“Super Mario Multiverse” – Yoshi’s Woolly World (Wii U) by Lightning Star

Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi…if you know me, you know how much I really like Yoshi. Ever since my introduction to video games to this very day (and hopefully onward), Yoshi has been my favourite video game character of all time. Even when I was introduced to other fantastic characters and series, Yoshi still remained my top favourite. Most of my favourite playable roles for Yoshi may come from spin-off titles, but I have found merit and fun in the Yoshi subseries of games.

Now, it takes a good developer to give a good character a good game, and thankfully, Good-Feel was a fantastic choice for making a Yoshi game. Good-Feel has been one of my favourite game developers with their releases of Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Wario Land: Shake It. The special thing about those games is definitely the art styles that are made for them. From making 2D craft materials come to life to teaming up with Production I.G. to make a fluid hand-drawn HD cartoon platformer, Good-Feel devs know how to make their games look as amazing as they play. When I heard that they’d be making a Yarn Yoshi game, to say I was excited would be an understatement. However, after its announcement, the Yarn Yoshi project seemed to go into hibernation for a long time…until it was revealed to have become Yoshi’s Woolly World!

There are so many things done so well with this game, I could go on for a long time!

Level Design & Gameplay

With how the game itself plays, it feels like it combines the conventions of the Yoshi’s Island series with the mechanics of the Adventures of Yoshi series. Yoshi isn’t carrying anyone on his back and has a traditional health count, but he’s out collecting five flowers, twenty hidden tokens (this time, patches instead of red coins), and as many Beads (replacing Coins) as he can find in each level. In addition, five spools of Wonder Wool are included with the collectibles, and getting all five in a level unlocks a new costume for Yoshi. There are all sorts of cute and colourful costumes for Yoshi to use, and this level of customization adds much more variety and personalization to the game.

Art Style

If anything improved between the “Yarn Yoshi” reveal and the “Woolly World” finalization, it’s definitely the art presentation. During the development, it had the look of a spiritual successor to Kirby’s Epic Yarn with elements of Yoshi’s Story mixed in. While it looked like fun from a mechanical standpoint, it lacked a bit of the charm that made Kirby work well that way. However, the final product looks absolutely gorgeous! While the idea of exploring real life environments didn’t make the cut, what was given in the game itself made up for it in spades! The world of Craft Island looks so vibrant and soft, almost like a real crafted setup. Everything in each level has not only the look, but also the feel, of craft material (mostly yarn). The subtle visual nuances in the terrain further emphasize that design, and it makes the game as a whole that much more wondrous to explore. That being said, there have been actual craftings of characters and settings that were used to advertise the game, and the time working on it proved to be worthwhile.

(Yes, this scene was indeed crafted by hand before being photographed and edited for the game’s boxart.)

Music

Where do I begin with the music? I want to take this time to give the proper accolades to the musician, Tomoya Tomita. He worked on previous Good-Feel games Wario Land: Shake It and Kirby’s Epic Yarn, and the sound design makes it clear that there’s some unification between these three games. The arrangements of music are superb and beautiful, and they are a joy to listen to on their own. Across all three games, there are plenty of pieces that can be interchanged between each other, and it would still be a perfect fit. That is part of the magic of Tomita’s music. The other part is the choice of instrumentation for each track. I wholeheartedly recommend listening to each one of the three soundtracks to hear how beautiful they truly are.

Crochet amiibo

Oh, the crochet amiibo! Who could forget the crochet amiibo!? Remember how there was the hand-crafted diorama used for the boxart? Well, the amiibo for this game are FULLY KNITTED TOGETHER as ACTUAL CROCHET PLUSHIES! This is one of the most creative design choices in the history of amiibo!

Within the game, each Yoshi amiibo can save a pattern that has been unlocked to the figure. After doing so, scanning it will introduce the “Double Yoshi Exploshi”. The second Yoshi is controlled simultaneously with the first and can be used to solve all sorts of puzzles. In addition, scanning all three will give the Green, Pink, and Cyan Yoshi palettes early, as the two not tied to a save file would have to be unlocked at the end of the game. Also, tapping Poochy in will summon him at any point in the game, barring boss fights and any place he already appears.

Speaking of amiibo, there are a vast count of amiibo costumes to unlock! By tapping them in, Yoshi gets a costume based on the character; whether it’s Lucina, Toad, Isabelle, or either of the Squid Sisters, Yoshi can get a costume of them all. He can even get a plastic toy costume by scanning a non-yarn Yoshi! This is an amazing feature to have, as it adds even more to the already vast variety and personalization!

Poochy 

Poochy is at his absolute best here, in both his looks and his assistance. In the previous Yoshi games, he was a suitable assist throughout the game, but in Yoshi’s Woolly World, his intelligence has been ramped up immensely! He is much better at finding secrets throughout the level, and he can actually collect flowers and Wonder Wool in hard-to-reach areas for Yoshi! Plus, he’s more adorable as ever with his new crochet design! He’s such a good boy! 

In the 3DS port, there are new highlights for Poochy. He can equip alternate costumes just like Yoshi, there are Poochy Pups that assist Yoshi in Mellow Mode, and there’s a new gameplay mode: Poochy Dash! This is a fantastic way to rack up more beads if the need ever arises, and it’s a fun, fast-paced minigame, allowing Poochy more time in the spotlight.

Yoshi Theatre

The Yoshi Theatre is a feature made for the 3DS version, but it’s a worthwhile feature no less. There are 31 short videos of stop-motion animation featuring Yoshi, Poochy, and their friends living out their daily lives. Coupled with the always-fantastic soundtrack, it’s absolutely adorable and worth watching!

Watching the Behind the Scenes video where they show the process of making each video really gave me a newfound respect for the effort put into them all. As an aspiring artist looking to become an animator, I know that it isn’t easy at all to produce quality animation, but stop-motion is one of the hardest forms, and the Yoshi Theatre is nothing short of quality.

Yoshi’s Woolly World has earned its place as my favourite Wii U game, my favourite Good-Feel game, my favourite Yoshi game, and my Game of 2015. Good-Feel really found the best aspects of both Yoshi’s Island and The Adventures of Yoshi and combined it with the creativity they developed through Wario Land: Shake It and Kirby’s Epic Yarn to make this game such a wonderful experience and masterpiece. I can’t emphasize enough how grateful I am to Good-Feel and Nintendo for this game, and I hope that this, along with the previous two games I mentioned, finds a new home on the Switch so that even more people can experience the joy I had with it.

~Lightning Star

Special Thanks to The Well-Red Mage and all involved in the “Super Mario Multiverse” project for making this endeavour come to life

Wahoo! You are a Super Reader! But the adventure doesn’t stop here… There’s more of this project in another castle! This article is just one level in an entire Super Mario Multiverse, a galactic collaboration between writers around the world sharing a bit of our hearts and memories about our favorite Mario games. Visit the Center of the Multiverse to see more: