Introduction

Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn is the Nintendo 3DS's enhanced port of "Kirby's Epic Yarn", originally released for the Wii in 2010. It was the last game Nintendo released for the 3DS in 2019, and has become somewhat of an uncommon, hidden gem.

When the game was announced for the Wii in 2010, I didn't think much of it. I read some previews, watched some videos, and looked at some screenshots. I liked the game's visual style and that it was a side-scrolling platforming game, but felt it wasn't really quite the next really big entry for the franchise or a return to form (that didn't happen until Kirby's Return to Dream Land was released in 2012, though I didn't buy that game until it was released on Switch last year). I wanted to play it, but became somewhat less interested after reading that many players thought it was too easy and just kept putting it off.

Though I didn't really bother with the Wii version of the game, I did get this little promo sign.

In 2019, Nintendo announced that the game would be released for the 3DS, with more content, under the title "Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn". I bought the game when it was released. I also played the game's demo before the 3DS's eShop closed.

I played through the game a couple years ago. I liked it and didn't forget about it, but couldn't get back into it until recently. There were a lot of other games I needed to play, and of course I was also busy making blogs (which can take weeks and sometimes months to complete). Now I finally have some time to talk about the game, and why I appreciate it more on the 3DS than on the Wii.

Why I like Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn

The Visual Style

The first thing that comes to mind whenever someone sees the game. In this game, Kirby's transformed into yarn. Yeah, he's strings of yarn in this game but still recognizable. The other characters are also yarn. The levels themselves are made of fabric and have patches and quilts. Since first reading about the Wii version in 2010, I've liked the visual style. The game just has a fun look to it. The 3DS version, shown in the pics, looks basically the same as the Wii version, the screen is just smaller.

Kirby's Animations Are Cool

A game with an appealing visual style also needs good animation. If you don't press any buttons and just let Kirby stand, he'll play jump rope while he waits for you. If you jump and hold the A button while in the air, Kirby'll turn into a parachute.

The Creativity 

Kirby can enter doors to go inside trees or buildings, as he could in other games. The difference here is that, instead of going to another part of a level, the view remains outside and you have to jump on platforms inside to get to the top of a tree or the roof of a building.

Kirby can also pull on certain objects, like zippers, to reveal hidden buildings or move part of a level closer so he can jump across.

Kirby's Abilities

Since Kirby's Adventure for the NES, Kirby has been able to copy the abilities of his enemies. The difference in this game is that, because he's been turned into yarn, Kirby can't inhale enemies like he normally does. Instead, he grabs enemies and pulls them toward him (he's able to that because he's strings of yarn in this game), then gets their abilities. Some of the abilities are new to this version of the game and weren't included in the Wii version.

Demo Version

A demo of Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn was released on the 3DS's shop, along with the digital version of the game. The demo includes two of the games earlier levels: Fountain Gardens and Rainbow Falls. I downloaded and recorded a video of the demo a little before the 3DS's shop closed. The demo showed some of Kirby's transformations, as well as some of the new abilities (called Ravel Abilities) that are only in this version of the game.

The 3DS Versions New Features

Since it was released 2019, nine years after the Wii version, Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn adds a few extra features making it the definitive version of the game.

First up is the "Devilish Mode." This is a harder difficulty, in which a devil follows Kirby throughout the levels and makes things more difficult for him. They addressed one of the flaws about the Wii version, which many thought was too easy.

Next are the Ravel Abilities. There are six of them: Knitting Needles (creates a yarn ball), Wire (swing a sword to cut through almost anything), Button (bombs), Nylon (whirlwind spin), Bobbin (Yo-Yo), and Marking Pins (throw pins at enemies).

Two minigames/sub-games were added. One is Dedede Gogogo, a game that has you play as King Dedede where you race through levels, collect beads, and destroy obstacles.

The other is Slash & Bead, a game that has you play as Meta Knight where you run and fly through levels, collect beads, and defeat enemies with Meta Knight's Sword.

Kirby's Pad allows you to add and arrange furniture that you can find in the levels. Kirby's Pad was in the Wii version of the game, but the 3DS version has more furniture. You can arrange furniture by tapping the touch screen or using a stylus, similar to Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Support for Kirby amiibo figures was also added. Depending on the Kirby character used, the figures can give you abilities, both regular and Ravel, instantly.

The two player co-op mode from the Wii version was removed, unfortunately, but these added features more than make up for it.

Kirby's Transformations

Kirby can transform into a few different vehicles in this game. One of my favorites is the tank, which was also shown in the promo sign I mentioned in the blog's introduction. 

Price Increase

As it was the last first-party game for the 3DS, along with more hype for the series thanks to newer Kirby games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn can cost around $100 for the game itself or about $130 if it includes the case. Luckily I bought it in 2019 (the year it was released), so I only had to pay $50 (still have the invoice to prove it).

Connection with Yoshi's Woolly World

Yoshi's Woolly World, a spiritual successor originally released for the Wii U and later released on the 3DS, has similarities to Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn. The two games were developed by Good-Feel, and feature fun visual styles.

Yoshi's Woolly World also has a level that plays the theme music from Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn. The level is called "Yoshi and Cookies", with the name of the level being a reference to Yoshi's Cookie and the music referencing Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn.

Conclusion

Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn is a reasonably good game that I took the time to play through a few years ago. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorites; but I still had fun playing it and don't mind going back to it once in a while.

I'll always like Kirby's Adventure (NES) and Kirby's Dream Land 2 (original Game Boy) the most.

Despite being a side-scrolling action game, it doesn't really quite play the same as traditional Kirby games though it is similar. But there's nothing really wrong with a game being different. Super Mario Sunshine and Kirby Air Ride are examples of that. A game that is different can still be fun to play.

-MegaMan52