Yoshi's Woolly World

Yoshi's Woolly World
Kirby's Epic Yarn, with a pinch of Yoshi and wool (and Poochy, too!)
Protagonist(s): Yarn Yoshi Genre(s): 2.5D Platformer Platform(s): Wii U Nintendo 3DS Release Date: Wii U: JP: July 16, 2015 NA: October 16, 2015 AU: June 25, 2015 EU: June 26, 2015 Nintendo 3DS: Asia (except Korea): January 19, 2017 NA and EU: February 3, 2017 AU: February 4, 2017 KOR: March 4, 2017 Developer(s): Good-Feel Nintendo EAD Publisher(s): Nintendo Country: Japan Series: Yoshi Predecessor: Yoshi's New Island (by release date) Successor: Yoshi's Crafted World

Yoshi's Woolly World is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Good-Feel Entertainment and published by Nintendo, and the third Yoshi game to debut on a home console after Yoshi's Story. It was released for the Wii U throughout 2015, and is the spiritual successor to Kirby's Epic Yarn, another game developed by Good-Feel.

A 3DS port, titled Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, was released in early 2017, and includes the new Poochy Dash mode and Poochy Pups.

Why It's a Woolly World

Overall

1. Plot similarities to Kirby's Epic Yarn aside, the game features new and unique mechanics to distinguish itself from from previous Yoshi games, such as health hearts replacing baby countdowns, using Power Badges to alter gameplay and customizing your own Yarn Yoshi.
2. The story is different from most previous Yoshi games: rather than Kamek kidnapping the baby characters, he transforms all of the Yarn Yoshis into Wonder Wools in order for Baby Bowser to create his new castle, and Yoshi must collect them all to turn his friends back into their normal selves.
3. Players can collect beads to purchase Power Badges, which alter gameplay in various ways, including invincibility, magnetizing collectibles, a stronger Ground Pound, etc. Thus, beads are more useful than they were in Kirby's Epic Yarn, where they only served to boost Kirby's score.
4. Similar to the eggs he is well-known for, Yoshi can throw balls at his foes, and they can be small or large depending on how big the enemy he ate was.
   • Additionally, aiming the yarn balls can be done with gyro controls along with the traditional throwing mechanic.
5. This game introduces Mellow Mode, which is the easy mode that is recommended for newcomers to the Yoshi series. Here, Yoshi gains a pair of Flutter Wings so he can fly around the level freely.
   • Even better, using Mellow Mode is not relegated to when the player dies multiple times as it was in Yoshi's New Island.
6. You can customize your own Yarn Yoshi by using patch patterns found after beating levels, and can also obtain pre-made ones by collecting all five Wonder Wools in each level
   • Each Yarn Yoshi represents an aspect of the stage they are found in, and the ones found in the "S" levels are based on Nintendo consoles!
7. Soothing soundtrack composed by Misaki Asada, Kazumi Totaka and Tomoya Tomita, especially the title theme and "Yoshi and Cookies" (which is an Easter Egg for Epic Yarn's "Flower Fields").
8. Whenever you enter a green-dotted door, you will transform into a vehicle or other special transformation (such as Giant Yoshi or Mermaid Yoshi). These rooms will give you more beads and sometimes a Wonder Wool.
9. In the Scrapbook Theater, you can not only see the enemies in a gallery, but also listen to the game's music via the Jukebox.
10. You can refight bosses in the Boss Tent, meaning that they can be faced again without replaying their levels.
    • After all the bosses are beaten, you unlock Bronze, Silver and Gold Yoshis.
11. The game features Amiibo support: each Amiibo used will unlock a Yarn Yoshi based on that character, and Yarn Yoshi's Amiibo makes a clone of him (which is useful for completing more challenging levels).
12. The first time Yoshi clears a level, he dances instead of running.
13. This game features many clever references to previous games, including the return of Naval Piranha (and an Easter Egg for the first game when you hit her with a Yarn Ball before the actual battle, but it doesn't instantly destroy her this time).

Wii U

1. Rather than sequentially selecting a level, players have access to a world map similar to Super Mario 3D World, which opens multiple paths to select different levels.
2. Stamp Patches are included in this game, and are similar to Red Coins in that collecting 20 of them unlocks a Miiverse stamp.
3. This is the first Yoshi game to feature co-op gameplay in the actual levels instead of just in minigames.
4. After you complete a level, you can play Bonus Games (which return from the original Yoshi's Island game).

Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World (3DS)

1. This version includes a new game mode called Poochy Dash, in which Poochy runs across the levels to collect beads so he can fill his pouch.
   • Similarly, the Poochy Pups also make their debut in this game; they can be thrown like Yarn Balls and bark whenever a secret is discovered, thus making the game easier to complete 100%.
2. Pencil Patches replace Stamp Patches, which are similar to the latter but unlock patterns to customize Yarn Yoshis instead of Miiverse stamps (due to Miiverse being discontinued by this point).
3. A Yoshi Theater is included, which consists of 30 stop-motion films that utilize household items and Yarn Yoshis/Poochy.
   • After each film, the game asks a question about something specific from that movie (such as what Poochy and Yoshi do after opening a 3DS).
4. The Amiibo support is much more functional in this port than the original version: it utilizes any Amiibo released since that time (Daisy, Waluigi, Boo, Lucas, Roy, Corrin, Wolf Link, Callie, Marie, Waddle Dee and any of the Animal Crossing Amiibo cards), and includes the new Poochy Amiibo so that Yoshi can ride him in any stage.
   • Additionally, whenever you use a Yarn Yoshi Amiibo to another copy of this port, it will store a custom Yoshi pattern.
5. When playing on a New 3DS, the framerate increases from 30fps to 60fps.

Bad Qualities

Overall

1. As stated in WIAWW#1, the plot can feel too similar to Kirby's Epic Yarn due to its yarn elements and beads, but the Yoshi aesthetic gives this game its own identity.
2. Lack of mid-boss variety: each odd-numbered fort belongs to Big Montgomery, while the even-numbered ones belong to Knot-Wing the Koopa. Because of this, the mid-bosses feel repetitive.
3. Some of the Patches are hidden in such out-of-the-way places that the player may miss on their first playthrough; however, it can be alleviated by the Magnet Power Badge and Poochy Pups.
4. The Double Yoshi mechanic is overpowered, which may be why it was removed from Yoshi's Crafted World.
5. Some levels can drag on for too long, as is typical for a Yoshi game, with checkpoints being few and far inbetween.
6. There is no post-credits scene after the ending, which is disappointing and feels anticlimactic. However, the Yarn Yoshis most likely went back to Craft Island.

Wii U

1. Unlike the 3DS port, there are no stop-motion cutscenes here.
2. Miis serve no purpose in this game, and are thus pointless to use.

Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World

1. Due to hardware limitations, the world map is replaced by a Super Mario 3D Land-esque level selection screen. Consequently, this means that the multiple paths seen in the original are gone and one must play through every level, similarly to the SNES version of Joe & Mac.
2. Multiplayer is not in this port, again likely due to hardware limitations.

Reception

Both versions of the game received positive reviews, with the Wii U version scoring a 78/100 on Metacritic and the 3DS port a 77/100. Critics praised the art style, gameplay and innovation, but criticized the game for its low difficulty.

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