Ever since Nintendo introduced everyone’s favorite dinosaur in “Super Mario World,” Yoshi has become one of the most adorable and charming characters.
During his last adventure in “Yoshi’s Woolly World,” Yoshi traveled through a yarn world exploring and unraveling many mysteries. I never thought his adventure could get any cuter, but “Yoshi’s Crafted World” proved me wrong.
In Yoshi’s latest adventure, for the Nintendo Switch, Yoshi travels through a handcrafted world in the search of Dream Gems. Paper plates, cups and soda caps are some of the items that bring this game to life.
Yoshi sets out on an adventure to recover the Dream Gems that were scattered through the world when Kamek and baby Bowser tried to steal them.
Photo courtesy of Nintendo
Many platformer games tend to be extremely difficult with tricky stages and tough bosses, but “Yoshi’s Crafted World” is nothing like this. Overall, this game was one of the easiest games I have ever played with only a handful of challenging stages.
At the beginning of the game, it gave me the option to choose the difficulty level. Since I have played other Yoshi games, I decided not to go with “mellow mode,” which makes the game feel like a breeze and more relaxed. Instead, I went with “classic mode,” which is recommended for more experienced players. Even in that mode, the game felt too easy.
In “Yoshi’s Crafted World” the player can choose from a variety selection of Yoshi in different colors.
Photo courtesy of Nintendo
Yoshi has unique abilities to help the player through the adventure. Yoshi can hover in the air and swallow enemies to turn them into eggs which he can use to throw at other enemies and things hidden in the world.
The player’s job is to collect all the smiley flowers, 20 red coins hidden throughout the level and try to finish the stage with a full amount of 20 hearts. This was the hardest part of the game because the collectibles were hidden well and I had to pay close attention to the world to see where the developers hid them.
At first, I only got all the collectibles in a smattering of stages, which kept me going back to old stages to fully complete them.
Every stage in “Yoshi’s Crafted World” is very detailed.
Photo courtesy of Nintendo
Each level was detailed and aesthetically pleasing, which really immersed me into the game. One of my favorite stages was “Exploring the Animal Kingdom.” In this stage, the handmade cardboard dioramas and enemies were ingenious.
There were koalas made out of tin cans and wrapped around construction paper, rhinos made out of cardboard pieces with tin foil horns and even giraffes made out of toilet paper rolls. Every time I finished a level, I got excited to explore the next one and see what other funky ideas the developers used to make each world feel so unique.
“Yoshi’s Crafted World” is not like every other 2D platformer game. This game has 3D elements that encourage the players to keep an eye on the background and foreground for hidden paths and secrets. One original mechanic the developers introduced that I have not seen in any other games was “flip the stage” to play the whole stage backward.
In “Yoshi’s Crafted World,” 180 costumes can be collected for Yoshi to wear as armor.
Photo courtesy of Nintendo
This mechanic allows players to see things that could not be seen through a normal play through, such as the back of structures which can be seen to be made out of cereal boxes with the barcode, grass made out of newspaper with printed letters and other clever hidden details.
While playing the flip side of the stage, it feels like a brand new stage which really gives this game good replay value. Every stage in the game can be played backwards, and during this play through, the player must find the three Poochy Cups hidden throughout the level.
The only feature that I found frustrating in “Yoshi’s Crafted World” was the two-player co-op. When playing in co-op, the user can interact with another player by riding on their back, stealing their eggs, swallowing them and throwing them back up. As someone who loves playing multiplayer, this mode made me feel like throwing my controller at the television.
Up to two players can play in “Yoshi’s Crafted World.”
Photo courtesy of Nintendo
While playing in multiplayer, I felt like I had no control because of the interactive features. For example, if the user gets too close to the second Yoshi, it automatically rides on their back without the intention of doing so. In this game, the two-player co-op is total chaos. I wish the developers would have spent a bit more time to improve this feature or release an updated version in the future.
Besides that, “Yoshi’s Crafted World” is an astounding addition to the series. The original mechanics and creative ideas really made this game stand out. Sit down, relax with a cup of warm hot chocolate and give “Yoshi’s Crafted World” a try. I definitely recommend it.
“Yoshi’s Crafted World” is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch.
Photo courtesy of Nintendo
This game receives an 8.5/10 from me. Some features in the game could have been more polished and more challenging, but overall “Yoshi’s Crafted World” is too adorable to not pick up a copy. With the number of collectibles, inventive level design and replay value, this is a game I could see myself playing more even after I’ve finished it.
