Yoshi's Woolly World

There's no shortage of good 2D platforming on the Wii U, but Good-Feel has managed to tailor one of the very best games on the console. [Issue #16 – July/August 2015, p.70]

A very well deserved homecoming for Yoshi, after many years trapped in a piece of amber. Far from making a standard platforming game, Good-Feel has made a beautiful game that surprises you with every step.

Woolly World was a delight to play, and one that I think any platformer fan will enjoy.

Yoshi's Woolly World is a superbly entertaining game on the Nintendo Wii U that ticks all the right boxes for fun gameplay!

Yoshi's Woolly World manages, with great success, is accessible and yet difficult, old and yet new.

Overall, Yoshi’s Woolly World is a “Nintendo” game at its finest. The game not only draws in gamers with a captivating art-style and excellent soundtrack, but it also keeps them engaged with spectacular and diverse gameplay elements. Fortunately, Yoshi’s Woolly World packs in a wealth of options too, which accommodate new players as well as Nintendo veterans alike.

The wait might have been long, but Yoshi's Woolly World arrives just in time to satisfy your desire for a new platformer. And it's charming and cute to boot.

The only caution about Yoshi’s Wooly World is that it is only composed of five Worlds, rather than the usual eight Worlds of a Super Mario Bros. game. A skilled platformer player who is able to grab all the collectibles in each course on a first run might find the game too short.

Yoshi’s Woolly World brings an astounding amount of features to an aesthetically impressive title. It stands as one of the best Wii U titles this season, constantly delivering creative twists on what the platformer genre that Nintendo has been tapping for so long. It’s an absolute must buy for fans of the Yoshi series.

It’s so beautiful, cute and charming that even the grimmest death metal fans will go ‘awwww’. If you want to introduce someone to the world of games this gem is hands down the best way to do that. [09/2015, p.57]

A delightful knitted theme makes Yoshi's Woolly World a true joy to play, as everything from Yoshi and his various abilities, to the landscapes and elemental hazards, is beautifully rendered.

Despite the odd frustration, Yoshi’s Woolly World is an incredibly fun romp. It has been a long time since the world got to see a console Yoshi game, and the fact it hearkens back to its SNES roots better than the recent handheld attempt is a joy to behold. This is one of the best platformers I have played in a long time.

This is the sequel we've been waiting since Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. A beautiful game with an outstanding level design that made us remember why we love this genre.

Yoshi's Woolly World is a fun game that barely repeats itself. There's just so much to discover.

Yoshi's Woolly World is a real surprise: a great platform game that requires some serious skills and dedication, with fantastic graphics and lots of content.

Yoshi's Woolly World is Nintendo at their inventive best. Delightful and deceptively devious, this sensational platformer encourages you to explore, experiment and genuinely play with it at every turn.

It's accomplished platforming within Yoshi's quirky and unique template, and has enough soft cuteness to charm young gamers and melt the hearts of the most jaded of veteran gamers.

This is one of the best looking Wii U games with a compelling gameplay experience.

Yoshi's Woolly world features a beautifully-crafted world where colourful settings, a superb level of interactivity and a delightful soundtrack are topped by an involving and compelling gameplay experience. A magnificent title from any point of view.

Yoshi's Woolly World is a challenging, cleverly designed platformer that as delightful to play as it is to look at. It's unbelievably beautiful, unrelentingly challenging, and undeniably adorable.

A game that conquers you through the eyes, but it's when you play it when it convinces. As fascinating being watched as played and whose mistakes are in no way decisive.

Easily the best Yoshi game in years. Woolly World is hardly innovative, but its design is consistently clever and the visual style works amazingly well. [Aug 2015]

Yoshi’s Woolly World is one of the most beautiful games that Nintendo has ever created. Its great game mechanics and sublime level design make this title a must have for every 2D platformer fan.

Despite some repetitive levels, and easy bosses, Yoshi’s Woolly World is highly recommended.

Yoshi’s Woolly World is the Wii U’s best-looking game, as well as the best Yoshi’s Island since the original Super Nintendo title. It has a great balance of challenge, exciting bosses, callbacks to the first game, and enough new mechanics and touches to make it easily stand above each attempt at creating a Yoshi’s Island successor of the past two decades.

Beautiful beyond compare with great gameplay mechanics, that unfortunately are not used as much as we'd have wished.

Quotation forthcoming.

Adorable, clever, and creative.

Yoshi's Woolly World reaches the same quality than the best episodes of the Mario series on Super NES. On top of a very precise gameplay, this new Yoshi journey offers one of the best art direction ever made for a platformer.

For the best platform games you still need to go to Nintendo. Yoshi's Woolly World might not be of the same high grade as Super Mario World, but it still is a strong run and jump adventure with an extraordinary cute look and a great co-op mode.

Fans of Yoshi's Island can at last relive some of those emotions. Despite the slow start, it's a wonderful platform experience, filled with care for details and original ideas.

