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Kirby's Epic Yarn for Nintendo Wii
Price Range:
$9.30 to $53.79
Kirby's Epic Yarn introduces an amazing look based on animated yarn and a world of cloth and textiles. The creative approach is woven directly into the game play and allows the ever-morphing Kirby to take on a variety of forms.
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4 Reviews from Epinions.com
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Kirby's Epic Yarn Computer Game
It's a good thing that Kirby's Epic Yarn was released for the Wii, considering there wasn't a Kirby game for the Gamecube (no, air ride doesn't count) and the next Kirby game isn't actually out yet, the fans needed another console Kirby to hold them over. This is good enough. Kirby's Epic Yarn was released for the Nintendo Wii on October 17th 2010 in North America. It sold for a retail price of around 50 dollars, and was first introduced at the E3 conference before the release.
At first glance, Kirby's epic yarn was very new in terms of...well..everything! The music had less of a pop and has moved to more smooth jazz, the gameplay is very different from previous kirby titles, but the most noticeable difference is the appearance. The game has been designed to look much like fabric and craft materials, which is pulled of very nicely and it's a very creative approach. This of course allows for many gameplay mechanics such as pulling off fabric to reveal a new area, tugging string to scrunch up a wide chasm, and so on. All the areas look fantastic and considering everything is so simple, the graphics are amazing as well. More on that later
Instead of the usual point system or coins, instead the main form of currency are beads which can be found almost all over the levels. At the end of every level you will be ranked on how many beads you can manage to get. These are optional, even if you get zero beads you can still proceed. Also found in each level are more optional goodies to be used to furnish your in-game apartment, and music tracks to encourage further exploration. However, if one simply wants to get through a level and complete the game, there is no motivation and they may do so. Literally the player cannot lose or die. When Kirby gets hit by an enemy, the player simply loses beads. Much like sonic the hedgehog with Sonic's rings, except in Epic yarn if you get hit after loosing your beads...nothing happens. You will continue until you beat the level.
Not being able to die poses a problem. People like challenge in video games, even if it's an easy game there is still that challenge factor that keeps players..well..playing! There's not a whole lot to be motivated about, after completing a level there isn't really a feeling of satisfaction because you know that you could've gotten hit by every enemy in the game and still make it to the end.
This game is obviously designed for new fans or smaller children who want something fun to keep them occupied. And it works perfectly for that reason! I'll stop you right here and say parents, if your child wants a nice video game to play that's fun and entertaining then pick this game up because it does a fantastic job being fun for your child. But fans of the Kirby series are more than likely not from the age group of 4-10. So naturally, this game nails one demographic of kids, while pushing the other aside.
True fans can appreciate the musical score and art style, but they also know that this isn't the kirby we've come to expect. Add dying, the ability to take enemies powers, floating, and maximum tomatoes? And you would have a truly 'epic' Kirby game. Sadly none of those things are included.
Let's talk about the sound. The musical score is brilliant, it's light and smooth tunes that will keep you busy trying to find all the soundtrack pieces. The music fits very well with the atmosphere and it's wonderfully composed. Kirby's epic yarn plays in Dolby digital surround sound and it's even better with headphones!
The graphics of Kirby's Epic Yarn are tricky to discuss. On one hand they're brilliant enough to pull of everything being made of yarn, on the other hand are they too simple? Some may argue the fact that everything is very simplistic and nothing is defined to the last glisten in kirby's eye. But high detail wasn't needed, Nintendo created a game world out of yarn, and it works perfectly. Everything looks patchy and stringy as it should. One couldn't ask for a cooler, more innovative art style! Kirby's Epic yarn runs in 60 frames per second with no slowdown as far as I can see, and runs at 480p.
Despite the fact that game-play has been changed, the new gameplay formula works as well. Instead of sucking up enemies kirby now has a yarn whip used to pull enemies in to throw around, or to just bash about. The whip is also used to grab power ups and pull buttons and patches. Kirby can no longer copy enemy abilities but after the end of most stages kirby will transform into one of a few set powers like UFO kirby or fire truck Kirby, and so on. These powers don't last too long and are only found near the end of the level. On a side note, the bosses are very interesting as well as the ways Kirby will go about a level. And trust me, actually getting 100% of those items and beads is very tricky and will take some time!
This game is not long, but then again it isn't short either. It's right in that meaty middle section where everything is just right. There are lots of things to come back to like music and mini games. Things like the designable apartment are fun as well which can take hours and hours to design it just how you want. There are endless possibilities. You can also play with a friend in co-op mode. One player plays as Kirby, the other as a new character called Prince Fluff.
In a nutshell Kirby's epic Yarn is a decent game. It's very strong in visual and sound quality, but lacks in challenge lasting effect. It's a very casual game that literally anyone can play. It would be great for people who are just getting introduced to video games, or for people who just want a light game to sit down and have fun with. This game could've been tweaked here and there but then again, so can every game! I'd recommend it.
