Yoshi has often gotten the short end of the straw when it comes to his solo games. The lovable reptile is usually relegated to sidekick status and left to pony up for Mario at odd turns. Now, Nintendo has teamed up with Good-Feel to bring the charm of Kirby’s Epic Yarn to the Nintendo Switch, and Yoshi's Crafted World does the job in spades.

While Yoshi’s new platformer hardly reinvents the wheel, the title is as gracious to gamers as it is charming. The humble game follows Yoshi and his pals living a quiet life on an island with the Sundream Stone. The happy relic is made up of powerful Dream Gems, but Baby Bowser and Kamek want the jewels for themselves. However, when the gems are sent flying across the world, Yoshi and his friends are tasked with collecting them all before they are lost forever.

The simple story is backed by easy mechanics and innovate settings. While the overworld map may be small, each location offers a variety of levels with a standard mission set. Gamers will be tasked with collecting at least 100 coins, 20 red coins, and maintain full health all while looking for some hidden Smiley Flowers. These buds are used to progress from world to world, and they aren’t overly difficult to suss out.

Jul 13, 2019 THIS IS A REUPLOAD - INITIAL UPLOAD WAS MAY 1ST, 2019 Creating two Yoshi adventures based on a cute art style, let's put them to the test to see which is best! It's Yoshi's Woolly World for Wii. Join the Yoshis on their quest to repair the Sundream Stone in Yoshi’s Crafted World, only for Nintendo Switch! Explore hand-crafted levels with surprise-filled Front Sides and mysterious Flip Sides, by yourself or with a partner, as you race against Baby Bowser and Kamek on a grand treasure hunt. Mar 28, 2019 Yoshi's Crafted World is another successful main game Switch debut for one of Nintendo's favourite characters and is wonderfully accessible for every kind of gamer. The games adorable art style is a joy to behold, and it's always fun to play with a friend in co-op.

For fans wanting a challenge, Yoshi's Crafted World does have two settings to choose from. Mellow Mode is available for fans wanting to enjoy the search-and-find missions while Regular Mode will has your Yoshi accrue damage more quickly. This is where the game’s costume collectibles come into play as completionists can unlock all of Yoshi’s DIY armor to protect themselves from damage.

To say Yoshi's Crafted World is charming would put things lightly, and gamers will find themselves in awe at its cozy worlds. As its title implies, the game features settings comprised entirely of arts-and-crafts scenes. The innovative levels are easy to navigate and even smoother to explore, but it never strays from relaxing. Yoshi's Crafted World doesn’t try to break the mold set by Kirby’s Epic Yarn, and that may disappoint long time fans of the character.

After all, Yoshi's Crafted World does introduce some unique concepts which feel rather unexplored. Several levels introduce 'Flip Side' side quests which allow gamers to play from the level's other side. This feature could have provided all-new dynamics to the game’s affected levels, but the 'Flip Side' comes off as little more than a novelty instead. The game’s progression is also pretty predictable, and its repetitive ease will wear on fans who hoped Yoshi's Crafted World would reinvent the character.

If there is one bonus to note in particular with this game, it would be its seamless co-op mode. Yoshi's Crafted World has an easy in-and-out multiplayer system that allows gamers to team up with friends at any point in their journey. With two Yoshis in the level, gamers can work together to mark background targets and knock them out with egg throws to gain additional coins. The co-op mode also begs fans to level up their scavenger hunt skills as enemies and background targets turn into a competitive gig; A second player will make fans all the more eager to collect Smiley Flowers before their friends do, buts Yoshi's Crafted World is relaxing enough to foster teamwork in even the most competitive gamers.

At its core, Yoshi's Crafted World plays up imaginative design while going light on ingenuity. The cozy Switch title is a fun game that’s made even better by its homey co-op mode, making it a welcome entry to the fan-favorite console. While some will be disappointed by its lack of innovation, Yoshi's Crafted World is still an adorable outing that is equal parts comfortable, colorful, and creative for fans of every background.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Yoshi's Crafted World is now available on the Nintendo Switch. A digital code was provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.

While the Wii U seemed to be nearly overflowing with platformers based on Nintendo's most beloved mascots, the Nintendo Switch by comparison is still lacking a few of the most important platforming pals. Enter Yoshi, for Yoshi's Crafted World, which appears to be exactly the kind of wholesome Nintendo action platforming that fans of Nintendo's development studios love. This is the same Yoshi game that was originally announced at E3 2017, and after a long development, its release appears to finally be approaching.

Here's everything we know so far about what you'll get to do in Yoshi's Crafted World:

What is Yoshi's Crafted World?

Yoshi's Crafted World is the latest Yoshi title from Good-Feel, following Yoshi's Woolly World for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. It shares many similarities with its predecessor, the most obvious being that it's another Yoshi action-platforming game. But both games make use of a crafts-like aesthetic, with Woolly World focusing on fabrics and Crafted World using paper items in the style of a miniature diorama. Most of Woolly World's mechanics, enemies, and concepts make returns in Crafted World, though the game and its levels are entirely new.

One of the big draws of Yoshi's Crafted World is this craft aesthetic, which can manifest in interesting platforming sections where you're leaping across rolled bits of paper, flowers made of wood and string, and facing enemies that look like a 5-year-old made them in art class!

Is there a story?

Like many other Yoshi games, there is a light story guiding your adventures across Yoshi's island home. Baby Bowser and Kamek appear in the Yoshi's happy home and steal the coveted Sundream Stone, scattering its gems across multiple worlds. As Yoshi, you'll have to track down the Sundream Stone and stop a horde of Baby Bowser and Kamek's minions along the way. That means lots of collectibles and hidden secrets, just like in past Yoshi games!

How do you play?

Like past Yoshi games, Yoshi's main abilities are his flutter jump and his ability to eat enemies and turn them into eggs. As a platformer, you'll need to use Yoshi's ability to jump and flutter jump to climb and cross levels. But enemies will fly, run, and roll at you as you go, so you'll also have to work your way forward by eating them, turning them into eggs, and then using those eggs to throw at other enemies or at certain spots on the map to reveal hidden platforms or secrets.

And like its predecessor Yoshi's Woolly World, Yoshi's Crafted World will feature unlockable Yoshi color palettes you can swap to as you collect them, allowing you to play as an adorably soft Yoshi in any number of different colors and patterns.

What's this about flipping levels?

The big 'gimmick' of Yoshi's Crafted World is that levels can be 'flipped.' Levels are designed on a three-dimensional plane, with enemies in the foreground and background and with the ability to flip the level backward and play from the other side. This is occasionally done as a part of the regular gameplay of the level, but you can also play any level from back to front flipped over after you beat it forward.

This doesn't just apply to the game's flip mechanics, though. Because the game is a 2D platformer on a 3D plane, you'll often find yourself moving forward and back in a three-dimensional space to avoid enemies, collect items and coins, and platform through obstacles.

This will surely result in some interesting challenges and platforming puzzles, so keep an eye out for ways flipping the level can change your perspective!

Can I play with a friend?

You can! Yoshi's Crafted World includes the ability to play with two players at once, each in control of a Yoshi. You can help one another get through all the levels for a bit of extra assistance you wouldn't otherwise have while playing solo.

When can I get it?

Yoshi's Woolly World is planned for launch on March 29, 2019 and will cost $59.99.

Want to know more?

Need more details on Yoshi's Crafted World? Let me know in the comments!

February 2019: Added release date, story info, info about Yoshi color palettes.

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