Review by: Danielle Riendeau

You know that expression “cute as a button”? Well Good Feel and Nintendo have taken that phrase to new heights with Kirby’s Epic Yarn, an absolutely adorable platformer starring the pink puffball in a world made of pastel-hued fabric and buttons. Don’t let that fool you, though - it’s too beautiful and nuanced to be written off as a kid’s game.

Kirby games have always been about fun platforming, cute characters and our hero’s amazing ability to suck in enemies and take their various powers. This time around, Kirby is a twee little ball of yarn, so there’s no Hoover action involved. Instead, he uses his threads to accomplish everything – from whipping enemies into harmless piles of fluff to swinging around yoyo-style.

You’ll use these simple moves (along with a bunch of rather creative transformation powers), to hop and bop your way through big, beautiful, bracingly adorable 2D stages, each set in a themed world complete with super-cute “new level” animations, boss stages and bonus levels. You’ll encounter the “usual” variety of terrain: there are land levels, sea stages, a lava world, etc., but the fuzzy fabric twist keeps things fresh throughout.

Kirby’s transformations always occur at level-specific moments (keeping the controls true to the game’s two-button simplicity), turning him into everything from a high-jumping dolphin to a choo-choo train capable of drawing tracks nearly everywhere. A good half of the stages have a transformation section, which serves to break up the usual gameplay with wild chase scenes or puzzle-y bits.

As with Nintendo’s other big time platformers in this generation (see: New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2), Kirby does a fantastic job accommodating the Wii’s general audience as well as providing serious challenge for gamers who cut their teeth on NES era ordeals. It’s pretty easy to simply beat all the levels and bosses - Kirby collects “buttons” that scatter like Sonic’s rings when he’s hit, and he can take hits even when buttonless.

However, your bauble-collecting performance actually matters. Bronze, silver and gold medals are handed out for good runs, and a medal adorns the door of every stage you’ve completed. Much like the compulsive medal-seeking in Boom Blox, where getting anything other than gold feels pretty lame – completionists and skilled players will want to finish Epic Yarn with a full complement of golds. If you’re in this category, beware – it’s hard to get them all, and the challenge level ramps up very quickly.