Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn (3DS) Review

Unraveled Fun

There are two common trends with the round, pink puffball Kirby: he tends to appear in spin-off titles and usually stars in a game near the end of a Nintendo system’s life. Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn marks both check boxes as a spin-off swan song to the 3DS. It’s a port of a 2010 Wii title, but it includes a few new bells and whistles to lend that “extra epic” feel. Unlike other offshoots, this game is a platformer much like the mainline series. However, Kirby is now made of yarn and lacks his trademark ability to copy enemy powers. That doesn’t stop the newly knitted star warrior from adapting to this crafted reality.

POYO!

Yo-kai Watch 3 (3DS) Review

Gotta Watch ‘Em All!

There was a time when I was really into Level-5’s Yo-kai Watch monster battling series. I enjoyed the anime, saw the movie in theaters, and visited the official store in Japan to get plushies of my favorite Yo-kai monsters. Then, after Yo-kai Watch 2‘s 2016 release, the franchise seemingly vanished in the West, and I forgot about it…until now. Yo-kai Watch 3 is one of the last big games launching for the Nintendo 3DS, and it is certainly big.

This is just one of many parodies in the game.

Cursed Castilla EX Review

Fantasmas y Trasgos

As a 2D action platformer that features a sword-throwing knight and horror-themed enemies, Cursed Castilla EX takes clear inspiration from Capcom’s old-school arcade game Ghosts ‘n Goblins. Despite the obvious similarities, the sole developer “Locomalito” has refined Capcom’s punishing classic into an experience that is both contemporary and forgiving. Instead of playing as Sir Arthur, you control Don Ramiro, who sets out to rid evil from the lands of Castile, a world inspired by the 16^th century Spanish novel, Amadis of Gaul. Although Cursed Castilla has previously launched as a freeware title, this EX version adds two extra levels along with bonus weapons, enemies, and bosses. The added cost is well worth it for any gamers who grew up with arcade cabinets.

Don Ramiro and a human-faced chicken chasing him…?

Luigi’s Mansion (3DS) Review

Mario is Missing

I’ll always remember November 18, 2001. I was standing in front of a Toys ‘R’ Us (R.I.P.) on a cold morning. It was the first time I had ever lined up for a video game console: the Nintendo GameCube. After waiting several long hours, I finally had Nintendo’s shiny cube in my hands, along with the launch game Luigi’s Mansion. Although it was odd to have no first-day mainline Mario game, I was still excited to experience a brand new adventure starring the green-capped younger brother Luigi. I beat the game within the same weekend, but to this day, I retain fond memories of busting ghosts throughout a comically spooky mansion. Nearly 17 years later, my nostalgia would be put to the test with the remake of Luigi’s Mansion for the Nintendo 3DS.

“MAAAAARIOOOO!!!”

WarioWare Gold (3DS) Review

Good as Gold

The original WarioWare for Game Boy Advance was a collection of microgames – three- to five-second challenges that you would play in succession – ranging from silly to utterly insane. Later entries in the series took advantage of unique gimmicks; WarioWare Touched used the Nintendo DS’ touch screen for its fast-paced trials, and WarioWare Twisted had motion-controlled games that utilized the GBA’s gyroscope. WarioWare Gold embraces this legacy as greatest hits compilation including over 300 microgames representing these different control styles.

“WAA HAA HAA HAA!”