Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World

Genre: Platformer / Auto-Runner

Players: 1

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Review:

Yoshi’s Woolly World is a Platformer released on Wii U in 2015 and ported to Nintendo 3DS in 2017 with various changes and additions to the game. While the Wii U version of the game featured better visuals and 2-player co-op support, the Nintendo 3DS version is no slouch either, and comes with plenty of new content, including new Auto-Runner levels featuring Yoshi’s canine pal Poochy, new optional Poochy Pup helper characters, and unlockable stop-motion animated shorts featuring the game’s characters.

Let’s talk about the visuals first. The trip to Nintendo 3DS has meant somewhat of a downgrade in the visuals of the game, though what’s here still looks great and retains the overall cuddly adorableness of the Wii U game, where everything is made out of yarn and fabric (just because, no in-story reason). This makes for some nice visual flair, such as gulped enemies now becoming yarn balls instead of eggs, Yoshi being able to use his tongue to pull at loose threads to open new passageways, and so on. And while none of this is impressive on any sort of technical level, the amount of love and care that has gone into designing this fabric version of Yoshi’s world is nonetheless delightful. I should note that the visual downgrade does result in a major change to the world map no longer being explorable, and stages being selected via a more direct 2D method. However, this change has little effect on the overall flow of the game.

As for the sound… well, like the Wii U version of the game, I’m not thrilled with it. Of course, you have the usual Yoshi vocalizations that are present in every Yoshi game since Nintendo 64’s Yoshi’s Story, and this is backed by a soundtrack that’s lighthearted but largely forgettable beyond annoying bits like songs that use whistling or a high-pitched synthesized element. There are at least a few standout songs though, like Lava Scarves and Red Hot Blargss, Fluffy Snow, Here We Go! (Underground), and Frozen Solid and Chilled.

For the gameplay, this really does seem like an effective combination of the typical formula of the Yoshi series combined with the creativity of Kirby’s Epic Yarn. There’s nothing here that truly revolutionizes the genre, but the game controls well, the level design is excellent and varied, and the “yarn” mechanics are well-integrated into the gameplay, making for some fun discoveries as you try to sniff out secrets hidden in the game’s levels.

For the new content here, I honestly didn’t feel any desire to make use of the Poochy Pups’ help – this game is easy enough already without added help. However, the Poochy Auto-Runner levels add a nice change of pace, and the unlockable stop-motion animated clips are absolutely wonderful, and even though they’re a completely unnecessary addition, they’re a welcome one.

When it comes to complaints, I see others complaining that the game is too easy, but I found that trying to complete each level with a perfect score provides plenty of challenge. Really, my biggest complaints here are mostly minor ones – the soundtrack isn’t great, and the gameplay is solid but doesn’t depart significantly from the other games in the series.

Given that I’m struggling to find something negative to say about this game, you may not be surprised to hear that I consider Yoshi’s Woolly World to be the best Yoshi game since Yoshi’s Island on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It’s not nearly as creative as its successor, Yoshi’s Crafted World on the Nintendo Switch, but the gameplay is rock-solid, varied, and fun. Plus, the “wool and fabric” aesthetic is visually-striking and adorable, perfectly-suited for Yoshi. If you have a Nintendo 3DS (and haven’t opted to get the Wii U version of the game instead), consider Yoshi’s Woolly World to be one of the few must-have games on the platform that hasn’t been ported to Nintendo Switch or made obsolete by its sequel. This is a wonderful game in its own right.

tl;dr – Yoshi’s Woolly World is a Platformer that combines the traditional mechanics of the Yoshi series with the “everything is made of fabric and wool” aesthetic of Kirby’s Epic Yarn, and the result is the best Yoshi game since Yoshi’s Island on the SNES. Compared to the Wii U version of the game, the Nintendo 3DS version has worse visuals but more content… on balance, I’d say both are about on par with one another. But in either case, if you enjoy Platformers, this is definitely one to get.

Grade: A

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