While the Wii U seemed to be nearly overflowing with platformers based on Nintendo's most beloved mascots, the Nintendo Switch by comparison is still lacking a few of the most important platforming pals. Enter Yoshi, for Yoshi's Crafted World, which appears to be exactly the kind of wholesome Nintendo action platforming that fans of Nintendo's development studios love. This is the same Yoshi game that was originally announced at E3 2017, and after a long development, its release appears to finally be approaching.

Yoshi's Crafted World Extra Levels Of Life

Here's everything we know so far about what you'll get to do in Yoshi's Crafted World:

Apr 04, 2019  Yoshi's Crafted World is the tiny dinosaur's latest adventure. Despite being an interesting and fun single-player title, the co-op gameplay is broken to the point of frustration.

What is Yoshi's Crafted World?

Yoshi's Crafted World is the latest Yoshi title from Good-Feel, following Yoshi's Woolly World for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. It shares many similarities with its predecessor, the most obvious being that it's another Yoshi action-platforming game. But both games make use of a crafts-like aesthetic, with Woolly World focusing on fabrics and Crafted World using paper items in the style of a miniature diorama. Most of Woolly World's mechanics, enemies, and concepts make returns in Crafted World, though the game and its levels are entirely new.

One of the big draws of Yoshi's Crafted World is this craft aesthetic, which can manifest in interesting platforming sections where you're leaping across rolled bits of paper, flowers made of wood and string, and facing enemies that look like a 5-year-old made them in art class!

Is there a story?

Like many other Yoshi games, there is a light story guiding your adventures across Yoshi's island home. Baby Bowser and Kamek appear in the Yoshi's happy home and steal the coveted Sundream Stone, scattering its gems across multiple worlds. As Yoshi, you'll have to track down the Sundream Stone and stop a horde of Baby Bowser and Kamek's minions along the way. That means lots of collectibles and hidden secrets, just like in past Yoshi games!

How do you play?

Like past Yoshi games, Yoshi's main abilities are his flutter jump and his ability to eat enemies and turn them into eggs. As a platformer, you'll need to use Yoshi's ability to jump and flutter jump to climb and cross levels. But enemies will fly, run, and roll at you as you go, so you'll also have to work your way forward by eating them, turning them into eggs, and then using those eggs to throw at other enemies or at certain spots on the map to reveal hidden platforms or secrets.

And like its predecessor Yoshi's Woolly World, Yoshi's Crafted World will feature unlockable Yoshi color palettes you can swap to as you collect them, allowing you to play as an adorably soft Yoshi in any number of different colors and patterns.

What's this about flipping levels?

The big 'gimmick' of Yoshi's Crafted World is that levels can be 'flipped.' Levels are designed on a three-dimensional plane, with enemies in the foreground and background and with the ability to flip the level backward and play from the other side. This is occasionally done as a part of the regular gameplay of the level, but you can also play any level from back to front flipped over after you beat it forward.

This doesn't just apply to the game's flip mechanics, though. Because the game is a 2D platformer on a 3D plane, you'll often find yourself moving forward and back in a three-dimensional space to avoid enemies, collect items and coins, and platform through obstacles.

This will surely result in some interesting challenges and platforming puzzles, so keep an eye out for ways flipping the level can change your perspective!

Can I play with a friend?

You can! Yoshi's Crafted World includes the ability to play with two players at once, each in control of a Yoshi. You can help one another get through all the levels for a bit of extra assistance you wouldn't otherwise have while playing solo.

When can I get it?

Yoshi's Woolly World is planned for launch on March 29, 2019 and will cost $59.99.

Want to know more?

Need more details on Yoshi's Crafted World? Let me know in the comments!

February 2019: Added release date, story info, info about Yoshi color palettes.

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I don’t take notes when I’m reviewing games. I used to, right when I got started, but I soon found I never used them. It turns out that if something about a game is especially good or bad, I’ll remember it. And then I write my reviews based on those things.

Yoshi's Crafted World Extra Levels 1

For Yoshi’s Crafted World, I almost wish I did take notes, because so little about this Switch platformer is memorable. Just like 2015’s Yoshi’s Wooly World for Wii U, Crafted World has similar gameplay mechanics to the classic Nintendo sidescroller Yoshi’s Island within a home crafts-inspired aesthetic.

I reviewed Wooly World back when came out. Reading that story now is bizarre, because I remember almost nothing about that game. Crafted World will have the same fate. It’s cute, but it’s so easy that nothing feels the least bit challenging.

Check out our Reviews Vault for past game reviews.

What you’ll like

It’s still adorable

Yoshi's Crafted World Music

The characters, the levels, the backgrounds, and the art are the best parts of Yoshi’s Crafted World. Levels look like something you could make yourself if you had an unlimited budget at Hobby Lobby, and it’s neat to see how Nintendo makes these stages out of things like milk cartoons and soda cans.

You can even go back through levels in reverse, which turns the camera around and shows you just how hand-made these levels are, exposing all the tape that’s keeping everything together. It’s a neat trick.

Above: Unlike with Yoshi’s Island, you can freely aim your eggs. That is part of what makes it too easy.

A chill experience

If you’re looking for an easy-going game, Yoshi’s Crafted World will make you happy. The game isn’t difficult, the music sounds like a collection of sleep-inducing lullabies, and everything looks super cute. It’s not a bad game to play if you’re in an awful mood, and you’re looking for something that isn’t the least bit stressful.

It’s like the video game equivalent of playing a background audio track of rainforest noises.

What you won’t like

Not challenging, not engaging

Of course, when I’m calling Crafted World chill, I also mean that it’s dull. You can progress through everything with the smallest bit of effort.

I wasn’t expecting a Yoshi’s Island-like experience. I understand that Nintendo now sees Yoshi as brand to target to younger, less experienced audience. It’s become the company’s second Kirby. But even Kirby is able to give us some platforming experiences that require a bit of brain power.

Above: Even neat stages like this become forgettable.

Crafted World became a game I would play while doing something else, like watching TV. I needed extra stimuli to get through it.

The game flirts with some cool ideas, like levels with branching paths that extend beyond the 2D plane and a series of puzzles involving magnets and tin cans, but none of these mechanics get the exploration they deserve.

Conclusion

Yoshi’s Crafted World may be a good fit for young children or other gamers interested in the cute-factor. But as someone who prefers more fast-paced sidescrollers, I was too bored to let the clever, crafted world put a smile on my face.

This is yet another Yoshi game that doesn’t come close to reaching Yoshi’s Island greatness.

Score:65/100

Yoshi’s Crafted World comes out for Nintendo Switch on March 29. Nintendo gave us a code for this review.