Mar 29, 2019  Yoshi’s Crafted World may not be the nail-biting, rage-inducing gauntlet we’ve seen in game difficulty as of late, but maybe we all could use a break. Yoshi will have you smiling from ear to. Buy Yoshi's Crafted World. As a company, Nintendo has a not-so-subtle desire to focus on arts and crafts. There's the Labo, which is based entirely around that, but even video games can be that way.

Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch) Hands-on Preview

by Daan Koopman - March 13, 2019, 7:00 am PDT
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Yoshi brings experimental egg throwing, a bunch of cool levels and some problems.

Back in June 2015, I instantly fell in love with Yoshi's Woolly World. While it built on the fundamentals of a Yoshi platformer, it added so many intriguing elements that put a huge smile on my face. Good-Feel did the green dinosaur justice. That being said, it is hard to imagine the developer topping that achievement, which is why I went into their new game, Yoshi's Crafted World, with quite an open mind set. Would they head in a more experimental direction, or go for something traditional instead? The answer, surprisingly, is both. So far, the game has some tremendous highs and lows that I, as the Yoshi fanatic that I am, gladly discuss below.

The story of Yoshi's Crafted World is a simple one. A bunch of Yoshis are living on a peaceful island in harmony with the Sundream Stone. This stone is encrusted with five gems. When all the pieces all together, it has the possibility of making your wildest dreams come true. Kamek and Baby Bowser catch wind of the mysterious stone and head off to take it as their own. In their struggle with the Yoshis, the gems scatter across the Craft Islands and it is up you to bring them back where they belong. It really doesn't go any deeper than that, outside of dialogue before facing and finishing off a boss. The little interactions are cute, but certainly not the main reason why you would play Yoshi's Crafted World.

The way Yoshi's Crafted World is set up is fairly unique when compared to what came before. Every location, outside of the boss areas, is a little island shaped diorama that presents two or three levels each. In addition to that, every level is fairly unique in terms of ideas and overall design. At the second location of the game, Yarrctopus Docks, you will go underwater in the first level and explore docks in the secondary level. Another example is the world of Ninjarama, which contains three stages. In the first stage, you walk through a tightly-crafted ninja stage. Parts of the environment are wrapped in golden tin foil, including the clouds and some ninja stars. In the level 'Behind the Shoji,' the famous Japanese paper doors block your sight, and so you have to navigate based on shadows alone. Finally, you head into The Shogun's Castle where plenty of moving platforms and spikes await.

The gameplay of Yoshi's Crafted World is very much traditional in more ways than one. The green dinosaur can flutter jump, run and aim eggs just the same. While most of these elements are exactly like you remember them, the game opts to change how eggs are thrown. In previous entries like Woolly World or Yoshi’s Island, the cursor was completely fixed and would move around half a circle. In a similar sense to Yoshi's Story, though done in a much more profound way here, the player will be able to move the cursor around at will and launch eggs at objects. Even better is that you can freely switch between the planes, allowing you to hit elements in the background. This instantly makes Yoshi's Crafted World a very deliberate game, which is both a positive and a negative.

Let's start with the positives. Yoshi games have always focused on the collectibles, which were quite fun to search for. Looking through every nook and cranny through a stage is endlessly rewarding and something that makes going for 100% a fun challenge. However, the levels didn't always seem made with this aspect in mind. While Woolly World did an admirable job of making it a bigger component of the game, there were special badges there that basically told you where to go. Yoshi’s Crafted World adds a kindness to the game's overall proceedings, where it is less about throwing constant twists into the levels. There is one main gimmick per level, various collectibles and a goal waiting for you.

On the flipside, I can't say that makes going through the levels any faster though. In previous entries, fully completing a level was barely a requirement. There are baselines the player needed to hit, and everything else was A-okay in their eyes. In Crafted World, they muddied the water a little by gating off process by handing Smiley Flowers to some cardboard robots. The number requirement will increase as you move along, so skipping every collectible in sight isn't really up for debate. As someone who enjoys collecting, this is far less of a problem, but I recognize that not everyone will feel the same way. The regular levels can feel long in the tooth as a result of this, something that can become irritating as you inch close to the end.

