Kirby's Epic Yarn

 Wii
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 307 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 250 out of 307
  2. Mixed: 47 out of 307
  3. Negative: 10 out of 307
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  1. TitaniumDragon
    Sep 30, 2017
    7
    Kirby’s Epic Yarn is a game which is devoted to its aesthetic. The premise of the game is that Kirby has been transformed into yarn and drug into Fabric Land by an evil wizard, and he must make his way through said world (optionally with Prince Fluff as player 2) to save the world.

    Unlike other Kirby games, Kirby has no ability to suck up bad guys in this game. Instead, Kirby has a    Kirby’s Epic Yarn is a game which is devoted to its aesthetic. The premise of the game is that Kirby has been transformed into yarn and drug into Fabric Land by an evil wizard, and he must make his way through said world (optionally with Prince Fluff as player 2) to save the world.

    Unlike other Kirby games, Kirby has no ability to suck up bad guys in this game. Instead, Kirby has a magic lasso with a star on the end of it; this lasso, when it strikes an enemy, unwinds them. If you hold down the attack button, it will wind the enemy into a ball of yarn that you can throw at your enemies, with some different enemies’ balls of yarn having subtly different effects (a few act as enemy-seeking missiles or give you a multishot). However, mostly, the balls of yarn are the same thing, though there’s actually a pretty good variety of enemies, with over 70 different types (though in reality, there’s probably more like 40 or so that are significantly different).

    The levels make use of the yarn aesthetic in other ways; the lasso can be used to cling to buttons, allowing Kirby to swing around. Sometimes Kirby can pull on a thread attached to a button and cause the landscape to bunch up or shift in some way, and there are also zippers that can be unzipped in a few locations to reveal new areas, or fabric to be furled or unfurled to do the same. There’s also a few narrow spaces that Kirby can unwind himself into a thread and literally thread himself through, though these spaces don’t play a very large role in the game, with only a couple levels through the game making any sort of significant use of the mechanic.

    This game’s “coins” are beads, and every level has a large number of them, along with two “treasure” items (which can be used to decorate an in-game house) and a music CD containing the level’s soundtrack. Collecting enough beads will earn Kirby a bronze, silver, or gold medal, and between levels, beads can be spent on fabric, on furniture from an in-game store (again, both to decorate your in-game house), and to add rooms to a building so that characters who give Kirby challenge levels to complete will move in. These challenge levels consist of things like races, carrying an object to the end of a level, collecting enough beads in a certain amount of time, and killing enemies within a time limit.

    These challenges and attempting to 100% the levels are the source of most of the challenge in the game, as the game proper is extremely easy – Kirby literally cannot die in this game. If he falls off the screen, he is picked up, dropping some of the beads he’s picked up, and put back on the level. If he runs into an enemy, he scatters his beads around him like Sonic after getting hit by an enemy. However, unlike Sonic, Kirby won’t die even if he has no beads whatsoever, meaning that it is literally impossible to fail at a level. The levels take about 10-15 minutes apiece if you explore them thoroughly, and there’s 36 of them in the game in total, scattered across eight worlds.

    The real highlight of the game are the game’s 7 bosses; each of the bosses has its own unique attack pattern which changes over the course of the fight. These boss fights are quite elaborate, and the bosses themselves are markedly more difficult in many cases than the rest of the game. While the patterns are all different, in the end, when the boss becomes vulnerable after being hit, Kirby can pull on a button attached to them to unwind them; over the course of the battle, they will gradually be unwound, and eventually will unwind completely (or break free of the strings being used to control them), complementing the game’s aesthetics nicely.

    The game also includes a half dozen or so transformations; most of these are pretty gimmicky, though they all change the gameplay fairly significantly (apart from the dolphin, which mostly just makes you much more agile in the water). A couple of them turn the game into a scrolling shoot-em-up, while others alter the gameplay in other ways, such as just driving in one direction or sliding around on a snowboard in one direction. While they mix things up a bit and give some mechanical variety, they’re all too limited to really feel all that great, and the train in particular is particularly bland and gimmicky.

