Following in the creative footsteps of Yoshi’s Wooly World, Yoshi’s Crafted World is the latest title in the long-running Yoshi franchise. As with most titles, it is a side-scrolling 2.5D adventure the Nintendo Switch by Good-Feel Co., Ltd that is scheduled for release on March 29, 2019. As the title suggests, the game is designed so that the backdrops and characters appear to be made of crafting materials, including cardboard cutouts, corrugated cardboard floor, boxes, paper cups, straws and many other textiles. For instance, Yoshi’s body appears to be made of felt and his boots of plastic. It can be played either as a solo or duo adventure.
The Premise
Therefore, the goal of the game is to traverse a number of levels in order to retrieve the find the missing gems, restore them to Sundream Stone, and return it to the Yoshi’s Island.
Gameplay
When players start the game, they will be able to choose from one of ten different colored Yoshis. These are purely cosmetic and produce the same colored eggs. As the Yoshis travel through each level, they will need to jump and swim in the air, hop over gaps, defeat enemies and discover secrets.
Yoshis can defeat enemies in a number of ways, such as by eating them and producing a number of eggs relative to the size of the enemy that was consumed, throwing an egg at an enemy, or jumping on an enemy. Players can also throw their eggs at items in the background like cardboard cutout trees, gifts and shy enemies with ribbons on them to earn extra coins, as well as other items.
As players move through levels, they will be able to unlock skills and items such as cute costumes for their Yoshis. These costumes are not purely cosmetic, as they offer certain buffs which can include extra defense against enemy attacks or increased attack power, among others. Furthermore, some levels and enemies will be similar to previous games, while others will be new. The various levels will have different aesthetics, enemies, lighting, music and challenges, so as to keep the player engaged.
The exact number of levels hasn’t yet been revealed, but we know from the various reviews that there will be zones including ninja, candy, spooky mansion, underwater, aerial, countryside, Egyptian, gearworks and nautical themes. Each level also has a ‘flipside’ which has different objectives, including capturing Poochie puppies. This means that players will be able to explore both the fore-and background of each level in different runs, which adds to the 3D-feel of the game. The perspective also reveals how each main side was ‘crafted,’ with sellotape and knots becoming visible.
Players wanting an easier gameplay can opt for Mellow Mode, which will allow players to use a winged Yoshi for the level. This variant can swoop above and below enemies, thereby minimizing confrontations and making it easier for him to reach unconcealed coins and collectibles.
Eggs and Abilities
Different colored eggs provide different benefits. For instance, if a player ricochets a green egg off of a wall and it hits an enemy, players will receive extra gold coins. If they hit an enemy with a red egg, it will give them hearts. Blue eggs will give players three more green eggs. Green eggs are the normal eggs that just kill enemies. Many of the levels have puzzles and hidden items and rooms to discover, although not all are necessary to complete the level.
When playing co-op with a friend, players will be able to ride on each other’s backs and to swallow each other and sit each other out. This would be useful for propelling their teammate to an otherwise unreachable height or to save them from danger. Or to just mess with them.
Players will also discover Poochy for certain portions of levels. When players jump on him, he will aid them by allowing both teammates to ride on his back as he plows through enemies and jumps up heights that the Yoshis wouldn’t be able to reach on their own.
Yoshi’s Crafted World Bundle
If players want extra content, they can order the Yoshi’s Crafted World Bundle from Japan. It will include either 1 or 10 different colored Yoshi plushies, depending on how much money they are willing to spend.
Yoshi’s Crafted World can be pre-ordered on Amazon for ~$49.94.