Kirby will transform into a large object and the game-play takes a different style. For example he may turn into a large tank where you shoot enemies from the sky, a dolphin to swim and jump through hoops, or turn into a train and you have to guide him by placing tracks.

Pretty much anyone can complete the levels since Kirby cannot die. If he falls into a hole, he will get dragged back, and if he hits an enemy, he loses some of the beads he has collected, although you get a chance to reclaim them like in the Sonic games. Medals are awarded for finishing the level with a certain amount of beads, so it is important you try not to get hit as the penalty is quite severe.

The levels are brilliantly designed and there are plenty of secret sections to look out for. In these sections you will find the furniture items, roulette wheel pieces or a large amount of beads. The furniture items can be placed in your flat which doesn't add much to the game but gives you something to collect and can pose a challenge if you want to go for 100% completion. The roulette wheel is the end of level marker and gives you a chance of bonus beads if you have collected the wheel pieces.

The levels can be played multiplayer (I didn't try this out myself) which probably is a brilliant feature for parents and children to play together due to the simple but fun game-play.

The main control scheme is with the remote turned on its side. One button jumps and one button attacks. Kirby can send out a string of yarn to attack, or by holding it down, can grab them and use them as a weapon to throw. There are bits of the environment you can interact with too such as tugging at loose threads to reveal doors or secrets.

Despite it being aimed at children, there's plenty of adults that won't be able to resist the undeniable charm and cuteness of Kirby's Epic Yarn. Sadly, it is over too quick since it clocks around five hours; but sure is fun while it lasts.

Hands down one of the most lovingly created visual experiences in gaming history. Period. Kirby got sucked up into DIY-land, and he must complete some levels to find a way back home to the real world and defeat the evil yarn wizard that turned him into arts and crafts.

From a gameplay standpoint, it's a Kirby game where instead of being able to absorb enemies, you're given a yarn tether that you can use to pick up enemies a la Klonoa, or to interact with the environment as though it were a hookshot or grappling hook. He's also got a pretty useful toolkit of "built-in" abilities to mitigate the lack of enemy power variety: double tapping a direction turns him into a car that can speed past the levels and reach higher jumps, pressing down in the air turns him into a weight that can destroy things below him, and he can turn into a parachute to glide after jumps by pressing the jump button in the air.

Every single level - and I'm serious, EVERY SINGLE LEVEL - is absolutely gorgeous. Just about everything is made of yarn, buttons, or fabric, and it looks outstanding, even in the Wii's SD output. Most stages are committed to some children's book theme such as riding dinosaurs through a jungle, hopping on mushrooms deep in the woods, or exploring a series of cozy cabins while avalanches fall outside. It's endlessly adorable, and knows it too. The soundtrack is beautiful, the in-stage secrets are used to unlock cute furniture for your APARTMENT (did I mention this game is also kind of Animal Crossing?). It is enjoyable to merely exist inside the game world, messing around or sitting on various parts of the environment.

The largest point of contention with this game is about its difficulty, which admittedly is very low. It's impossible to reach a game over screen at all, with damage hits and falls into bottomless pits merely taking away your beads from the stage, essentially a score marker. Playing through casually is a pretty therapeutic experience, with little hindering major progression outside of your own stamina. I don't mind easy games at all, and personally I'm more likely to finish them. If you're anything like me, I think you can find a significant amount of stuff to like here.

I played a large majority of this game in co-op mode with a friend, and although it's twice as likely to lose all of your beads, the inability to die makes progress almost certain, which is really engaging for those who might not have a long time to play. The simple control scheme and floaty jumps allow people who aren't very familiar with games to make substantial progress as well. As a multiplayer experience for the Wii, this is very high up there in my books.

I feel like this is a game that not everyone can appreciate, but for those who can appreciate this sort of thing it's simply a must play. Unbelievable visuals, unbelievable music, a straightforward concept with a cute story and imaginative levels, and it can all be beaten in under 10 hours. A really tremendous, if niche experience.