Review of Kirby's Epic Yarn

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I picked up my pre-ordered copy this morning and have spent all day playing it. It pleases me to report that Kirby's Epic Yarn not only breathes new life into the Kirby franchise but also marks a return to Nintendo's roots of stylish graphics combined with innovative game mechanics.

The game is very easy to control and players from ages six to ninety-six should have no problems learning how to play. You hold the Wii controller sideways so that the D-Pad is on the left and the 1 and 2 buttons are on the right. Button 2 controls Kirby's jumping and other movement functions such as turning into a parachute when falling. Button 1 is Kirby's action button and is used for attacking, latching on to various objects, throwing enemies and even shooting projectiles. The controls are very intuitive and responsive. You won't need to think about how Kirby moves and jumps, it really will come naturally to you.

As you most likely know, the graphics follow a fabric theme. After an unfortunate encounter with a sorcerer, Kirby loses his classic abilities and is transformed into a creature made of yarn. He finds himself in a strange kingdom called Patch World. The developers really ran with the fabric theme as the game looks like a big fluffy bed. Backgrounds are made of pieces of fabric. Buildings and other items are patches. You don't so much open a treasure chest as you pull it off of the fabric to reveal the treasure hiding underneath it. Kirby can also manipulate the environment around him. At one point you may be working your way up a tree and pull on a certain button which will cause the whole tree to collapse to a more manageable height.

The game also sounds great. The whimsical music reminds me very much of the Forrest Gump soundtrack and you'll hear pianos, flutes and other classical instruments in what turns out to be a very pleasing playlist of melodies. The game sound effects sound cartoony, particularly when unraveling enemies into bits of yarn but are very appropriate to the atmosphere.

I hesitate to refer to Kirby's Epic Yarn as a sandbox game but those elements are certainly present. You can wander around a palace, go to the plaza where you can listen to the game's music or watch videos, collect rare items or even decorate your apartment with furniture. As Kirby you wander across Patch World and must walk to a level and select it in order to play. Various patches and items reveal new levels as Kirby hunts for bits of magic yarn to stitch Patch World together.

The game does have some very challenging moments but Kirby's Epic Yarn may seem relatively slow paced compared to some action games out there. This game is very reminiscent of classic Nintendo titles in that regard.

I feel that this game is a very worthy addition to the Wii library and have no problems recommending it to my friends as well as the younger members of my family.

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I love video games. I work in the video game industry. So with those two caveats out the door, and regardless of if you believe either (not my problem) I will give the short and sweet things that make this title fantastic.

The emotion it breeds in you is one of comfort and genuine happiness. Titles like this are exemplars of how games can be a fantastic artistic medium (and I'm not saying that just because it is cute, Bioshock is a fine example on the uglier end).

The story is told in a great children's book manner.

The characters are incredibly approachable even though they are all made of a few strands of string.

The levels of creative in ways that is often not seen outside of the indie scene.

The storyline is simple and yet you still want to see how it ends.

The gameplay is easy but still engaging enough to keep you playing from end to end, the level of stress this game produces is freakishly low.

If you play this thing late at night it can quite literally put you to sleep. I'm not saying that as a negative, it's that perfectly bound up. It aims to create a "dreamworld" and leaves you unconscious with a wii controller in your lap.

I can be a cynic at times, some titles leave me utterly in awe at how terrible they are. I wonder if the developers had ever even played the title they developed.

But this...I can say with the utmost certainty that if you buy this, you will enjoy it, the odds of you not liking it are so fantastically slim that I would nearly bet money on it.

Nearly ;).

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I'll start off by saying this: get this game. No matter what type of gamer you are, from casual to pro, even if you've never picked up a controller in your life, if you own a Wii, you must play this game. Think of it as classic Mario platforming action, amped up to next-gen quality and improved ten fold. Do not be fooled by the game's bright colors and childish look. At the bare minimum, Epic Yarn is an easy game, perfect for casual gamers and Kirby fans. But in order to hundred-percent it, you'll have to navigate your way through dozens of hilariously original platforming levels that test your brain and your finger agility as you slip past yarn monsters, over volcanoes, and even face off against a fire-breathing dragon, and all without losing your coins. You don't die in this game, you just lose coins, and in order to get a gold coin rating, you'll have to meet the required amount of coins. During the first couple of levels, this may seem like a walk in the park, but the game picks up very fast, and soon even the most experienced of gamers will be struggling to earn their share of coins once the level is through.

