YOSHI’S WOOLLY WORLD REVIEWMasterfully weaved or coming apart at the seams?Hassan Motiwala

With many games aiming to become hyper realistic in their art style, utilising motion capture technology and photorealistic graphics, it’s a pleasant change to come across a title like Yoshi’s Woolly World that chooses to focus on a world built purely on imagination and fantasy.

From the title’s announcement to release, Yoshi’s Woolly World has been incredibly detailed and charming. From the meticulously designed Yarn Yoshi himself, to the creatively designed enemies, structures and backdrops, every inch of this game is a visual masterpiece.

The theme is consistent with Shy Guys wielding knitting needles

Yoshi himself is a cuddly plushy that scampers around a beautiful and detailed landscape of quilted fabric, knitted wool, felt and more handicraft backdrops. It’s clear a lot of effort went into the art style and design of the game as enemies and objects look as though they were individually knitted and brought to life. Hostile Chain chomps are crafted from metal wire and Shy guys can be found carrying knitting needles, ready to unravel our plushy hero. Platforms are knitted before your eyes, collectible gems can also be found in mason jars and signs are secured to the environment using fabric pins. The handicraft theme is consistently maintained throughout the game and is once again proof of Nintendo’s ability to produce a game from an initial concept.

The story is very straightforward and simple. Kamek, Bowser’s magical minion, flies above the island of Yarn Yoshis, turning them into bundles of yarn and kidnapping them before escaping along various landscapes which you will have to traverse. It’s pretty standard Yoshi fare but it’s nice to see Kamek receive the yarn treatment, her wand being a fabric pin that can be mistaken for a lollypop.

Kamek has never looked so adorable

Where Yoshi would traditionally hurl eggs at enemies in Yoshi’s Story and Yoshi’s Island, Woolly World arms you with yarn balls and the traditional arcing reticle that requires timing. Revamping the traditional Yoshi gameplay with yarn is a refreshing change that introduces new and unique mechanics. While balls of yarn can be used to destroy enemies, they can also be used to bind otherwise invulnerable enemies like Piranha Plants and Chain Chomps.

Yoshi’s tongue can devour enemies and form ammunition however, it can also be used to uncover hidden areas and weaken enemies by unravelling loose yarn. This changes the way some battles are fought by adding in new strategy and considerations into the mix. Where some bosses might require a simple head stomp or ground pound, others will require unravelling in order to render them vulnerable. It’s a minor twist but one that adds another layer to the gameplay.

Open wide!

Yoshi’s Woolly World is quite clearly a platformer that aims to appeal to a broad audience and so it is disappointing that the major focus of the game lacks any real challenge or excitement. With the inclusion of the easier Mellow Mode, it would have been nice to see Nintendo ramp up the challenge of the standard mode. As a result of the lacking challenge, the game can begin to feel dull and dare I say, boring.

Fans of collectibles will have plenty to find in this title. Gems, the currency of Yoshi’s Woolly World, can be used to purchase badge upgrades when selecting a course. Wonder Wool is used to unlock different patterns for Yoshi and will require finding all five within a course. The collectible flowers that are found in each course are used to access extra courses in each world.

It’s impossible to avoid collecting those shiny jewels

While I agree that much of the challenge is in finding the hidden or out-of-the-way Wonder Wool and collectible flowers, this only really benefits completionists who thrive on finding every collectible. The average

gamer who wishes to progress through the title and enjoy the platforming will find that only a portion of the courses have any real exciting challenge or innovation.

Amiibo support adds a large variety of patterns to customise Yoshi with

The game offers two control styles though the inability to switch control styles on the fly is an oversight, more so because the difficulty can be switched from the pause screen. Players can use 4 controller options and the Gamepad also offers off TV functionality. Amiibo support means you can style your Yoshi with patterns based on other famous Ninendo characters. It’s cute to see Yoshi sporting a moustache or a Hylian Shield pattern on his saddle and adds a nice visual flair.

Yoshi can be patterned to look like a cow, watermelon, flower and so on

Yoshi’s Woolly World is a charming and visually stunning title that really takes advantage of its arts and crafts theme. It is a shame then that the gameplay isn’t as striking, leaving a title that is more style than substance. Some unique and interesting mechanics add moments of brilliance but the game is best played intermittently to avoid dulling the shine.

Editor’s Rating 7.5You'll be hard pressed to find a title that is as adorable and cute as Yoshi's Woolly World. The game is a visual masterpiece with interesting mechanics that is marred by a distinct lack of challenge or excitement. The game is best experienced in short relaxing sessions.