It’s taken quite a bit of time, but finally, we have our Yoshi game on Switch. When it was originally announced back in June 2017, the then titled Yoshi looked to be a great follow-up to the charming Wii U game Yoshi’s Wooly World. The game went silent for a bit and finally, at the end of March 2019, Yoshi’s Crafted World arrived. Yoshi’s Crafted World does what the last few Yoshi games have done so well: fun and simple platforming. Yoshi’s Crafted World may be a fairly easy experience for those used to platformers, but it’s a game you simply cannot miss. Yoshi’s Crafted World is the Switch’s first must own game of 2019.
Yoshi’s Crafted World comes from developers at Good-Feel, the ones behind Yoshi’s Woolly World and the wonderful Wii game Kirby’s Epic Yarn. The Yoshi games in recent years have been colorful, easy experiences well-suited for younger gamers or anyone looking for a low-pressure platforming game. The challenge each Yoshi game brings is for completionists. Yoshi games may seem simple, but to 100% each title, you’ll be in for a challenge in hunting down every last collectible.
This is what makes Yoshi’s Crafted World such a great game. Yoshi games in recent years have been easy games. They are designed to be colorful, fun, and simple to play. This is a really nice change from most platforming games lately, all of which seem to be going for a “the harder, the better” sort of style. Yoshi’s Crafted World wants you to take your time and enjoy the scenery. It wants you to play each level without any pressure. This means that the enemies in each level are fairly simple and, although occasionally they present a modest challenge. The objectives for each level are fairly simple: collect as many flowers as you can, finish the level and move on. It’s a refreshing experience and one that’s perfect for families.
Yoshi’s Crafted World is a fun experience on your own, but it becomes even more fun when playing alongside someone. The game is designed to be easy and low pressure, which means kids will finally have a game that works for them. You can play the game on Normal Mode, which is still fairly easy but doesn’t quite hold your hand. Then you can ply in Mellow Mode (perfect for new gamers and kids), which basically holds your hand throughout the whole game, making it nearly impossible to die in any level. Yoshi can fly infinitely, take damage and not really be affected, and have lots of perks to help him make it through a level easily. Either experience is a lot of fun, but I can truly appreciate the easier mode for new players. I showed this game off to some of my friend’s kids, and they absolutely loved playing the game in Mellow Mode. These were kids who didn’t play video games very much, and yet because of Yoshi’s Crafted World’s simplicity, they loved every minute they played.
This is not to say Yoshi’s Crafted World is such an easy game that people with some gaming experience will become bored to death. What Yoshi games have done so well in recent years is provide challenges for completionists. Let me be clear, you will not find every collectible in a level on your first playthrough. I tried and was shocked to find so many things I missed, despite me thinking I took forever in a particular level. Even more impressive is how Yoshi ramps up the difficulty. For the most part, if you’re an experienced gamer, you’ll probably finish Yoshi’s Crafted World and only end up dying maybe around 10 times throughout the 60 or so levels. Once you “beat” the main part of the game, the “challenge levels” unlock. I say challenge levels in quotes because the game doesn’t call them that, but that’s totally what they are. Let me tell you about these challenge levels…they are ridiculously hard. That’s something I really like about Yoshi games in general: They have something for everyone. A main game that’s easygoing and simple to play and a hard “challenge level area” for completionists who are more experienced gamers.
The thing is that the difficulty in Yoshi’s Crafted World is likely going to be the biggest area of contention. While I thought the game was easy, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Yoshi and loved the game. However, some people will be put off by how easy it is. Unless you play the game to completion, most gamers won’t ever make it to the more challenging levels. This is a completely fair argument about Yoshi’s Crafted World. While I honestly would tell you to stick with Yoshi and play it through (it really is a great game), it’s just too easy for a number of gamers.
The other issue with Yoshi’s Crafted World is that it feels short. Although there are somewhere around 60 levels for you to play and more to unlock after the main game, the experience feels like it’s over very quickly. Yoshi’s Wooly World (the Wii U and 3DS game) had more levels and content packed in it, those are just the facts. Having played those games and coming to Crafted World, you’ll probably have 10 hours’ worth of gameplay before you’ve basically played the whole game. The challenge levels will keep me coming back because I desperately want to 100% this game, but overall, the game ends a bit too soon. Maybe that’s a good thing, it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and me wanting more is good. However, I do feel like if this game had a few more worlds to discover, it’d be even better. But don’t be misled by those comments. Yoshi’s Crafted World is a must play game for Switch owners.
Developer: Good-Feel
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 29th March 2019