Kirby's Epic Yarn is a very fun game to rock through solo, but the local co-op is where it's at. You and a buddy can smash, throw, and hit each other to areas previously unaccessible when going through solo. You can overtake bosses and enemies like never before and even sacrifice your friend to save yourself. Of course, you're in this together. If your friend is hurt, you both lose from it. That's right, as you collect coins in co-op, they are added to a single counter, so you'll need to work together with the utmost cooperation in order to earn gold medals there.

And if these phenomenal points are not enough, Epic Yarn boasts what must be the best looking graphics to hit the Wii yet. It's often said that the best looking games on Wii accept its graphical limitations and create something new. That's exactly what the developers did here. The patchwork world is not only beautiful, but also hilarious when you see an everyday object transformed using items found in a sewing basket. It's the best looking Wii game I've ever seen.

So, without further ado, the final scores:

SOUND: A great, classic platforming soundtrack is hurt slightly by the repetitive squeals of the characters. 8.0/10

GRAPHICS: The best looking Wii title I've ever seen, accepting the system's graphical limitation to create a style and flair unlike anything seen before. 10/10

GAMEPLAY: Your classic platformer, amplified times ten. This game takes all the best elements of the genre and makes them all better, while adding its share of new ideas. 9.5/10

REPLAYABILITY: The story is fairly quick at around seven hours, but you'll be coming back for the endlessly entertaining co-op with friends, not to mention the huge amount of collectible furniture hidden in the levels to design Kirby's apartment with. 9.0/10

OVERALL: An outstanding product that should not be missed by anyone who owns a Wii. 9.5/10

Honest reviews on Kirby's Epic Yarn

I have 4 children ranging from 5-12. We are all big fans of Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart. My only problem is that the younger set will cry and fight over little things like who gets the fire flower. Also, the younger one will get left behind on Super Mario, which results in him losing his life. These things cause major tantrums. Not a fault of the games, I know that. The older kids and adults obviously don't have these problems;-) However, Kirby's Epic Yarn solves all these skirmishes with the little guys. No one is left behind or dies. Finally, they can play by themselves without a referee! For this reason, I give it 5 stars!!

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I bought Kirby's Epic Yarn for two reasons on the day it came out, it came with a credit towards a future game purchase and I had heard nothing but good things from the few places I care about ratings online. There are some minor spoilers ahead (no major storyline revealed, just gameplay aspects).

Right of the bat, the game's unique visuals grab your attention after the very short introduction to the reason why Kirby is made of yarn. The game looks great and the controls are pretty tight and easy to pick up. I was actually pretty surprised at the overall simplicity of said controls as I was expecting more options of things Kirby could do. The premise of the game is to move through levels and collect jewels which are a currency of sorts in the yarn world Kirby is now a part of. The more Kirby collects, the better your overall score on the level (bronze, silver, or gold medal) each level contains two hidden items and the music from the level both of which are tracked in indexed as they are collected. The first few levels were pretty easy and it became apparent collecting items would be semi-important. As I moved along in the game, I noticed the levels were not getting much if any harder and I was very surprised at how little the special Kirby powers were adding to my game experience I thought they would be in almost ever level and make the levels more difficult.

The game has 9 different worlds and 9 bosses that need to be defeated. Only 2 presented a semi-challenge the rest of them were a joke. You really never die, only (temporarily) lose the currency you've collected thus far if you are hit by an enemy or if you fall into a pit. Two regular levels offered the hardest challenges in collecting enough money to get gold medal scores at the end of the stage. The currency collected in levels allows you two buy more items and fabric (for decorating your apt) in two stores. The items collected help decorate apartments for the yarn man housing Kirby which lead to more easy side missions which can be ignored altogether.

I am 93% complete with this game and did so in about 12 hours of gameplay. The game is short, easy, and leaves much to be desired. I play a lot of video games and I don't feel this game was worth fifty bucks. If you can pick it up for 30 (good luck since Nintendo never drops the price of first party titles) and want a casual and relaxing game then this is for you. If you are looking for an exciting and challenging game (for Wii) get Super Mario Galaxy 2 and try to get all of the stars in the game.

I recommend this game for younger audience, not hardcore gamers.