Review: Yoshi’s Woolly World

Recently, during this year’s E3, Nintendo officially announced the release of Yoshi’s Woolly World, a new game starring Yoshi, Mario’s leaping companion. The game features its main character styled as a woolen puppet (yes!). The character uses the power of yarn to overcome obstacles and face enemies. Can Yoshi’s Woolly World really stand out? Find out in my complete review!

Yoshi’s Woolly World uses the well-known Nintendo formula, where Yoshi is the main protagonist—more precisely, as seen in the Yoshi’s Island franchise. From the ability to transform enemies into throwable objects—in this case, yarn balls—to the floaty jump to reach more difficult areas, Woolly World is essentially a refined, themed replica of the series. The result of the collaboration between the developer and Tezuka is clearly evident in the final product.

The techniques and movements of Yoshi and the woolen aesthetic are perfectly in sync, giving this new world a sense of tranquility, sweetness, and tenderness that is hard to match. The project manages to remain accessible to non-“hardcore” players, focusing more on the exploratory experience and the various surprises that such an adorable world can hide. Difficulty can even be further simplified (literally) via the Mellow Mode, which can be activated at any time in the game, granting little Yoshi wings in exchange for his floaty jump.

However, the removal of traditional difficulty does not mean a lack of challenge. Although the game is designed to be accessible, the enhanced exploration of the environment through hidden paths and the collection of various collectibles makes the experience both engaging and ultimately rewarding.

Alongside Yoshi, there is a life counter that is replenished by hearts scattered throughout the environment, which also function as collectibles. This counter decreases with successive encounters with enemies, eventually forcing a reset to a previous point on the map.

In other words, Yoshi’s Woolly World remains very faithful to the Yoshi’s Island series. In Woolly World’s maps, Yoshi must complete a variety of fun challenges to progress and complete each available level. Each world features so-called “bosses”—enemies transformed into larger threats by Kamek.

The interesting part is that some scenarios will only be available after collecting a pre-defined number of flowers hidden in the remaining levels. In fact, only when the player gathers everything there is to find in each level will they be able to “unlock all.” It is worth noting from the start that Yoshi’s Woolly World offers a great deal of variety.

Exploration in Woolly World is considered fundamental for collecting all the hidden items. Every corner could be a potential hiding spot for a collectible—for example, you might need to stretch out Yoshi’s long tongue to untie a knot. The entire environment is interactive, so any inattention or lack of exploration might mean you leave an item behind.

Another very relevant aspect is the possibility for Yoshi to transform into certain vehicles or machines, such as an excavator or a motorcycle, as a type of bonus that appears in some levels. More than a mere bonus, you must successfully complete these bonus challenges to finish the level. If for some reason you fail, you’ll receive a “stamped passport” that sends you back to the start.

Yoshi’s Woolly World can also be played with more than one player through the co-op mode, selected before starting each level. As the name suggests, it offers a unique shared experience, with the soft, relaxing feel of wool and sponge. In this mode, all players share the same screen without any splits, making exploration easier and, of course, a lot more fun.