Review: Yoshi’s Woolly World

Pleasantly fluffy

Yoshi’s Woolly World is the epitome of adorable. From Yoshi’s cute, easily read facial expressions to the bright colourful world he inhabits, the intricate minor details to the tactile physicality of the world, this game took the baton from Kirby’s Epic Yarn and ran with it at full speed. Still, the biggest question on many gamer’s minds is whether the game will mechanically live up to the promise of its beautiful aesthetic.

Simply put, how it holds up is largely going to depend on what you’re looking for.

Yoshi’s Woolly World (Wii U)
Developer: Good-Feel
Publisher: Nintendo
MSRP: $49.99
Release Date: June 26 (EU) / October 16 (NA)

Sitting at around 10 hours to complete, Yoshi’s Woolly World is a delightful journey through a world full of pleasantly enjoyable surprises. Colours are bright, wool textures are detailed, and animations are always fluid. The game’s world is polished where it needs to be, but isn’t afraid to have the kind of natural rough edges present in a game about thread and sewing materials. From loose threads that unravel when pulled to fabrics that fold in asymmetrical ways, the game world just feels like an incredibly tangible physical space.

Woolly World really shines when it takes advantage of the design aesthetic. From Shy Guys brandishing crochet hooks threateningly to fish spitting out water that, thanks to being made of wool, can be run along, the game excels when it fully commits to its core design concept.

Mechanically, Woolly World is at its best and most challenging when it pushes Yoshi out of his comfort zone. Yoshi’s abilities are all designed to keep him out of harm, from eggs that can dispatch enemies at a distance to a very forgiving and lengthy jump arc. The times when Yoshi’s Woolly World forces you to take a leap of faith that pushes that jump to its limits, requires you to fight enemies in close quarters and experiments with the characters weaknesses are some of the best moments of Yoshi gameplay out there. It’s just a shame those moments are few and far between.

The vast majority of Yoshi’s Woolly World doesn’t push the titular hero’s moveset in ways that really challenge the player. While levels frequently throw minor new gimmicks in that freshen up the feel of progression, they rarely have any real effect on the challenge of playing the game. It’s not necessarily a problem; if you’re looking for a calm and relaxed exploration of new mechanics in a colourful world then this certainly delivers that in spades. But yeah, be aware that the challenges are often spread out for the player.

There are a bunch of collectibles to go after in the game, most of which are monotonous to collect and offer very little reward. The main exception to this is collectibles that allow you to re-skin your Yoshi, which are pretty enjoyable to seek out.

The game’s co-op mode does give you the benefit of being able to use your partner as a source of wool if you run low, but the levels in the game were very clearly designed to be played single player and more often than not, your secondary player will feel like they’re hindering progression rather than helping with it.

Yoshi’s Woolly World is best described as easy, beautiful, and inventive. While the times it offers challenge are a little too spread out for my liking, the game looks and sounds stunning, and offers players a variety of new sights to experience along their journey. If you’re looking for something to play to unwind, something pleasant and positive, this would be a pretty darn solid choice to go with.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer].}