Why Nintendo Succeeds

I just finished Kirby's Epic Yarn today, since work was cancelled for the third day straight.  The graphics were charming, just as they had been in videos.  But it struck me that, once you get into the game, you barely notice the main conceit of having everything made out of some form of textile.  Not to say that the game is not beautiful, but I think that's the nature of a fast-paced platformer--it has to keep the action moving, or else the player feels like a level is empty.  How many of us have really enjoyed the aesthetic qualities of Super Meat Boy?  Probably not too many, because the game always keeps the player's brain focused on how to clear the next hurdle.  So why, then, is Kirby's Epic Yarn a great game?  Why has Nintendo been the dominant force in platformers (especially 2-D plaformers) since they pioneered the genre?  It is because Nintendo has world-class level designers.  I cannot think of any company that can match the creativity of level design that takes place at Nintendo's development studios.  One of the levels in Kirby's Epic Yarn allow players to switch gravity on and off, allowing for some gameplay reminiscent of Super Mario Galaxy.  Some others turn Kirby into a dolphin, and ask him to flip and toss balls with his nose to gain beads, which in this game are analogous to Sonic's rings.  Another level has constant winds from different directions, and the player has to figure out when to trigger Kirby's parachute form in order to successfully traverse the level.

Some reviewers have made much of the fact that, since Kirby cannot die, the game is too easy.  I find it refreshing.  Looking back at platformers from the past (I write this thinking specifically of Ducktales, for the NES, a great game and fine example of level design in it's own right), dying and having to restart a level from the beginning, limiting continues (or not including any in the first place), or dying and having to do the same stuff you've already beaten thirty-five times just to find out that, nope, that's not how you beat this boss, either; all of these things are used to prolong gameplay time, not enhance enjoyment.  They are implemented to hide the fact that there are only five levels in the game.  To be honest, there are two reasons I play video games.  First, I play for the power fantasy.  Like most little boys, I grew up with action figures of superheroes, and fantasized that I, too, had the power to alter the world to my liking.  Maybe I haven't grown up so much.  The other reason I play video games is for the sense of exploration that comes with discovering new levels, or parts of a new world.  The system of punishment in Kirby's Epic Yarn, where the player loses beads if he or she gets hit or falls off a ledge, is perfect for those like me who want to explore the world fully, while still maintaining a sense that the player's actions have effects in the video game world.

To wrap up, Nintendo is still the best developer in the world, and it is not due to the characters, nor the atmospheres they create.  It is because their levels are the most uniquely and perfectly designed in the entire industry.