Review: Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)

When compared to the early concept footage from 2007, Kirby’s first outing on the Wii seems to have gone the Resident Evil 4 route when it comes to the finished product. Even without multiple allies and his trademarked powers, is this still a finely woven tale, or does it leave you frayed at the ends?

As far as story goes, it’s a standard tale of an evil wizard and a plot to control Kirby’s home of Dreamland. It’s your basic “good vs. evil” story, and the narrator sounds much like a father telling a bedtime story to his kids, but just because the story is straightforward doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable. If you turn the lights down and let your mind go to a simpler place, you’ll soon pick up on its subtle charms. This probably isn’t a big shocker for long time fans, but what will be is the new gameplay.

The little pink protagonist’s abilities have been completely revamped in this title. Instead of swallowing enemies whole and using them as ammo or catalysts for transformations, Kirby simply winds his foes into balls of string that he can carry around and toss at will. Transformations still play a part, but not in the traditional sense. At certain points, Kirby will be able to morph into many different mega forms such as a UFO, a dune buggy, and even a dolphin. The new forms are area-specific, though, so be aware that you won’t be able to fight a boss with the tank’s missiles. This is most likely a design choice to minimize the exploitable nature of previous games and make you have to face Epic Yarn’s challenges on their own terms, but this is hampered by the fact that the game is so easy to begin with.

One curious omission is Kirby’s complete inability to die. Instead, if you get hit, your ring…er, BEADS go flying all over the place, and unlike a certain blue hedgehog, Kirby can easily reclaim every single bead lost if he’s fast enough. Even during boss fights, it’s totally impossible to fail no matter how much damage you take. To remedy this, the game awards you with medals for accumulating a good number of beads, and awards bonus currency for longer streaks without getting hit. Despite this, the fact that there’s virtually no penalty for getting hit combined with the Reading Rainbow narrator make it all too obvious why Nintendo has a reputation for being a kiddy company. Granted, that’s what some people like, and it’s a nice change of pace from the usual blood-drenched title, but if you can’t go 12 minutes without curb-stomping somebody, then the experience will quickly turn from Epic Yarn to Epic Yawn.

What really shines through in this game is the titular yarn. The graphics go far beyond a simple art style, and factor into the gameplay on levels you wouldn’t expect. It’s the little touches that make the graphics great, and it’s truly awe-inspiring to see all the tiny details that went into every single stage. The music is par for the course for any 1st party Nintendo title, with new songs accompanying an assortment of older tracks, but you may find some of these new tunes to be a little too tranquil and calm to keep you engaged in the action. We’re looking at YOU, Frosty Wheel.

Although it’s not cut from the same cloth, Kirby’s Epic Yarn is still woven from only the finest materials. The game is still fun on a basic level, and with the co-op, it’s a great way to get a friend in on the action. Just be aware that the greatest challenge you’re going to face is helping us come up with more yarn puns.

Submitted By: WhatTheFNU (Customer)