intendo's platformers are the things of legend, so when the Big-N sees fit to release a new entry to one of its most beloved action platforming series, even I'll take notice. In the past, I had be fairly well entertained by the Yoshi's Island series, though I will contest that the best is still the first; Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is by far the greatest platformer on the Super NES, leaving huge shoes that Yoshi's Island DS and other later successors can't hope to fill.
And while it doesn't quite do it, Yoshi's Wooly World, now available for the Wii U home console, is as close as we've come to matching the original's brilliance.
In Yoshi's Wooly World, the island's Yoshis have been de-constituted to their basic “yarnish” bits. It's up to your main Yoshi to hop, jump, and yarn-bomb his way to rescue his comrades and set things right through what has to be the softest-looking adventure ever created. Seriously, playing Yoshi's Wooly World is like playing a blanket.
Moreover, doing so is just as intuitive as every other Yoshi's Island game there's been. You can jump, hold your jump for a little extra distance and height, you can ingest Shyguys and other enemies to create little balls of yarn (rather than eggs) to toss at hidden question clouds and other foes and create new platforms by yarn-bombing certain set pieces... All just as tight and easy as you'd expect, in true Nintendo fashion.
Like other Yoshi's Island games as well, collecting various bits and bobs will factor into the overall completion of the game. Hearts are there to boost Yoshi's life, daisies, gems, yarn bundles and, of course, a huge collection of stamps (for use in Miiverse posts), are all tallied up at stage end to show the most neurotically completionist players out there what they may have missed.
Yoshi's Wooly World is a game that has the patience for players of all skill levels to get them all too; unlike the rest of the series, this particular entry takes a page from its actual source material (ha,) Kirby's Epic Yarn. Essentially, there are no lives per-sé, and players can get wasted by enemies or fall out of the stage only to return to checkpoints within the stage they've missed in. Any collected stage bits need collecting again, but you can do this over, and over again to your satisfaction.
There are all kinds of different worlds, harboring all kinds of clever stages in Yoshi's Wooly World too, and their structure, again, takes a lot of inspiration from how fabrics and various textiles actually work, to the point that you can almost really feel the stages. However, there is also a lot of bump-and-grind to these levels too, with all kinds of hidden secrets withholding various stage completion items, especially yarn bundles.
With a discerning eye though, picking out walls that look like that can be folded in or bits of yarn sticking out of various floors that can be inhaled are more and more easily spotted as the game progresses.
It's all really easygoing in the end, a nice, breezy jaunt through a gorgeous world (that, honestly, is pretty much my frontrunner for best graphics of the year) with a challenge that is miles from hard, and only a step or two above any “eC” title, unless you really want to collect the entire game's hidden stuff. That can sometimes take the kind of precision you'd need for the hardest Mario 3 levels.
What this means though, is that anyone can play it and enjoy it—anyone at all. Best of all, co-op gameplay is also available, tailor-made for family members or significant others to spend some lighthearted, quality time with each other.
I have to say, I have a lot more fun with Yoshi's Wooly World when I'm playing it with Daeruna. The dynamic to the game changes significantly, since each player can not only eat each other and turn their buddy into a small crocheted projectile, but also because you can steal each other’s' yarn or bean each other with an errant shot. Let's be real; revenge is always a follow up for getting beaned with a ball of yarn, even in real life. Even the special end-stage bonus games if a player grabs a daisy from the goal ring are a blast.
You can also get some-what of a feel of what 2-player co-op feels like if you somehow don't have any friends by using any Yoshi Amiibo too. Whether it be any of the Yarn Yoshi’s available or even the Super Mario or Smash Bros. series versions—Double Yoshi play can be a tiny bit taxing on the brain but adds a dynamic that is pretty fun in the end too.
In a lot of ways, it mimics the double-character challenges in NES Remix. Players have access to either Yoshi at any time, making for an interestingly flexible gameplay experience. After all, with a buddy, you're never really in a tight spot. Speaking of Amiibos, a great many Amiibos can be used to change the wool patterns on Yoshi.
George used Sonic in our recent Play Play, 8-Bit Mario and Smash Luigi unlock the plumber-bros.' signature look complete with huge nose 'stache and even the Inklings from Splatoon make for some interesting colors (Fresh!) The main exceptions we have found include the Animal Crossing Amiibo trading cards and, curiously, all Pokémon Amiibos. For any of the incompatible figures, Yoshi will simply don a shirt with the Amiibo logo.
Solid gameplay is always a great thing to have in your game, but what about the visuals and sounds; Well, we've already touched on how absolutely plush this whole game is—Yoshi is extremely well textured, complete with the kind of fuzz you'd find on a knitted winter hat from your grandmother. Even the weight of a little yarn ball like Yoshi on any surface will make him sink into it a little bit. His dynamically changing features are also a pretty neat touch, with his feet turning to wheels when he runs or a propeller when he's trying to stay aloft.
The more I played, the more I found myself pining over the background and foreground elements, and saying to myself, "Man, I want a blanket like that one..."
However, perhaps the greatest aspect to Wooly World's presentation is the awesome music, which is almost as diverse as the many fantastically designed levels in the game. The OST really sets the mood with little in the way of the kind of bad, twangy synth you'd hear on the N64, Gamecube and Wii. The compositions, performances and super-dorbs voice effects are tops. Do yourself a favor; hit the duck button and tell me that's not the cutest sound of all time.
In closing, for anyone with doubts or reservations, you really just need to check them at the door. You don't need to be soft to enjoy this deceptively hardcore game. If you have yourself a Wii U and action platforming is your jam, this is one game you'll definitely want to get tangled up in.
