That Kirby, a living pink marshmallow of a character, rates a very serious 4100 word article on Wikipedia is no accident. The truth is Kirby's Epic Yarns is my favorite incarnation of this long-lived franchiseand, while it is mostly just another side scrolling adventure, its unique perspective, creative use of art, and gentle, good nature, make it one of the more appealing Wii titles of the Holiday 2010 season.
The premise is that Kirby sucks in a bit of yarn and himself becomes transformed. He and all the things he encounters along the way are made primarily of yarn. Yes, you'll also get gems, jewels, and beads along the way. Instead of killing his enemies, Kirby sucks in their yarn. He can then use the material as a whip, grapple or ball. Though he is small, sometimes he can use accumulated yarn to make himself much larger and formidable.
Though the action is very stock, the art work is quite appealing and there is a bit of happiness and humor along the path to solving each level. You'll delight in the way standard video game elements are transformed into yarn.
To be sure, there is no comparison to Sony's Little Big Planet, which also constitutes much of its world with found materials. There is, for instance, no creative design for the user to work with in this simple arcade game. Nevertheless, this is a happy little game with some serendipitous elements. It wouldn't be the only game I'd want my child playing this season, but it would gladly be in the mix.
