Life isn't fair. While both America and Japan got Kirby's Epic Yarn way back in October, us Europeans have had to wait four months for the little pink puffball to make his way over here. Although, maybe it's understandable, as in his new woolly form, Kirby can't inhale air and flap his chubby little arms to fly anymore, so he probably had to rely on public transport. And we all know what that's like.
The last few years haven't exactly been kind to poor Kirby, either - he's had plenty of games cancelled in his time, and hasn't had a 'home console' game since Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards way back in 2001. Instead making his home on the handhelds, Kirby's appeared in a whopping 3 DS titles - Kirby's Power Paintbrush, Kirby Super Star Ultra and Kirby: Mouse Attack, which were all awesome games that you should all go and buy right now. Assuming you can find them, anyway.
Prince Fluff - the crown Prince of angry eyebrows
Either way, Kirby's Epic Yarn is probably my most-looked-forward-to game for a good while - in fact, I'm probably more excited about this than The Sims 3 coming to consoles. After all, it's Kirby, dammit! Being a bit challenged in the gaming skill department, I've always found the Kirby games aren't too difficult, and were packed with things to find and collect (one of my OCD weaknesses). Then, when it was revealed that Kirby's Epic Yarn was going to have a full two player co-op - with a second player taking the form of the grumpy-looking Prince Fluff - I was sold. Everything's more fun with a friend - and Kirby makes it even more awesome.
However, it seems Kirby got somewhat lucky, as Kirby's Epic Yarn wasn't originally meant to star the pink puffball at all. World of Fluff, the original idea, featured Prince Fluff as the main character, but after being shown the game, Nintendo thought it was missing something, and suggested it should be made into a new Kirby game. Good Feel, the dodgily named company who first came up with the idea, were a bit too attached to their creation, and didn't want to lose Prince Fluff forever, so he was relegated to become Kirby's partner.
The story begins with Kirby out for a stroll, when he spots a tomato in a bush - his favourite food - and as Kirby seems to be a rather hungry chappy, he doesn't hesitate to gobble it down. Little did he realise, the tomato belonged to an evil wizard - the dastardly Yin-Yarn - who doesn't take kindly to having his food eaten, and angrily sucks Kirby into the sock necklace he was wearing (height of fashion, don't you know). Inside the sock, is a world where everything is made of yarn - including our little pink puffball friend - and, according to the intro movie, the grass feels like pants. Meeting up with Prince Fluff, the prince of Patch Land, he tells Kirby that the evil Yin-Yarn has split the land into 7 different pieces - in order to patch it up, you'll need to locate the magical thread hidden in the various worlds.
Kirby has always been an adaptable little lad, being able to absorb the abilities of the enemies he inhaled and swallowed. But now the wind goes right through him - so what's he to do? Luckily, that tomato he swallowed was no ordinary tomato - known as the metamato, the vegetable grants Kirby the ability to transform into all sorts of things, from a car, to a tank, to a dolphin on a surfboard, and many, many more. If you're playing in two player, the control of each transformation is split between the two of you - for example, when Kirby transforms into a giant robot with a massive boxing glove, one player is responsible for moving the robot, while the other for punching enemies - meaning you'll need to properly work together to get through levels.
Here's hoping Kirby doesn't shrink in the wash...
The kingdom of Patch Land looks like you'd expect it to, being made entirely of cloth, wool and various sewn on bits and bobs. The scenery is littered with buttons and zips that you can make Kirby grab on to and pull, revealing secret passages that go behind the background, or that pull the scenery together, making gaps narrower and easier to jump across. Stickers can be peeled back to reveal hidden treasures, while defeated enemies unravel, leaving a mess of tangled threads behind. Everything's amazingly colourful throughout, with bright colours and smiley (or in some cases, grumpy) faces found on practically everything in the land.
Throughout the levels, there are plenty of things to collect - from brightly coloured beads (which act as the game's currency), to treasure chests, which contain the Kirby-staple unlockable music, as well as furniture, wallpaper and toys. These things you collect in the levels - or that you exchange beads for - can be used to customise Kirby's humble woollen abode. There's plenty of options to choose from, with a piano, a frog-shaped umbrella stand and what looks like a dinosaur-shaped slide making up just a few of the options - and Kirby can interact with some of them as well. From time to time, other characters will visit Kirby in his house too, setting him various challenges, such as completing a level in a certain time, or collecting every bead in a level.
We tried sew hard to button it and cut out the puns - but the material was just too good....
As a game that's been designed to appeal to a younger audience, Kirby games are often said to be rather easy, although collecting all the stuff in them can be a bit of a challenge, no matter what your age. In Kirby's Epic Yarn - unlike the other Kirby games - Kirby can't die, and you can't get a game over. If you miss a jump or get hit by an enemy, you'll simply drop some of the beads you were carrying, in a similar way to the LEGO games - making it perfect for kids, and perfect for me, too.
Kirby's Epic Yarn is due out on the 25th February, with an RRP of £39.99. We'll have a review up shortly, so keep checking back.