Kirby's Epic Yarn for Wii
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: Interesting art style, great soundtrack, fluid controls
Cons: Not challenging, boring at times, not true to the franchise
The Bottom Line:
Great for kids and newcomers to games. Old fans might be a tad disappointed in the new formula.
It's a good thing that Kirby's Epic Yarn was released for the Wii, considering there wasn't a Kirby game for the Gamecube (no, air ride doesn't count) and the next Kirby game isn't actually out yet, the fans needed another console Kirby to hold them over. This is good enough. Kirby's Epic Yarn was released for the Nintendo Wii on October 17th 2010 in North America. It sold for a retail price of around 50 dollars, and was first introduced at the E3 conference before the release.
At first glance, Kirby's epic yarn was very new in terms of...well..everything! The music had less of a pop and has moved to more smooth jazz, the gameplay is very different from previous kirby titles, but the most noticeable difference is the appearance. The game has been designed to look much like fabric and craft materials, which is pulled of very nicely and it's a very creative approach. This of course allows for many gameplay mechanics such as pulling off fabric to reveal a new area, tugging string to scrunch up a wide chasm, and so on. All the areas look fantastic and considering everything is so simple, the graphics are amazing as well. More on that later
Instead of the usual point system or coins, instead the main form of currency are beads which can be found almost all over the levels. At the end of every level you will be ranked on how many beads you can manage to get. These are optional, even if you get zero beads you can still proceed. Also found in each level are more optional goodies to be used to furnish your in-game apartment, and music tracks to encourage further exploration. However, if one simply wants to get through a level and complete the game, there is no motivation and they may do so. Literally the player cannot lose or die. When Kirby gets hit by an enemy, the player simply loses beads. Much like sonic the hedgehog with Sonic's rings, except in Epic yarn if you get hit after loosing your beads...nothing happens. You will continue until you beat the level.
Not being able to die poses a problem. People like challenge in video games, even if it's an easy game there is still that challenge factor that keeps players..well..playing! There's not a whole lot to be motivated about, after completing a level there isn't really a feeling of satisfaction because you know that you could've gotten hit by every enemy in the game and still make it to the end.
This game is obviously designed for new fans or smaller children who want something fun to keep them occupied. And it works perfectly for that reason! I'll stop you right here and say parents, if your child wants a nice video game to play that's fun and entertaining then pick this game up because it does a fantastic job being fun for your child. But fans of the Kirby series are more than likely not from the age group of 4-10. So naturally, this game nails one demographic of kids, while pushing the other aside.
True fans can appreciate the musical score and art style, but they also know that this isn't the kirby we've come to expect. Add dying, the ability to take enemies powers, floating, and maximum tomatoes? And you would have a truly 'epic' Kirby game. Sadly none of those things are included.
Let's talk about the sound. The musical score is brilliant, it's light and smooth tunes that will keep you busy trying to find all the soundtrack pieces. The music fits very well with the atmosphere and it's wonderfully composed. Kirby's epic yarn plays in Dolby digital surround sound and it's even better with headphones!
The graphics of Kirby's Epic Yarn are tricky to discuss. On one hand they're brilliant enough to pull of everything being made of yarn, on the other hand are they too simple? Some may argue the fact that everything is very simplistic and nothing is defined to the last glisten in kirby's eye. But high detail wasn't needed, Nintendo created a game world out of yarn, and it works perfectly. Everything looks patchy and stringy as it should. One couldn't ask for a cooler, more innovative art style! Kirby's Epic yarn runs in 60 frames per second with no slowdown as far as I can see, and runs at 480p.
Despite the fact that game-play has been changed, the new gameplay formula works as well. Instead of sucking up enemies kirby now has a yarn whip used to pull enemies in to throw around, or to just bash about. The whip is also used to grab power ups and pull buttons and patches. Kirby can no longer copy enemy abilities but after the end of most stages kirby will transform into one of a few set powers like UFO kirby or fire truck Kirby, and so on. These powers don't last too long and are only found near the end of the level. On a side note, the bosses are very interesting as well as the ways Kirby will go about a level. And trust me, actually getting 100% of those items and beads is very tricky and will take some time!
This game is not long, but then again it isn't short either. It's right in that meaty middle section where everything is just right. There are lots of things to come back to like music and mini games. Things like the designable apartment are fun as well which can take hours and hours to design it just how you want. There are endless possibilities. You can also play with a friend in co-op mode. One player plays as Kirby, the other as a new character called Prince Fluff.
In a nutshell Kirby's epic Yarn is a decent game. It's very strong in visual and sound quality, but lacks in challenge lasting effect. It's a very casual game that literally anyone can play. It would be great for people who are just getting introduced to video games, or for people who just want a light game to sit down and have fun with. This game could've been tweaked here and there but then again, so can every game! I'd recommend it.
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