    In the end, this is a decent platformer, but I can’t say that I’d really write home about it. The aesthetic is neat, the game is still visually appealing even many years later, and the bosses are pretty cool; however, outside of the bosses, the levels never really feel all that impressive, and even as I sit here the game is blending into a blur in retrospect. Clocking in at about 20 hours to 100%, this is not a terrible investment of your time, but there are better platformers out there.    … Expand
  2. Theday
    Jun 1, 2011
    6
    Kirby's Epic Yarn, or Price Fluff's Epic Yarn With A Coat of Kirby, is not a 'Kirby' game. While it does feature the pink puff ball, all of his powers and uniqueness of his games are exchanged for this game. The Kirby characters feel tacted on, forcefully.
    Epic Yarn feels a lot like Good Feel's previous work, Wario Land: Shake It, You enter the level, get through it, find all the (beads)    Kirby's Epic Yarn, or Price Fluff's Epic Yarn With A Coat of Kirby, is not a 'Kirby' game. While it does feature the pink puff ball, all of his powers and uniqueness of his games are exchanged for this game. The Kirby characters feel tacted on, forcefully.
    Epic Yarn feels a lot like Good Feel's previous work, Wario Land: Shake It, You enter the level, get through it, find all the (beads) money you can, find hidden objects, and finish the level and graded. Rather rinse repeat, then boss battle. Unlike Wario Land, where the hidden stages are found inside levels, hidden stages are opened by racking up big money in boss fights.
    In this game Kirby can not die. He just loses his money when he gets hit or falls off the map. In a way this makes the game easy to beat and no challenge. The real goal is to collect all the hidden objects and get more money, if you feel like it. There's also useless apartment decorating and minigames as well.    … Expand
  3. Sabbalabba
    Feb 25, 2011
    6
    This game has too high a score.
    The game was fun, but WAY too easy.
    If you could actually die, then there would be some challenge. I know the game is very, very pretty, but graphics don't make the game. Don't get me wrong, the controls, and gameplay are great, It's just too easy. If it was more challenging, then I would give a higher score. If you have kids, then I recommend it for them.    This game has too high a score.
    The game was fun, but WAY too easy.
    If you could actually die, then there would be some challenge.
    I know the game is very, very pretty, but graphics don't make the game.
    Don't get me wrong, the controls, and gameplay are great, It's just too easy.
    If it was more challenging, then I would give a higher score.
    If you have kids, then I recommend it for them.
    They'll have a blast. You will too if you suck at games (No offense).    … Expand
  4. Geen
    Oct 21, 2010
    7
    Kirby's Epic Yarn - Fun mechanics, great art style; not very "Kirby-ish" besides being pretty easy if you're only focused on getting to the end of the game (Getting Gold medals on every stage is where the challenge and, for me, the real fun kicks in). I got about 10 hours of play out of it with only some side quests left to finish. At least worth a rental to experience it, but I would haveKirby's Epic Yarn - Fun mechanics, great art style; not very "Kirby-ish" besides being pretty easy if you're only focused on getting to the end of the game (Getting Gold medals on every stage is where the challenge and, for me, the real fun kicks in). I got about 10 hours of play out of it with only some side quests left to finish. At least worth a rental to experience it, but I would have a hard time recommending someone to purchase it.â… Expand
  5. TheViewtiful
    Dec 17, 2010
    6
    I hate this game, you look this game and think "Woa! It's extreme cool game! I gotta have it!". You buy, and you see... this games is very easy and boring! Too easy, no difficult and NO cool! Really guys don't buy this game...
  6. jim109109
    Jun 4, 2012
    5
    This game is so easy I could pass it with my feet. It's not just easy, it's BEYOND easy. it takes serious effort to find this a challenge. There IS no game, because there is no way to lose...so just do anything, or hold down the right button and close your eyes, you can probably make it through that way. Buy it if it's for a 3 year old, because at 5 I was already passing Mario World andThis game is so easy I could pass it with my feet. It's not just easy, it's BEYOND easy. it takes serious effort to find this a challenge. There IS no game, because there is no way to lose...so just do anything, or hold down the right button and close your eyes, you can probably make it through that way. Buy it if it's for a 3 year old, because at 5 I was already passing Mario World and this would have been boring to me. But if you're three years old, go play it. Now, the good. The art is good, without being exceptional, the polish is good, it's a very polished baby toy. There are probably more good things in this game but I am not in the mood to discuss them, this game is everything wrong in this world, because it,s not even a game, I don't see how you can call this a game.… Expand