I say 'regular levels', because there is plenty that diverges from what you know. There are special levels that break away from the regular format entirely, and come off more as score attacks stages. An early example of this can be found in the level 'Go-Go Yoshi,' in which you control a gigantic cardboard robot. The only two things that this bigger Yoshi can do are jumping and punching at different angles. By hitting multiple objects at once, you score tons of points, and this decides how many Smiley Flowers you receive. Another level with the points concept is 'Altitude Adjustment,' which sees Yoshi on top of a plane. By moving back and forth, the plane would go up and down, allowing you to collect items and defeat Shy Guys.

The rabbit hole goes way further than these Score Attack stages, though. After wrapping up an island, you will get the chance to participate in Poochy Pup and Souvenir Hunts. With the Poochy Pup challenges, you will explore the flipside of a stage and collect three pups within a set time frame. Do it all correctly and four additional Smiley Flowers will be added to your overall total. Souvenir Hunts take all the things you learned about the stages and flip them on their head. You will need to find specific crafts across the stages, which are worth a Smiley Flower each. These can be hidden on either the front or flip side, so a sharp eye is needed. While I liked these quick missions at first, completing everything in addition to these bonus challenges feels like an awful lot. For the moment, I'm sticking with them, but extremely nervous how I will end up feeling.

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It brings up, really, my bigger disappointment. When the game was first revealed and showcased, the Flip Side was supposed to be very different. It was meant as an otherworldly look at the stage, allowing you to collect everything that way. While I'm glad that I can still discover both Front and Flip Sides within Yoshi's Crafted World, I can't help but be left wanting to explore both ends the same way. I’m not upset that it isn't there, but the idea seemed really cool and I wanted to experience it for myself. Despite my reservations with the missions, I can see how everything is crafted, which is incredible to behold.

As far as difficulty is concerned, I do find Yoshi's Crafted World to be a decent challenge. There is nothing that pushes me to the very edge of my limits, but I never found it overly easy either. As a perfectionist when it comes to Yoshi levels, I always felt that I had to do better and give levels a secondary search for collectibles. The search for Red Coins in particular will force you to take a good, hard look at everything around you. The invisible Winged Clouds are still devilishly placed, making those a-ha moments never far behind. A regular run, without item pick-ups, didn't require a thinking cap equally as much. As the game progressed though, the title wanted me to do specific platforming tricks to stay ahead. Sadly, shooting an egg and moving across the stage doesn't feel as easy as before, but that creates some fun new challenges all on its own.

For those less skilled, however, the game offers a few more options to welcome more players into the mix. Mellow Mode returns from Woolly World, giving you more hearts and the ability to fly at a certain point in the air. The feature keeps you steady until you decide yourself to descend at your own pace. A bigger and more adorable feature is the inclusion of the cardboard costumes. At special machines in these mini worlds, you can spend the coins you have collected on ten costumes per machine. Depending on their status (Normal, Rare or Super Rare), they will allow you to take a certain number of hits before starting to detract hearts. A Super Rare costume can take five hearts before they go away, with hearts replenishing at checkpoints.

Most of the costumes are beautifully themed after their respective world, but there are some special ones out there. Let's take the Labo Toy-Con Piano that was showcased as an example, and leave it there. Other ones can be earned by scanning in select Super Mario amiibo, instantly giving you five-hit costumes from the start. For the majority of the time, I kept them on to dress and impress. Personally, I was super fond of the Poochy amiibo costume as its little legs would move alongside of you. It is pretty much one of the most beautiful things I've seen all year thus far.

