Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn

Kirby’s Epic Yarn is a platform game developed by Good-Feel and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is an installment of the Kirby series and was released in October 2010 in Japan and North America and in February 2011 in Australia and Europe. It is the first entry in the Kirby series on a home video game console since 2003’s Kirby Air Ride for the GameCube, and its first home console platform game since 2000’s Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards for the Nintendo 64. While walking through Dream Land, Kirby discovers a tomato on a bush and decides to eat it.

Yin-Yarn, the evil sorcerer who held the tomato (revealed to be a Metamato), appears when he tries to inhale the Metamato into his stomach and magically banishes Kirby into Patch Land, a world completely made of fabric, via the sock carried around his neck. In Patch Land, Kirby’s body transforms into yarn, rendering both his power to inhale and the ability to fly useless. Instead, Kirby is granted the ability to transform by the magic of the Metamato, which he uses to rescue a yarn boy who looks similar to Kirby from being attacked by a monster.

The boy, named Prince Fluff, explains that Yin-Yarn has separated Patch Land into pieces, which was tied together by magic yarn. When they come across the first piece after defeating a monster that attacks the duo, Kirby decides to help Prince Fluff collect all seven pieces of the magic yarn and restore Patch Land. Kirby’s Epic Yarn is a sidescrolling platformer, played primarily with the Wii Remote held sideways. The player controls Kirby, who has been transformed into a character made of yarn; because of this, he is unable to inhale enemies or fly, unlike most games in the Kirby series. 

Instead, Kirby’s moveset is based around his newfound ability to transform into different yarn-based objects; for instance, while in mid-air, Kirby can transform into a small parachute in order to fall more slowly, and he can turn into a weight to smash down towards the ground and crush enemies and other objects. Kirby can move faster by turning into an automobile while on the ground, and he transforms into a submarine when going underwater.

Certain areas feature special transformations which give Kirby unique abilities, such as a giant missile-launching tank, a fire truck, and a steam train which rides across tracks drawn by the Wii Remote’s pointer. Kirby’s primary method of attack consists of a “yarn-whip” ability which he can use to grab enemies and other objects, allowing him to wind them up into small balls of yarn and throw them. Kirby can also use his whip to activate mechanisms, such as zips and pulleys, and swing on buttons. A second player can also join in the game, playing as Prince Fluff, who plays identically to Kirby, and assisting in controlling transformations.