A total audio and visual delight, Yoshi's Woolly World is a strong addition to the Yoshi game series, though only completionists might find they get the full value from the game.

Yoshi's Woolly World is the best Yoshi game I have ever played. The controls feel extremely solid and the gameplay quirks just keep coming that makes it a unique experience.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island is the better platformer still, but Woolly World is a great runner-up when it comes to its pure fun.

Yoshi's Woolly World is a good new game in the Yoshi's Island-series. Its art style is fun throughout the whole game, as well as the upbeat soundtrack. Every world surprises with new bosses and enemies, which makes it even more a pity that you can go through it really quickly if you do not collect everything there is to collect.

Yoshi's Woolly World is a great platform game, with clever level design but few really intriguing new ideas. Nonetheless with its challenging gameplay and lots of personality, it's the best Yoshi game since Yoshi's Island on the SNES.

Not every level in Yoshi’s Woolly World is a winner, and the game suffers in comparison to the absolutely magical Super Mario 3D World, which still easily ranks as the Wii U’s best platformer. But it deftly pulls off the trick of being both stupendously cute and technically well-crafted, appealing to youngsters drawn in by the sweet plush Yoshis and to more skilled gamers looking to challenge their reflexes and item-hunting skills.

Yoshi's Woolly World makes a fine addition to any Wii U owner's library. It's full of charm and personality, and it doesn't forget to test you with its high difficulty. You'll spend more than a dozen hours doing everything and collecting every hidden item, and you'll have a blast practically the entire time.

Yoshi’s Woolly World won’t suit everyone, but if you find yourself drawn towards its plush, adorable aesthetic, it might be one of the most emotionally pleasant experiences you have all year.

If you own a Wii U, it is definitely worth checking out, if for nothing more than the smile it will put on your face, the entire time you play it.

Yoshi’s Woolly World doesn’t do much that we haven’t seen before in Nintendo’s long history of these sorts of games, and its exceptional cuteness factor helps overcome some of its slightly derivative design. But in a season so focused on doing vicious harm in virtual worlds, its lovely to take a whimsical stroll with this delightful dinosaur daredevil.

Yoshi’s Woolly World doesn’t set a new bar for platformers, but it’s a beautiful game that showcases a constant stream of creative ideas. The yarn mechanics fit well with the classic Yoshi gameplay, and it’s a great choice to get all warm and fuzzy with someone this fall.

Co-op play isn’t as much fun as we might have hoped, and it’d be nice if the designers could find a way around Yoshi’s outmoded aiming mechanic, but the abundance of delightfully creative levels ought to sate casual Wii U gamers and the considerable challenge of tracking down every last collectible on each stage should appeal to Nintendo’s hardcore platformer fans.

So cute I almost vomited.

Yoshi's Woolly World is a beatiful, handcrafted creation that will delight Nintendo fans, and those looking for another great 2D platformer. If only there was more here to enjoy, the game would be another masterpiece for the Wii U.

Like any good jawbreaker, it's worth sticking with and savoring its flavor. With fresh concepts introduced in each stage, lots of collectibles, and creative level and boss designs, Yoshi's Wooly World stands as Yoshi's best outing in a long time.

All-polished platformer does not bring as much "wow" moments as we would have liked, nevertheless the game design is great and innovations show something new even to experienced gamers. In addition, the cotton visuals are irresistibly cute.

What Woolly World instead offers is one of the most visually charming and inventive games you’ll see this generation: one that will put a smile on your face, if not sweat on your brow.

Perhaps those overpriced but desirable toys will turn more people’s attention towards this delightful game.

So Yoshi’s Woolly World doesn’t quite match the highs of Super Mario World, despite both games’ numerous similarities, and it may not be the vital platformer that Wii U owners were hoping for as the console continues its unfortunate drought. However, it’s still a very enjoyable yarn (geddit?) that offers a surprising level of replayability that delights with its overwhelming level of cuteness, even if it doesn’t particularly innovate.

Yoshi's Woolly World is not a revolutionary or especially fresh proposition, bet offers captivating, addictive and simply enjoyable gameplay. In combination with excellent graphics, it makes the game worth recommending to every fan of platformers.

Like its little brother Yoshi's New Island on 3DS, Yoshi's Woolly World suffers from being a little too short, easy and somehow forgettable. That being said, this game could easily win the hearts of every Nintendo fan with its above-average level design, the great artistic direction, and its exhilarating cuteness.

Like wool, Yoshi can be soft or scratchy... And thanks to the weaving talent of Good-Feel, this wholly knotted world lets our fluffy dinosaur assert its heart-warming character that will surely patch things up between generations.

Despite a few technical problems and design missteps, the variety, and thoughtfulness, of the myriad mechanics make it a pleasure, as you advance through each world exploring every nook and cranny.