Obviously, the adventure can be played alone or with a buddy. The co-op can be best described as chaotic. The Yoshis can jump on each other's back, though the person on top can no longer shoot eggs. Furthermore, the other Yoshi can be swallowed up and thrown back to previous parts in the environment. On that note, you can no longer swallow and spit most enemies. In Crafted World, they instantly turn into an egg without you having a say in the matter. In any case, an additional player can also help within the special challenges that levels offer. Let's say a Flower hides behind a cardboard cloud and alone you will have to choose the right one. With a buddy, you can shoot them all down and get extra coins out of it, too. Lovely stuff.

One thing I absolutely have to mention is how striking the various worlds and stages are. Good-Feel are the champions of choosing a concept and sticking with it all the way. Crafted World is no exception to that rule, and they are showcasing some of their best creative work to date. Everything is made out of arts and crafts, which makes for more spectacular level designs. There is a richness in both the fore and backgrounds that I haven't seen in any other game for a while now. In an icy stage called ‘’Slip-Slide Isle’’, the northern lights are made with curtains and snowmen created out of styrofoam. It barely feels like the developers designed all of this with a computer; I imagine them just sitting there to create it all themselves first.

Sadly, the music doesn't back the presentation all too well. After the fantastic soundtrack of Woolly World, this feels like a huge step back. More than half of the soundtrack repeats the same melody, and this includes the title screen. Yes, they remix the way the music sounds, but the same structure and tones are mostly represented in each track. This is one of a similar level to how Yoshi's New Island handled its music, but at least, Crafted World’s tune is somewhat more of a decent song. Does that excuse them for using the same melody over and over? Absolutely not. Not even close.

Yoshi's Crafted World is, so far, a pleasant experience that annoys in some areas. The main levels are worth replaying multiple times, but I don't think very highly of the missions afterwards. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad, but they do feel a bit too samey. Of course, I will take some time to assess all of that and come up with a firmer conclusion. The presentation is absolutely stellar too, but that doesn't include the music. More than half of the songs are repeats, something unheard of in a Good-Feel video game. That being said, I was smiling most of the time while playing, so that is at least a positive to end on. Yoshi's Crafted World releases on March 29 worldwide.

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Worldwide Releases

The greendinosaur from Nintendo doesn’t need any introduction. The charisma of thegreedy and tongue-in-cheek mascot of the great N has enchanted crowds of fansin adoration of all ages and inspired creative of various generations anddevelopment studies, urged to give their all to reinterpret and give life toincarnations at the height of the legend. Because the name Yoshi is reallyimportant (if you want to learn more about the story of one of the most belovedicons in the world of video games we have here the editorial that suits you).

The legacy ofthe saga has been taken up by the boys of Good-Feel, longtime friends ofNintendo who, after having experimented in 2010 the softness of wool with Kirbyand the fabric of the hero, have put to use the experience gained by givingbirth to the incredible Yoshi’s Woolly World. Woolly differed from Kirby byoffering more elaborate levels and a more fulfilling level of challenge,although the real challenge always revolved around collectibles.

Awonderful world of cardboard

Leaving Wii Ubehind, the highly acclaimed Nintendo Switch couldn’t make us orphans of thethrill of driving the harmonious jumps of a new generation of Yoshinis. A newconsole, a new life, Good-Feel sets aside the soft shapes of Woolly World tofocus on a more contemporary theme, in line with Nintendo’s unique proposal:the Labo.

Cardboard andpoor materials, where recycling becomes art and a plastic bottle can betransformed into a rocket, represent the colourful heart of this newincarnation of Yoshi’s adventures. The Crafted World we will be called to visitis inspired, visionary and evocative: it seems to whisper to the soul of theplayer in an archaic and instinctive language, able to recall the colors,shapes and sounds of childhood, an irresistible enchantment of which Nintendois the master.

Onceupon a time

Thepestiferous Baby Bowser is really a rascal! Accompanied by the lackey Kamek hascombined another of his: in an attempt to steal the Sun of Wishes of the Yoshihas scattered throughout the worlds the 5 gems that adorn it. Recomposing itwill be a pleasure, after all it is said that any wish can be fulfilled. Thisis the beginning of a new journey that will take us to explore more than 40colorful worlds through the stages of the world map.

