The game will definitely make you happy but it won't be remembered as fondly as the classics
Let's look back at Kirby's history a bit. Kirby doesn't have star power like Mario, Zelda or Sonic but he's certainly not an unknown with an impressive overall sales record going back to 1992. Kirby games are platformers that either test new gameplay concepts or approach typical gameplay in new ways. Most Kirby games are quite similar and are distinguishable from other platformers through Kirby's ability to copy enemy abilities by eating them. They involve similar storylines and gameplay that rely on Kirby's adaptability and problem solving. These games vary in difficulty and are pretty straight forward with tons of hidden secrets to uncover. In other games Kirby is a sort of guinea pig for some of Nintendo's fresh ideas that they feel can't be carried by a new IP. Canvas Curse was one of these games to help popularize the Nintendo DS and Epic Yarn is one of these games too.
The world of Epic Yarn has been exquisitely constructed out of real yarn turned into video form. Visually and physically there's very little difference between video yarn and the real deal which is quite impressive. Patchwork makes up the levels and Kirby himself has been turned into yarn and can manipulate the environment in weird, fun ways. There's a loose button that can be grabbed and scrunches an entire wall creating a bridge to traverse forward. There's a zipper that can be grabbed and undone to reveal hidden paths and goodies. Enemies made of yarn can be dismantled with a grab or rolled into a ball with a fling and flung into other enemies or obstacles. Kirby also has new yarn-like abilities to compensate for his inability to swallow enemies, because air travels through Yarn Kirby. When he dashes he turns into a car and barrels forward with reckless abandon. He can float across chasms by turning into a parachute. Power ups are littered through levels that require them that turn Kirby into a dolphin, a UFO, a train, a fire truck, a mole and a friggin' tank.
There are plenty of fun moments throughout the campaign but for the most part you're just moving forward with little resistance or challenge. By little resistance I mean no resistance, you're not allowed to die. Enemies and dangerous obstacles are ornamental and only serve to make you drop the currency you've been collecting which has no value whatsoever unless you're into interior decorating and taking pictures of your living room. If you are inflicted with pain you just hop back like Mega Man, drop a slew of beads and continue on. This isn't sporting like Sonic the Hedgehog where if you drop them all you die and have to start over. You just can't lose no matter what as long as you keep moving on. If you fall into a bottomless pit you're rescued in a manner reminiscent of Lakitu in Mario Kart. I have mixed feelings about this. The lack of harsh repercussions means the player could experiment more without worry and the creator could experiment with more dastardly designs without bringing player progress to a halt, which is how Braid functions. This isn't the case here. The levels aren't clever enough to warrant the lack of death. However, with games like Mario and Sonic where death is certain and lives are at a premium there's no good reason to have finite lives. Finite lives aren't fun especially with platformers where precision is imperative and takes practice. A platformer eliminating lives is a step in the right direction but this game would be stale even with death although not so much with bosses which are already quite exciting.
A major issue with the game is an identity crisis. If you're a longtime fan of Kirby, like me, you have a certain expectation that isn't met with Epic Yarn. This is an experimental title that strays too far from traditional Kirby because it wasn't built with Kirby in mind. You may notice the little, blue, Kirby-like character with a crown on the box art. His name is Prince Fluff and this game was built for him. The concept was a platformer created with yarn graphics starring Prince Fluff. Fluff still serves as the main character narratively and also serves in co-op as the second player's character. This doesn't detract from the game by any means but it doesn't feel anything like the rest of the Kirby series and a few yarn versions of memorable enemies and characters, no matter how cool they look, isn't going to change it. However, I did get a bit emotional towards the end when Kirby returns to the real Dream Land for a few stages. Kirby's abilities aside those stages were the Kirby experience I was hoping for instead of what I got.
The game is great for what it is; it's a cute platformer with a unique artstyle and some creative gameplay ideas that are great fun but the amount of challenge and sophistication with the levels doesn't hold a candle to Mario or even other Kirby titles. Luckily there's no shortage of great Kirby titles and there's sure to be more coming soon. Epic Yarn just doesn't live up to its promises as a Kirby title. The presence of highly sophisticated yarn graphics may be enough for some but it isn't enough for me. For those English aficionados yarn can also mean 'a tale of incredible happenings'. The story is definitely incredible, in a weird, Saturday morning Japanese stoner cartoon sort of way. The story, and the game itself, is full of cute, loveable joy and laughs unlike anything I'd ever played but it's certainly not 'epic'. Perhaps it should have been 'Kirby and the Magic Carpet Ride'. The game will definitely make you happy but it won't be remembered as fondly as the classics.