Getting to the end of the level isn't your only goal in Epic Yarn, however. Scattered throughout the level and hidden in some areas are gem-shaped beads that total up across the thread meter across the top of the screen, and collecting as many beads as possible without taking a hit will also increase your chain counter in the corner—taking that hit also makes you spill beads, which you'll need to quickly re-collect if you intend to keep your bead meter up. Passing milestones in bead collection will net you a medal (bronze, silver, or gold) on the level, and your max chain also figures into your final score on the level. Three hidden treasures also figure into your score, and three hidden stars are also collectible, though what those are for, I'm not sure.
Beads are even available in the demo's final dragon boss in the demo, which you take down by grabbing the button on the end of his tongue three times. Though they're not given to you normally, you can extract them from the boss by tossing his projectiles back at him, which makes him spill a pile. If you want that gold medal, you'll have to collect these in addition to taking him down.
Veteran Kirby fans are probably curious if Kirby's trademark copy powers come into play in this game. They weren't present in the demo, though there were still powerups involved, as you may have seen in the trailer. There was a specific area where touching a powerup turned you into Giant Robot Kirby, able to punch and launch missiles at enemies until you reached the end of the area and had the yarn it was made up from wrap itself up on a reel. As most giant robot powerups go, this one was pretty fun, but it took on a different dimension in the co-op mode that most of us played.
Epic Yarn is also, optionally, a two-player co-op game. One player controls Kirby; the other, an identically-controlling companion named Prince Fluff. Mostly, the game is the same when played in co-op mode, but with a few added dimensions. Either player can grab the other with his yarn whip (the other player morphs into a baseball when this is done) and toss him at enemies or other things; this doesn't seem to hurt the other player, though it was the source of my sole bit of consternation with the game as we would often end up inadvertently grabbing each other, particularly in the final boss battle.
In the case of the aforementioned Giant Robot Kirby transformation, the first player to reach the powerup controlled Kirby's movement, aiming and firing missiles, while the other controlled his giant-robot fist with 1 to punch, 2 to rocket-punch and a shake of the Remote to do swing the fist in a circle and take out surrounding enemies. There was also a pie meter in the upper-left corner of the screen which showed the ratio of bead-collection done by each player.
As I said before, this game was definitely the best one on display by Nintendo this show. It takes a familiar, lovable character and mixes up his style and gameplay in a compelling way. It's probably not quite as great as Canvas Curse was, but it's definitely a good direction, one I hope to see more of in the future.
Kirby's Epic Yarn is currently slated for a fall release, and I fully intend to be playing it the first day I possibly can.
Beads are even available in the demo's final dragon boss in the demo, which you take down by grabbing the button on the end of his tongue three times. Though they're not given to you normally, you can extract them from the boss by tossing his projectiles back at him, which makes him spill a pile. If you want that gold medal, you'll have to collect these in addition to taking him down.
Veteran Kirby fans are probably curious if Kirby's trademark copy powers come into play in this game. They weren't present in the demo, though there were still powerups involved, as you may have seen in the trailer. There was a specific area where touching a powerup turned you into Giant Robot Kirby, able to punch and launch missiles at enemies until you reached the end of the area and had the yarn it was made up from wrap itself up on a reel. As most giant robot powerups go, this one was pretty fun, but it took on a different dimension in the co-op mode that most of us played.
Epic Yarn is also, optionally, a two-player co-op game. One player controls Kirby; the other, an identically-controlling companion named Prince Fluff. Mostly, the game is the same when played in co-op mode, but with a few added dimensions. Either player can grab the other with his yarn whip (the other player morphs into a baseball when this is done) and toss him at enemies or other things; this doesn't seem to hurt the other player, though it was the source of my sole bit of consternation with the game as we would often end up inadvertently grabbing each other, particularly in the final boss battle.
In the case of the aforementioned Giant Robot Kirby transformation, the first player to reach the powerup controlled Kirby's movement, aiming and firing missiles, while the other controlled his giant-robot fist with 1 to punch, 2 to rocket-punch and a shake of the Remote to do swing the fist in a circle and take out surrounding enemies. There was also a pie meter in the upper-left corner of the screen which showed the ratio of bead-collection done by each player.
As I said before, this game was definitely the best one on display by Nintendo this show. It takes a familiar, lovable character and mixes up his style and gameplay in a compelling way. It's probably not quite as great as Canvas Curse was, but it's definitely a good direction, one I hope to see more of in the future.
Kirby's Epic Yarn is currently slated for a fall release, and I fully intend to be playing it the first day I possibly can.