Yoshi's Woolly World is a platformer that you'll want to cuddle. Its graphics and design are simply awesome, turning it in one of the best looking Wii U games. The bad game design of the special levels can sometimes spoils the experience, but if you like this kind of game and you have a Wii U, you should give Yoshi's Woolly World a try.

While Yoshi’s Woolley World sometimes becomes stagnant from level to level, and the lack of chances the game takes helps push that along a bit, it does have some great things going for it to make the entertainment prominent. The challenges, the motivation to explore and the overall theme of the ‘Woolley World’ help to alleviate the shortcomings the game contains. Yoshi’s Woolley World is fun, especially in terms of visuals and Yoshi’s added personality, but it’s not perfect.

Yoshi’s Wooly World is an adorable game, and it’s often a fun one. However, the light difficulty prevents it from reaching the excellence of Yoshi’s Island.

Good-Feel managed the almost impossible: To make Nintendos dino mascot even cuter than ever before. A charming design and interesting yarn puzzles make this conservative platformer a fluffy experience.

I'm entirely pleased with what Yoshi's Woolly World has accomplished, in regards to delivering a complete and well-designed Yoshi's Island game, but much is lost in the goal of recreating the past. While Artoon showed that that a sequel can be strong if it's by-the-books, it's disappointing to see Good-Feel unaware of what else to do besides revise the art direction and remove a controversial element of baby characters.

Older fans might need a little more substance in their platformers, but even they would agree that Yoshi's Woolly World is a fun little game with a lot of personality bursting from its seams from beginning to end.

Yoshi’s Woolly World is a charming, yet unchallenging platformer that succeeds at being an amusing way to pass the time.

There are problems, but you'll have to see past the formidably adorable surface to spot them. [Summer 2015, p.70]

Outside of those great few levels, Woolly World is a more forgettable and fragmented experience. Cool mechanics are cooked up, but they’re dropped into levels which never realise their full potential and fixate more on unearthing frustrating collectibles.

A very easy but nonetheless fun game, Yoshi's Woolly World has an impressive visual style paired with some great ideas. Unfortunately, the lack of challenge, some frustrating levels and its short ambitions hinder this creative game.

It’s the ludic equivalent of the James Bond series.

Yoshi’s Wooly World, won’t change how you look at games or lead you to any important insights. It wants nothing more than to perk you up a bit, to lighten your mental load.

There is nothing wrong with Yoshi's Woolly World. It's fun, progresses in difficulty and has everything one would expect from a Yoshi game, but it feels generic.

While Wooly World is mostly Yoshi's Island in a fuzzier package, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Its arts and crafts makeover may be mostly superficial, but by working with the parts of one of the world's greatest platformers, developer Good-Feel makes their recycling worthwhile.

Yoshi’s Wolly World is in every aspect an adorable designed platformer. Unfortunately the level design isn’t that exciting. It isn’t a new Super Mario Bros, but if you love to collect stuff and explore the stages you will find Yoshi’s Wolly World to be quite entertaining.

Woolly World is still a great game that is happy to welcome gamers of all skill levels into its cushy embrace. It is one of a few select titles that is easy to get lost in, and is good for what ails you if you’ve had a troubling day.

Easy, beautiful, and inventive. While the times it offers challenge are a little too spread out for my liking, the game looks and sounds stunning, and offers players a variety of new sights to experience along their journey.

Wooly World’s gentle accessibility, then, can be its biggest strength or most obvious weakness… depending on who you are. Either way, there is no doubting the craft.

A perfectly competent platformer, perhaps Yoshi’s best since Super Mario World 2, but one that is far less unique than its visuals suggest.

I’m really liking the idea of a “spiritual” series of yarn-based games, and would love to see more Nintendo properties go the same route as Epic Yarn and Woolly World. That said, they need to bring a little extra freshness of their own rather than walk over familiar ground, because this highly promising idea already runs the risk of submerging into mediocrity.

One of the weaker platformers for the Wii U where sadly a beautiful game can’t hide the rather poor level design.

This is a poor version of Mario’s platformers. Its quality is similar to them ... but maybe it would be good to change more than just a material.

Too much of it is cut from old cloth instead of woven from its own loom. [Aug 2015, p.116]

Quotation forthcoming.

When Yoshi’s Woolly World gets it right, it smashes it out of the park. Creative levels that tried different things such as transforming Yoshi into a plane, mermaid, or a racecar, is when that Nintendo sparkle shined its brightest. However, these moments of brilliance were overshadowed by a large amount of bland and unimaginative levels too focused on collecting.

There is the odd flourish of creativity, but it is hard not to feel like it's all been done before, and better. There's still plenty to enjoy, but it doesn't quite carve out its own identity. In short: it's finely crafted, if a bit woolly.

Excellent occasionally, good in parts and downright dull in others, Yoshi's Woolly World is a disappointment.