Within eachlevel we will have to collect the only laughing ones, often hidden or madeinaccessible, in addition to the canonical get to the end of the stage. Thesuns are the real key currency of Yoshi’s Crafted World, as to navigate fromone setting to the next we will have to hand over the required number to thenice Bricoli (DIY experts!) who block the way. To get only bonuses, in eachlevel we will have to find the 20 hidden red coins, cross the finish line witha full tank of lives and have collected at least 100 coins.

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Depthof field

The basicmechanics have remained more or less unchanged since the last chapter, with theenormous difference of adding the depth of field with which to interact. Afterfilling up with eggs, maybe pappandoci some Shy Type, we can throw them againstthe seabed or against the fifth of our path in search of some elements ofinteractive scenery, able to reward us by revealing often succulent secrets.

Continuingwith the adventure, these scenic elements of the seabed will be theprotagonists of the “object hunting” missions that will be assignedby the Bricoli and another series of end-game searches that wink at pixelhunting. The canonical levels can also be tackled in reverse in a mode in whichwe will have to save the puppies of Poochy within a set time limit to earn someextra sunshine, using as a clue the barking of dogs to be able to reveal thehiding places.

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CardboardArmor

Forget thepins of power and say hello to a multitude of costumes to wear. The normal coinscan be exchanged through the special distributors of surprise balls containingstylish cardboard costumes to wear, so beautiful and varied as to be the envyof the best ateliers of the Mushroom Kingdom. The costumes act as armor, ableto absorb a variable number of shots depending on the rarity of the object,before ending up in a thousand pieces. Don’t worry: your favourite disguisewon’t be lost forever, but it will be wearable again for free once the level iscompleted.

The amiiboshave of course been integrated with cosmetic features and recording them fromthe special screen accessible from the pause menu allows you to unlock newarmor for our Yoshi. However, during our test only a few statuettes have givenus unique armor, most of which has led to the unlocking of the duplicate Labocostume, so we are far from the multitude of skins offered in Woolly World.

Ajourney for two

Back to theinevitable cooperative mode corroborated by new actions of square: we can rideor let ride by our ally and throw eggs more can not once in the saddleindependently, as well as we will see greatly enhanced the ability to crash.Eating the Yoshi who plays alongside us and use it as a replacement for athrowing weapon is as always hilarious and we can only recommend with all ourheart to live this adventure with a companion: in two is more fun!

Yoshi Crafted World Amiibo Costumes

AlthoughNintendo is a master at making a painstaking stratification of its games, whereoften get to the end credits is a result achievable by anyone and the realchallenge is to collect everything or a solid end-game, unfortunately inYoshi’s Crafted World the level design moves some step back from the previousincarnation. The linearity of the levels winks to the less experienced and eventhe hiding places of red coins and laughing suns are less ingenious than weexpected. The difficulty has been calibrated downwards, especially when youconsider that most challenges require sharpening your eyes and hitting elementsat the bottom of the scenario rather than platforming skills.

EndGame Contents

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At the end ofthe main adventure, the end-game contents run to our rescue, offering usvarious opportunities to deepen our journey, keeping in mind the needs of themost shrewd players. The magnificent bosses can be faced again with specificconditions of engagement and a time limit: the renewed challenge makes theseenemies easy to beat during the main adventure, opponents to study carefully tounderstand the keystone of the clash and be able to meet the requirements ofthe missions dedicated to them.

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A new islandwill also be unlocked, where to proceed from one level to another an exorbitantBricolo will ask for only 30 laughs from stage to stage. These extra levelshave some mechanical challenges not bad, where collecting all the only hiddenin the stages will require a good command skills and each fall will require usto start again the level from scratch. Unfortunately these ingenious levels arevery short and we would have liked some of the mechanics they introduced to bescattered here and there during the canonical levels.