As Reggie Fils-Amie stated at the Nintendo E3 press conference, “Kirby hasn’t starred in a console game in over seven years.”  Personally, I was fine with that.  Kirby came out in 1992, the year I turned 16 years old, and there’s no self-respecting sixteen year old male that wants to play with adorable, pink puffballs.  Now that I’m (much) older, I can see the charm in Kirby, but it’s still not a franchise I’ve ever had much interest in.  After today’s announcement of Kirby: Epic Yarn, though, I might be convinced otherwise.

With a unique art style that presents characters only as glowing outlines, Epic Yarn’s gameplay looks as distinctive as its visuals.  Kirby extends his pink border, like a piece of yarn, to grab items, fight enemies, and even change the environment around him.  A particularly impressive moment was when Kirby grabbed the edge of a building, then walked backwards, “unzipping “ the building until it fell to the floor like a lose sheet.

Kirby isn’t exactly the money-printing franchise that Mario or Zelda are, but it’s got a large fan base that’s sure to be excited about this game.  And now, that fan base is stronger by one.