Considering a recent spate of thematically – and sometimes visually – very dark platform titles such as Braid and Limbo, the return of a family-friendly gaming hero in Kirby's Epic Yarn is a welcome reminder of why the original protagonists of the platforming genre are so well-loved.

After being banished by evil wizard Yin-Yarn into Patch Land – a kingdom of textile-people quite literally falling apart at the seams – Kirby and multiplayer sidekick Prince Fluff must hunt down the magic yarn dispersed through seven cloth continents that can weave the world back together again.

Robbed of his traditional ability to inhale enemies and use their powers, Kirby transforms his new fabric body into a car, weight, parachute or submarine as the situation demands. He can also swing around the well-designed levels from clearly signposted interaction points like a diminutive, pink Indiana Jones. Boss fights are tense, while the inclusion of thrilling vehicle sections rounds out the range of gameplay styles impressively.

That Kirby cannot be killed may prove a turn-off to experienced players, but it will appeal to a younger generation of gamers for whom Epic Yarn is a standout entry in an always inventive series.

(The classification was amended from cert: 18 to cert: 3 on 8 March 2011)