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Last week, during the Nintendo Digital Event at E3 2015, coordinator Emi Watanabe from Nintendo made an appearance to talk about Yoshi's Woolly World and how it was crafted, and she told a story which epitomises the game. Emi said that because she isn't a programmer or an artist, she wasn't able to make something directly in the game itself, but she still wanted to help the hard-working development team somehow. She went home, got some yarn, and decided to knit some yarn Yoshi; when she took them back to the office, the team was so happy and loved them so much that a proposal was made to produce some Yarn Yoshi amiibo to complement the game. That level of love and dedication to your craft is apparent throughout Yoshi's Woolly World, a thoroughly enjoyable game which is bound to make you smile.
Yoshi's Woolly World is the latest platformer from Japanese developer Good-Feel, previously responsible for Kirby's Epic Yarn and Wario Land: The Shake Dimension, two very enjoyable Wii titles which have helped to boost public knowledge of Good-Feel considerably in the past few years. Headed up by long-time Nintendo producer Takashi Tezuka, Yoshi's Woolly World puts Yoshi in a world crafted entirely of yarn - Craft Island, situated in the Handmade Ocean - where the evil Kamek has travelled and turned all the Yoshi into balls of yarn, haphazardly scattering them around the island. It's up to the two remaining Yoshi to travel around the island to retrieve all the balls of yarn, save their friends, and get rid of the pesky Kamek and his minions.
One thing to know about Yoshi's Woolly World is that both the difficulty level and the overall experience have been tuned to perfection. There are plenty of collectibles to be found, but doing so is in no way a necessity and you'll never be punished for skipping the ones you can't easily find, making the game more of a breeze for anyone who doesn't want a challenge while providing one for players who do. Courses are easy to follow and there are no time limits - except in certain transformative segments which appear every so often - meaning you're given plenty of time to look around each course as much as you like. It's a very relaxing experience in that sense, giving you all the time and freedom in the world, and that's complemented by a wonderful soundtrack which harks back to the nostalgic sounds of the Yoshi's Island games while retaining its own identity by bringing in acoustic guitar music and very memorable new tunes.
Craft Island is surrounded by six unique worlds, each of which contains eight courses including a mini-boss course at the mid-point and another boss course at the end-point. Each course follows the same theme as its world, from the design of the environment to the enemies you'll meet along the way, and also contains a range of collectibles including five smiley flowers, five balls of Wonder Wool for stitching a yarn Yoshi back together, and 20 Stamp Patches which go towards unlocking new Miiverse stamps. You'll get a gold star for collecting all of that and finishing a level with 20 hearts - Yoshi's life meter - and what's more, collecting all the smiley flowers in a world will unlock a pleasant little surprise as well. As for the Yoshi patterns, you're able to freely swap between them by approaching them or by selecting one from the Yoshi Hut or the amiibo Hut, where patterns are saved once you've tapped a compatible amiibo - of which there are more than 50, unlocking more than 40 unique designs - to the Wii U GamePad.
The design of each and every course is meticulous, with absolutely gorgeous visuals throughout the entire game perfectly complementing the incredible attention to detail. Everything in the game is shown in the same knitted or sewn style, from the overworld to the board that appears at the end of the course to show you how well you've done. Crevices are well hidden away, but whether it's a tiny little overhang or the slightest hint of machine-squashable fabric, these are easily recognisable once you know what to look for. Some platforms, item boxes, and even warp pipes will need to be hit with a yarn ball before they can be used, and outlines are dotted around the place to show you where to aim your yarn balls. The course design also does a great job of leaving you little hints as to where winged clouds might be hidden, whether under a platform, in a corner, or in an apparently empty space. Some woolly blocks will also have a crafty little bit of string hanging off the side, just begging to be unravelled with Yoshi's tongue.