  7. SKULLbrgr7
    Nov 21, 2010
    7
    I didnt enjoy this game as much as others did, but it is top quality. The visuals are amazing and the gameplay variety is staggering. My problem? Its WAY to easy. You cant die and there isnt much satisfaction in mastering levels. Buy it for your kids, or yourself if you want a great game but you find other games too challenging.
  8. Aquaris475
    May 26, 2013
    7
    I like the Kirby games. the gameplay is fun and simple, while also keeping things challenging, not to mention how awesome characters like Kirby and Meta Knight are. Epic Yarn, however, I found to be way too simple and cute. the story, like most Kirby games, is pretty simple. it is a pretty enjoyable story, and manages to be pretty funny at times. The gameplay, shortened to the point, hasI like the Kirby games. the gameplay is fun and simple, while also keeping things challenging, not to mention how awesome characters like Kirby and Meta Knight are. Epic Yarn, however, I found to be way too simple and cute. the story, like most Kirby games, is pretty simple. it is a pretty enjoyable story, and manages to be pretty funny at times. The gameplay, shortened to the point, has been butchered to be way too easy. Kirby can do things in the environment, like become a car, or use an ability meant for a certain area, like a tank. this is a pretty cool concept, but the problem with it s that you can't die in the game. beads, which determine your score at the end of the stage, are lost every time you fall into a it or get hit by an enemy, making it impossible to lose this game. I can see Nintendo making Kirby a bit easier, but here, it's way too easy. the graphics for the game are pretty nice. the environments and colors for this game shine, making it one of the nicest looking games on the Wii. the soundtrack for the game is very lighthearted. all the tracks in the game sound very cute, almost a bit too cute. tunes in Kirby could give a great beat and rhythm while also sounding cute, but here, being cute is all it sounds like. if there's one thing I cannot stand in this game, it's Prince Fluff. he's such an unneeded character in the game, and is seriously bland in general. In the End, Kirby's Epic Yarn is a good game, just probably not for Kirby fans. while it can be enjoyable with its story and dialogue, it can be a shut off for some by being too cute or too easy. if you're trying to get into the Kirby series, start with this one. just be prepared for the challenge other Kirby games will have.… Expand
  9. FreedomFighters
    Apr 23, 2018
    6
    You know, I don't remember the last time I disagreed with the general public to this degree, and I don't remember the last time I felt so conflicted about a review. I generally enjoy the "Kirby" series, and I quite enjoyed the latest adventure in the series, "Kirby Star Allies," but after completing this game, one that critics and fans have sung the praises for ever since its release inYou know, I don't remember the last time I disagreed with the general public to this degree, and I don't remember the last time I felt so conflicted about a review. I generally enjoy the "Kirby" series, and I quite enjoyed the latest adventure in the series, "Kirby Star Allies," but after completing this game, one that critics and fans have sung the praises for ever since its release in 2010...I honestly felt nothing. I walked into this review without a numerical score in mind, because the game as a whole just made me feel so...whatever. And I wanted to love it, because I always find myself enjoying the "Kirby" platformer games, but this one didn't really leave an impression me like "Kirby 64" or "Star Allies" did.
    Obviously, "Kirby's Epic Yarn" has some very pretty visuals that keep things interesting and inject a cool, child-like charm into the game. The game itself is also very easy to get into, the controls are pretty smooth, and the gameplay is relatively varied overall. As always, Kirby retains his signature cute charm in this game, but unfortunately, he gets bogged down by a few other unfortunate problems.
