Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn review for Nintendo 3DS

So here?s Kirby?s Extra Epic Yarn for the Nintendo 3DS. You might remember this game on the Wii almost 10 years ago. And if you remember that ten you might also remember how it turned out to be a game you either loved or you really hated. But now the game has arrived on Nintendo?s handheld for another outing with the very cute cast and adorable art style. So how does it hold up and what?s new?

Well to begin with the original game is here in all its glory. You will play as Kirby who has been taken to a kingdom of yarn and must save the day with a new set of skills. In the Wii game you weren?t able to use powers like in series past, but instead a thread of yarn to interact with the world and unravel your foes. Well this time around the game has a few powers to give a little variety, like a sword or little stars that dart out and remind me of how tasers look. If only they electrocuted your enemies then nobody would mess with you!

The thing about the original game is that many people complained that it was too easy. Even the cute Waddle Dees will just walk around and throw themselves at you doing no damage. They?re so cute I almost don?t want to attack them. And when I do see one with a weapon I run to snap it out of their hands so they don?t accidentally hurt themselves. They?re just so cute!

And now the added powers make the game even easier since you can run through each world massacring all the inhabitants who may or may not be too clumsy to even hurt you! So the team realized this could be a problem and gave us a new difficulty to choose with Devilish Mode. Or was it the other way around and we got powers to help with the higher difficulty option?

I like a challenge sometimes and tried out Devilish Mode but afterwards I just call it Annoying Mode. Why is this? Well there is the change of now being able to die which adds some stakes and is welcome, but the mode also has a persistent enemy who will taunt and attack you until you banish it for a moment. So you get some good and some bad, but I felt so distracted by having to swat away this pest that I quickly decided this game is better with less on your plate and a more relaxed pace.

So what we end up with is a game that?s even easier than the first, but I sort of don?t mind. I?m here to chill out and let the comforting atmosphere give me a big warm hug after a long day of work.

It also plays just like you hope. I did find myself using the D-pad more often to control Kirby since the circle pad would think I wanted to run whenever it is pushed left or right. Once I tired of accidentally jumping too fast into ledges instead of up onto them I adjusted by using the D-pad and everything worked out.

There is another change which is that you can no longer play the game in co-op. Not even in a wireless mode. So I guess my kids will just have to buy their own copy with their allowance. That sucks for them but what are you gonna do?

The game looks very pretty on the 3DS screen and sounds great as ever. There is no 3D support if that?s something you might miss, but this is a game that looked great on Wii and everything has carried over very well. I?m not sure how surprised I should be by this but visually there are no trade offs that I can tell.

The game also has a couple extra mini games you can play with King Dedede and Metaknight. While these are fun action-based sidegames they?re also a short-lived diversion that will leave you back with the original game to get your fill.

So how did Kirby?s Extra Epic Yarn stack up against the original? Well being a port with some added features and missing the co-op from the original it?s not really definitive. It?s just here on a handheld and not the Switch. So if you?re not planning to play with a friend then it might be a good bet, but it also reminds me how much I enjoyed the original and both have their merits. But for what we got it?s in a weird place that makes me wish we got a ground-up sequel or remake instead.

Nintendo provided us with a Kirby?s Extra Epic Yarn code for review purposes.