In each of the beautifully quilted patchwork levels, you’ll be tasked with collecting gems, and 3 hidden treasure that’ll help you unlock more levels. The beads and gems you find scattered throughout levels serve as your in-game currency – and collecting and ending the level as unscathed as possible earns you a medal, based on your final tally. Get hit during a level and you’ll lose your loot, but they’re easy enough to re-collect. There’s no other penalty for mishaps, remove much of the game’s challenge. Your accumulated stash can be used in Kirby’s metagame, a sort of “poor-man’sâ€Â Animal Crossing that lets you decorate your home, and have guests over who offer mostly time-trial challenges.
There’s a certain magic in how it all works. It’s superlatively designed, and there’s barely a level in the game where you won’t be wowed by innovative use of the textile game world. Pulling a loose thread on a building, for example, might unstitch or rumple the the fabric, pulling platforms closer or revealing secret rooms. Kirby can even move behind the laniferous background, showing up as just a bulge in the cloth – similar to Paper’s Mario’s dimensional shifts. At some point you’ll realise though, that these tricks and visual gimmicks aren’t at all revolutionary – they’re just stylish takes on old standards like levers and warp pipes, removing the sheen of the game’s magical polish, and revealing what’s really a pretty standard, but faultlessly designed platformer. If the game feels fresh, who’s complaining, right?
Its saccharine sweet styling is obviously aimed at the younger gamer, and the lack of real challenge – like that offered by the ball-bustingly difficult Donkey Kong Country – might deter seasoned gamers. Still, it’s a game that despite its sugary, sticky and colourfully vibrant nature is wonderfully inventive, exudes charm and deserves to be played.
Scoring:
Gameplay: 8.0
A fairly standard platformer made fresh and exciting through some inventive visual gimmickry.
Design and Presentation: 9.0
It’s vibrant, colourful and faultless designed. The tactile textile aesthetic is charming and magical.
Value: 8.0
The game’s campaign is fairly meaty, spread out across 8 worlds. Collecting treasure and gold-medalling levels grants you access to new stages and the decorating mini-game might keep younger folk entertained for ages.
OVERALL: 8.5
It’s a wonderful, magical platformer that’s bound to wow with its textile aesthetic – even if it is far too easy.
[Reviewed on Wii]
Last Updated: March 8, 2011
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