Platform: Nintendo Wii U

Developer:  Good-Feel

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Date (NA): October 16, 2015

Genre:  Platformer

Nerd Rating: 9 out of 10

Have you ever walked into a crafting store and saw just the most creative works of art made by normal, every day folks? Stuffed animals made from yarn and stitches, quilted blankets with diamond-shaped patterns, and the like. Ever wished you could make some stuffed animals like that? I know I would. So, as if Nintendo read my mind, a new game was released. Yoshi’s Woolly World almost instantly made it to my living room when it was released.

I got all three of ’em!

The first super daw amiibo!

When I purchased Yoshi’s Woolly World, the game came with a woolly Yoshi amiibo. Seeing the amiibo made me so happy. I felt all warm and fuzzy, holding this adorable Yoshi. So much so, that I went online and ordered the other two.

Starting up the game, I was happy to see how the entire world of Yoshi was indeed, everything you would find in any arts and crafts store. There was yarn and pins and buttons all around! The setting made me want to get back to the practice of latch hooking, for crying out loud! Graphics in the game were great. Nintendo did not disappoint me one bit. They even added the finer details of the yarn in the game by adding in loose strands in the yarn, giving the Yoshis a somewhat fuzzy look to them.

Poochy!

Some amazing features of Yoshi’s Woolly World is that any amiibo you already own can unlock a new playable Yoshi. A Yoshi will appear on screen, magically re-knitting a new pattern on itself to resemble the color scheme and loose design of the amiibo you placed on the scanner. I already have a Link based Yoshi that I love playing as. If a Woolly Yoshi is all that you have, do not fret, no, not one bit, Nintendo already thought of it.

Link amiibo Yoshi

You can customize the design of your woolly buddy based on Yoshis you have already reassembled/unlocked. When you want to have two Yoshis appear on any level you are playing in, simply place your Woolly Yoshi amiibo on the Wii U scanner. Yoshi will appear to wake up on screen and join you in your adventure at any time! Not to mention the most adorably knitted Poochy you’ll ever meet!

The controls are nice and smooth. I haven’t played a Yoshi-based game in a long while, so I was worried I might just be terrible at the game right at the start. To my surprise, the controls were easy to get into, and playing well became a snap. He jumps and flutters to hard to reach places, he unravels his enemies and turns them into balls of yarn to use as projectiles, and has a large health gauge to fill up throughout the levels. For those who have never played a Yoshi game of the past, and might need a little more time to get used to the game’s mechanics, don’t worry! The game offers an easier mode that you can switch into and out of at any time in the game. This easier mode, called “Mellow Mode” gives your adorable Yoshi a pair of white knitted wings to help you avoid death by large world hole or to help you fly over enemies.

The besh that unraveled my friends!

The music in the game is happy and easy to get stuck in your head. I even found myself nodding to the tune while I was playing. Even the boss fight music was jumpy and exciting. I really would put this game’s soundtrack on my iPod or something to listen to it more.

The puzzles and secrets in the game are sure to keep things interesting. You’ll want to search every nook, cranny, and stitch in between. You’ll never know what you might miss! Let me tell you from personal experience, that I have undoubtedly missed a few things. But the game has a good way of giving you a general idea of where you may have missed a secret. Basically telling you where to look without giving too much away. I appreciate that, I really do.

The antagonist you are first introduced to in the game tries to stop Yoshi at any cost. So the antagonist knits up a boss for you to fight off. You get about two bosses per world. Each boss is challenging, yet unique in their own way. They’re easy enough to beat, but not boringly easy. The antagonist gets angrier and angrier with each boss you beat, telling Yoshi to “give up” and “go home”.

Click on this to see my amiibos come to life!

Overall, I think this game is a great game to add to your gaming library. It’s adorable, it’s fun, it’s adorable, it’s interesting… Did I mention adorable?

I’m not the only one who was excited for this game, check out one of our other articles on the topic here!