Nintendo brought out a lot of surprises at this year’s E3, and Kirby was definitely one of my favorites. The transforming pink puff himself is back in a new adventure for the Wii. Fans will be happy to note the game plays like many of the old Kirby games, while also providing a unique, new art design. Almost everything in Kirby’s Epic Yarn is made up of, yep you guessed it, yarn. Everything from the levels to enemies to KIrby himself, is made entirely of different colors of yarn. There are also other elements such as buttons, felt buildings, zippers, and folding backgrounds. Think Super Paper Mario but with clothing materials instead of paper. The game looks absolutely incredible and the yarn really gives Kirby some extra charm. Now when Kirby transforms, the yarn simply forms the new shape and you go on your merry way. In the E3 build, we got to transform into cars, parachutes, submarines, and even a huge tank version of Kirby. The yarn allows for so many variations in level design including folding canvases to reach new areas or unzipping some fabric to reveal a door. Kirby also sports a new item in the form of a whip/grappling line. With it, Kirby can latch on to any enemy, object, or button. It’s a really cool new item and only one of many new items to come.

Not only is Kirby back, but he can also be joined by a friend. In my hands-on with the game, Eli and I teamed up to defeat the dragon boss. The boss was made up of yarn like you’d expect, but it also had a button inside it’s mouth. By latching on to the button with your whip, you can pull the button and slowly unravel (literally) the dragon. It’s a pretty unique boss battle and one I can’t wait to experience again. The gameplay was simple, yet fun, and shows just how much creativity Nintendo has with their game design. Not only is another classic Nintendo character back in a new game, he’s back in style!