The hero of Dream Land returns in another charming adventure.
THE GOOD
-Fun multiplayer
-Colorful and creative level design
-Most transformations spice up the gameplay in a positive way
-Good controls
THE BAD
-The game is way too easy and doesn't offer much challenge
OVERVIEW
Kirby's Epic Yarn is just as charming as the other games in the series and also marks an epic return for our lovable, pink hero back to the console. The story begins with Kirby minding his own business in Dream Land until he stumbles upon what appears to be a Metamato. Being a rather curious and hungry fellow, the Dream Land champion decides to eat the juicy food. Suddenly from out of nowhere the evil Yin-Yarn captures Kirby inside a magical sock and sends him to Patch Land.
Upon landing in Patch Land, Kirby notices that he has been transformed into yarn. Kirby quickly realizes that his inhaling powers are useless in yarn form. Moments later, a blue yarn boy enters the picture and is trailed by a horrible monster. Kirby saves the boy's life and he introduces himself as Prince Fluff. The prince explains that Yin-Yarn has separated Patch Land into many segments. Kirby, having a noble heart, decides to help his new found friend and thus begins the duo's adventure.
The story in Kirby's new quest is lighthearted and cute. A narrator chimes in every so often to advance the saga and to keep the player informed. The storyteller comes off a bit cheesy but he means well.
GAMEPLAY
Kirby's latest adventure is very different than his others due to the fact that everything is made of yarn. What's really fun and unique about this game is the atmosphere. This 2D platformer allows you to interact with the background in many differed ways. Need a ledge to reach a high place? Just pull some fabric down to squish the level within jumping distance. It's this neat aspect that really makes Kirby's quest fun and entertaining.
The main objective for the game is to obviously save Patch Land from the evil wizard but there other minor collectibles and optional areas to explore. Your heroes don't have a health bar to monitor or lives to worry about because you can't die. If you do fall off a cliff or meet your demise from one of Yin-Yarn's cronies, you simply expel some of your collected jewels in all directions. If you hurry, you can pick them back up because these treasures can determine if you unlock extra levels or not. Unfortunately, the down side to not having a death penalty is that the game and bosses become way too easy and the sense of challenge seems forfeit.
The controls work really well in this game. Even though Kirby can't use his patented inhale technique doesn't mean that he is completely useless. Kirby and Fluff both have powerful abilities making them more than able to defend themselves from just about anything that crosses their path. With the Wii Remote held sideways, both heroes can attack enemies with a yarn whip, quickly maneuver around by transforming into a car and slam enemies beneath then by turning into a weight.
The basic moves all work well but it's the special transformations that really makes this game shine. There are many levels that let the fierce duo morph into various forms which include a spaceship, a firetruck and an off-road vehicle. Most of these transformations are really fun to play with and really spice up this already stellar platformer. Kirby's Epic Yarn also allows for single or two player action. What's really nice is that the multiplayer option can be triggered at anytime making it seamless and hassle free.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
The level design is filled with vibrant colors and just oozes with creativity. This is definitely one of the shining elements to any platforming game and Kirby pulls it off without a hitch. The uniquely theme worlds and environment specific elements like slippery ice in the snowy levels just make the gameplay that much more charming.
The music is cute, appropriate for their respective atmospheres and does this without getting annoying. Kirby's high pitched screeches is infuriating at times but other than that the sound effects work just fine. Even though the narration comes off corny it ends up working just fine for this fun little adventure.
CONCLUSION
Kirby's latest journey is charming, fun and endearing. The developers really got the creative juices flowing to paint a beautiful adventure. The cool transformations spice things up and greatly add to the fun factor. The weak difficulty is kind of disappointing for hardcore and casual gamers alike but at least some of the unlockables are somewhat hard to collect. Overall, I would recommend this game to just about anyone regardless of their skill level. It's nice to see Nintendo's lovable pink hero back in action on the console. Kirby's Epic Yarn is very different than what fans are use to but don't be fooled because this game is pure gold; or should I say pink.