Yoshi himself is rewarded with as much attention to detail, from the way he wobbles on the edge of a platform or the way his nose scrunches when he's pushing up against a rock or a wall. The fact that he's made of yarn also allows him to transform when the need arises, and most often you'll see him with a propeller - which allows you to stay airborne for as long as you can manage by fluttering - or as a mallet when using the ground pound. Some courses also have some short transformation segments where Yoshi will take on various other forms including a digger, an umbrella, and a motorbike - even Mega Yoshi, allowing you to easily break blocks and defeat enemies. Mega Yoshi also provides one of the funniest moments in the entire game, and we guarantee you've never seen a frightened Shy Guy run as fast as this little one. You'll know which one we mean when you see him.
It's very much the little things throughout Yoshi's Woolly World that will make you smile and laugh along the way. The attention to detail is so fine at moments that you won't be able to help but smile, whether it's the Shy Guy running for his life or the way yarn balls skim over water like pebbles on a lake, or even the way Yoshi never makes any noise if he's got something in his mouth. Some of the boss battles also make use of the setting's background in clever ways, while still managing not to stray into unfathomable territory. These are little things, but much like every other little thing in the game, the level of detail is so appreciated and it shows off the incredible effort that's been put into the game. The way some courses break the formula is also great to see, whether it's a castle course based partly outside the castle or the more puzzle-based courses; these are very fun and can be less about progression than they are about puzzle-solving, such as one clever course where you have to continuously unravel and re-thread a Chain Chomp to progress to the end.
Alongside the new additions and surprises are some familiar faces, including Shy Guys, Piranha Plants, and adorable knitted Koopa Troopas among others. Poochy also makes a welcome return in certain courses, allowing you to travel across tricky terrain - such as spikes - and access hard-to-reach smiley flowers and other items. Poochy can also be brought into levels using a power badge; you'll collect several power badges on your journey, and you can purchase one using the gems you collect to help you in a course, whether it's saving you from falls, giving you bigger yarn balls, or getting assistance from Poochy as we've already mentioned. Eagle-eyed players familiar with classic titles will also see many recognisable aspects of other Yoshi games, but the nods to platformers of old don't stop there - there are more than one or two nods to Super Mario Bros. 3, including a near-exact replica of the opening screen from its World 2 Pyramid level.
While the game is completely accessible to a single player using a single Yoshi, there are a couple of options for bringing an extra pair of hands to the party. Yoshi's Woolly World features a co-op mode in which a second player can join in at any time, letting you play through the entire game with a second player to help you out along the way. This is an interesting concept, as while a second player will certainly be very helpful at times, there are some courses which will actually be a little tougher, meaning you'll have to work together to coordinate your movements and decisions to get the best outcome. Your other option is to use a Yoshi amiibo - knitted or otherwise - to bring Double Yoshi into the game, allowing you to control two Yoshi at once. In either case, one Yoshi can swallow up the other and use him to throw at enemies or up to hard-to-reach places. It's the perfect game to play with a friend, so co-op is a very welcome addition.
In order to help make gameplay a little easier for players who might be struggling on a certain course, one new addition to the game is Mellow Mode, in which Yoshi can easily float with a handy pair of wings and find hearts much more easily. It's handy for newcomers and anyone who does find the occasional course to be a little too tough to handle, and the great thing about it is that you're not penalised for switching between Classic Mode and Mellow Mode; in fact, you're free to switch between the two as often as you like by accessing the pause menu. The game does plenty to offer up help in the event that you might need it at some point, whether it's switching to Mellow Mode or spending gems on power badges to help out at certain times.
Yoshi's Woolly World is designed to be fun and fantastic in equal measure, and Nintendo and Good-Feel have hit the mark on both points here. This is a game that looks beautiful, plays fantastically, and makes you smile. It's designed both with past strengths in mind and to be remembered on its own merits. The platforming and the gameplay are second to none, and that's something that's been obvious ever since the game was formally unveiled in its current guise at E3 2014. Yoshi's Woolly World is a unique and unforgettable experience; it isn't just another platformer that happens to be made of wool - it's a carefully crafted experience that will be remembered for making you smile. That level of love and dedication to your craft didn't just give us the Yarn Yoshi amiibo - it gave us one of the loveliest platformers in years.