    For one, short length and lack of difficulty are once again on full-display here, and while you could argue that, since this is commonplace for "Kirby" games, it's not such a big deal, in the case of this game, you know it's a problem when you technically can't "die" in the game. It unfortunately comes off to me as a bit too streamlined and too child-proofed, robbing whatever challenge the other games in the series may have. Along with that, some of these new gimmicks and forms in the game occasionally control kind of awkwardly, which can be annoying when you go from ultra-smooth, accessible platforming into a tank that can't seem to aim without turning nutty. And finally, the game is just dull. I'm sorry, but even with the childlike-design, pretty yarn aesthetic and all that, it just feels so empty to me. I feel nothing while playing it or after playing it, and the emptiness made it hard for me to love the game.
    Guys, I'm really sorry, I wanted to love "Kirby's Epic Yarn," but unfortunately, I just happen to be in the minority here. All I can say is that, if your curiosity is intensely high, give it a shot and you might walk away with something special. Otherwise, there's several other better "Kirby" games to pick from, this one just isn't quite worth it. Sorry, Nintendo. I wanted to love it but I just can't. I hope "Kirby's Return to Dream Land" (which I obviously haven't finished yet, because if I did I'd be reviewing it) is good!
    Final rating: 6 out of 10 "Decent"    … Expand
  10. DrewtheDude85
    Mar 30, 2014
    7
    You have two teams when it comes to Kirby's Epic Yarn, you either have the people who adore the game and accept it for what it is or you are part of the people who didn't like the changes and think that it should have just used the controls of traditional Kirby platformers; I would probably say I am kind of in between these teams, I liked the whole yarn concepts used in this game and IYou have two teams when it comes to Kirby's Epic Yarn, you either have the people who adore the game and accept it for what it is or you are part of the people who didn't like the changes and think that it should have just used the controls of traditional Kirby platformers; I would probably say I am kind of in between these teams, I liked the whole yarn concepts used in this game and I thought they were cool and had some fun and simplistic graphics but on the other hand I would have liked traditional controls, it was kind of weird playing a Kirby game where you couldn't "suck" anything up, not to mention this game is very easy due to the fact that you cannot die, but hey it's a Kirby game, typically Kirby games are not supposed to be hard due to them kind of being geared a little more toward kids. Besides, it doesn't need to be challenging, it was fun anyway, there were some bland parts, but it was enjoyable, I guess it's worth picking up unless it's still $50 New.… Expand
  11. JRo55
    Jan 26, 2023
    7
    It’s a fun little game. Nothing to write home about. Game is challenging enough when going for a high score. Cute graphics.
  12. DAz_dingoose
    Dec 8, 2015
    7
    I am a big fan of Kirby, but I found it strange this game got the highest rating of all modern kirby games (2000-2015). The art style was amazing, but I didn't like how you couldn't die, and it felt more like a kids game then any other Kirby game.
    Still a great game, but I would rather play Kirby air ride.
  13. Sausage22
    Nov 7, 2017
    7
    Kirby's Epic Yarn is cute and amazing in terms of visuals. The gameplay is simple,b ut game throws at you a few fun ideas. in my opinion best easy-platfomer to play with younger siblings.

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best Wii Game of 2010
6
#6 Most Discussed Wii Game of 2010
2
#2 Most Shared Wii Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
  1. Videogameszone.de
    May 24, 2011
    86
    The game is offering a unique style and a new concept. But Kirby's Epic Yarn is too easy to get a 90+ rating.
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  2. PALGN
    May 11, 2011
    75
    While you wouldn't call it epic, Kirby's Epic Yarn is a welcome addition in the current, and possibly continuing, dearth of quality Wii titles.
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  3. Gamer.no
    Apr 7, 2011
    80
    Who knew a stroll into Arts and Crafts land could be this much fun? Kirby's latest adventure is a pure joy, and although it's a bit on the easy side, it'll keep you very entertained from start to finish without even flinching.
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