Nintendo has a long-standing history of milking its franchises for all they’re worth. Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox; these once ground breaking series have fallen prey to playing it safe more often than not. In fact, the only mascot ever mucked with is Mario, which is surprising considering the great amount of success Nintendo has had when placing the famed plumber outside of his comfort zone. If Mario can thrive flying through space, driving go-karts, cleaning graffiti, and playing golf, surely another Nintendo legend can to do the same, no? Fortunately, it seems that HAL and Nintendo realized this point, and with that we get Kirby’s Epic Yarn, a game that deftly toes the line between revival and sequel while creating a gorgeous world of yarn and fabric.
Epic Yarn, at first glance, seems a whole lot like Paper Mario, and with good reason. Both games feature a craft-based gameplay theme, all taking place on brightly lit and cleverly constructed backdrops. However, the major difference here is that Paper Mario was a complete departure from the plumber’s familiar platforming, instead relying on an RPG-lite combat and leveling system. On the other hand, Epic Yarn sees Kirby at his roots, playing like the pink puff’s debut, Kirby’s Dream Land. That’s right, as was the case in his initial outing, Kirby does not possess the ability to copy enemies’ powers. Instead, Kirby’s only real means of offense comes from either picking up and throwing enemies at each other or grabbing and unweaving them into a pile of yarn and buttons. It may feel like a departure for all but the oldest of Kirby fans, but in a matter of minutes, the change in mechanics should be all but forgotten.
Apart from that, most of Kirby’s repertoire is accounted for in Epic Yarn, though with some adorable twists thrown in for good measure. Kirby can dash (his yarn body reshapes into a car, accompanied with a few honks of a horn), ground pound (becoming a giant weight), swim (a submarine), and float through the air (taking the form of a parachute). The decision to have the yarn that Kirby is made of twist and reshape with each different move is delightfully genius and sickeningly cute. Above all else, it illustrates the developers’ faith in, and dedication to, the yarn motif.
That dedication is carried throughout the entire game. Platforms and backgrounds appear to be made of felt, string, buttons, and zippers. Kirby can manipulate the environment at various times; a platform can be grabbed and pulled closer, causing the background to fold and bubble as the fabric is bunched up. Enemies are made up of the same craft supplies, and follow similar rules. The sky, made of light blue fabric, may have a bump in it, moving around as if something is behind it. Then, a small button hole opens, and out will come a bee made of a button and yarn for the stinger and wings. The game never fails to apply the theme in interesting ways.
Most will argue that Epic Yarn is an easy game. This claim is half-true, as there are no lives, health bars, or game over screens to be found. Instead, getting hit or falling into a bottomless pit causes Kirby to scatter some of the beads he has collected, similar to Sonic and his rings — where taking damage flings them into the air before they disappear a few seconds later. This won’t delay the casual player much, as the beads don’t have too much use, and only reward the player with gold, silver, or bronze medals, depending on how many they have collected by the end of the level. However, for those who seek it, this is where the challenge comes in. Getting a gold medal in each level, as well as finding the three hidden treasures, can be an incredibly difficult affair, particularly in the later stages of the game. Unfortunately, there is no real in-game incentive to accomplish these feats, but it is nice that the challenge is there for those who want it.
A welcome return from Kirby games past is a 2 player co-op mode. The game allows for the seamless drop-in of a second player, who controls Prince Fluff, ruler of the yarn world Kirby is trapped in. Disappointingly, Fluff controls, looks, and plays exactly the same as Kirby, with the exception being that he is blue instead of pink. I wouldn’t expect a vastly different move set from the optional second character, but at least some varied animations would have been fun to watch. Either way, the co-op mode is well executed, and plays somewhat like New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Players can bump into each other, jump on each other, and even pick up and throw each other. It allows for some interesting tactics, as one player can use the other as a weapon, or as a spring board to otherwise out-of-reach platforms. The downside is that both players share a pool of beads, so if you are trying to get those gold medals you’d better hope your friend is up to the challenge.
The levels are weaved together by a light story, narrated by a gentle, fatherly voice, as if reading a story to his children. The writing is cute and unobtrusive, and the cutscenes can be skipped with the press of a button. The soundtrack is by turns appropriately dramatic or airy, depending on the look and challenge of the level, with most of the music being very enjoyable. Who knows, maybe Nate will feature some of the music in a future Soundtrack Spotlight (hint, hint!).
Epic Yarn succeeds as a marriage between two distinct backgrounds. Kirby is well served in this semi-reboot, with its balanced pursuit of nostalgia and innovation, and has surely staged a welcome return to Nintendo’s main cast of characters. What makes this game special, though, is the yarn itself. Here there are worlds constructed of some of the most basic supplies, available from any elementary school art class, and because of this, the behavior of the different fabrics, snaps, and buttons should be understood by most players from the start. Kirby serves as the draw to get gamers in, but this game could certainly exist without him.
In the end, I’m not sure what Kirby’s Epic Yarn will be remembered as. It’s a short game that isn’t particularly challenging. However, the game looks fantastic, and the “bedtime storybook-meets-first grade art class” design works without a hitch. Even if completing the game is a rather simple task, it will certainly leave an impression on all but the most jaded of players. More than that, Epic Yarn serves as the perfect example of what can happen when developers push their games into new and different directions. The game succeeds as a testament to imagination and whimsy, if nothing else.
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Things We Liked: A beautiful game to behold, from start to finish. The dedication to the yarn theme is impressive, and the creative implementations of it are impeccable. Great co-op game. Wonderful score, for the most part.
Things We Disliked: Too short. Not much reason to go back and collect the medals and treasures. The “Train” power-up is annoying and hard to use.
Target Audience: Just about anyone who owns a Wii. It’s just too well executed to ignore.
(Kirby’s Epic Yarn – Developers: HAL Laboratory, Good-Feel. Publisher: Nintendo. Available for Wii. Unfamiliar with CFD!’s review system? Read our newly revised explanation here.)
