Yoshi's Woolly World

In achieving borderline perfection in gameplay, sound design and possibly the most charming, captivating artstyle of the 16-bit generation, Yoshi's Island is easily one of the greatest games ever made, although you'd hardly know it from its successors. When considering Yoshi's Story's dubious quality and "made-for-kids" identity, the forgotten gimmicks of Yoshi Touch & Go, and how the awfully lethargic efforts by Artoon/Arzest are best not spoken about, it was more than a little frustrating Nintendo couldn't figure out how to forge a proper sequel.

Note the past tense: it's been over two years since Yoshi's Woolly World first graced our Wii Us courtesy of Kirby's Epic Yarn developer Good-Feel and I can still scarcely believe its success. Not that I didn't think it wouldn't be a worthy spiritual successor to their Kirby effort, of course, but that it actually achieves throwing distance within Yoshi's Island's glory is a testament to Good-Feel's talent as a developer. Yes, to say Yoshi's Woolly World is superior to Yoshi's Island would be silly, but it is the first Yoshi sequel to understand what it means to take that step: Yoshi's saddle does not need Baby Mario glued 24/7, but it does not need any babyish concessions ala Yoshi's Story to stand out as an individual entry. 

Instead, Woolly World uses a middle ground for the base: the solo-Yoshi controls of Yoshi's Story  combined with the progression and tropes of Yoshi's Island are enough to feel familiar, albeit naturally outfitted with a wool motif for the former. From there, Good-Feel's team lets their own imagination of wool and yarn stitch the way, and it's never not delightful: like Kirby before him, Yoshi's soft form experiments in transformation (his turning into a mallet for the Ground Pound) or merely adapts to the new aesthetics (yarn balls replace his trademark eggs, with effects ranging from weaving platforms to ricocheting off walls and slamming into enemies)

While there's certainly enough Yoshi's Island design tropes to echo the SNES classic -- be it blocks to bop yarn balls out of or hitting winged clouds to uncover secret stairs -- Woolly World remembers to stick to its own identity rather than leaning upon its originator. I think of Fluffin' Puffin' Babysittin', where the level's titular babies are utilized to forge woolly cloud passages, or Walk the Chomp to Unwind's horde of yarn Chomp Rocks to roll about as unwitting allies.

Spooky Scraps, Don't Get Spooked stands out as one stellar example, as I'm hesitant to liken it to any previous Yoshi level. The poor dinosaur shivers from fright as roving curtains give way to friend and foe: hoppable platforms existing only behind the veils' whims, and the true nightmarish forms of the otherwise cuddly Boo Guys. Thanks to a particularly moody piece by Tomoya Tomita, it's chilling in a way I'd never have expected from Yoshi.

There are other stunners in creative exercise throughout, but like Epic Yarn before it, much of Woolly World relies upon capturing the player with its aesthetical prowess. As you'd expect, the wool-defined world is absolutely delectable, with each landmark and character stitched with animated fullness and love. We witness this in the aerial realm of Wobble Mobile Jaunt, whereupon Yoshi must hop upon crib mobiles -- all celestial bodies plastered with trademark Mario grins -- and hollow rockets to a lullaby echoing that of a sleepy Sunday morning. Inducing a hypnosis akin to that of an infant's daydream, it is nothing but a pure joy to play.

 

Of course, this is not Epic Yarn, and with it not being restricted by vastly outdated hardware, Good-Feel's first HD title isn't afraid to play around with its new hardware. What comes immediately to mind are the dynamic camera angles: much of these are reserved for the boss fights, granting them an added sense of depth not found in Nintendo's other Wii U sidescrollers. I admit I wish they could've been used more for the actual levels, as they're never not the most thrilling of delights (particularly when they involve swinging about on curtains, something we'll touch upon later).

Given the light-hearted material, however, it's not something that always needs to impress, but merely amuse us with its whimsies. I've never elaborated on this before, but Shy Guys are perhaps my favorite enemy of the Mario-verse, owing to their childish antics and localizer Nate Bilhdorf's bizarre yowls serving as their "voice." While we sadly don't see the latter here, I remain endlessly entertained with their interactions with the player: we chuckle to ourselves when a stray yarn ball sticks to their now-useless spears, and gasp when we realize one Shy Guy resting within the foreground cleverly hides a Smiley Flower.

It's in here we realize the innate playfulness within Woolly World's design, and what better example for that than Yoshi's greatest asset: Poochy. Never before did I think much about the dino's loyal canine, but now I recognize him as undoubtedly the one thing cuter than Yoshi, be it fetching pick-ups in his mouth, his little dance upon Yoshi collecting said pick-ups, or the content whine upon being licked. He is also, as far as I know, the world's one-and-only lava-resistant dog. Regardless of whether the levels are compatible with him, I can never help but bring him with me for a ride; I'd feel guilty otherwise (he's just too pleasant!).

And let us not forget the unlockable costumes, although as much as I adore the in-game ones inspired by past Nintendo consoles (GameCube Yoshi!), it's the amiibo compability that steals the show. Needless to say, Good-Feel's art team went all out in translating the pre-DLC Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS cast (minus the Pokémon, while also including Toad and Splatoon's Inklings) into Yoshi's form, and the creativity on display is incredible. Be it recognizing tiny details such as Olimar's Pikmin represented via Yoshi's spikes (complete with googly eyes!), the purple rim of Ness's cap placed on the uppermost spike, or all the concessions made for the visually complicated characters (Palutena's shield rests upon Yoshi's saddle, and yes, Yoshi's cheeks serve as Ganondorf's sideburns), and it was enough for me to utilize all of them at least once so I could further analyze their designs. In this, replaying each level wasn't just an excuse to discover their secrets; with new costumes and a lovable dog, it was just another day out in the park.

(Surprisingly, the only miss is Kirby; while adapting such a simple shape to Yoshi's doubtlessly proved difficult, the ubiquitous pink is hardly familiar at all even when factoring in the blushing cheeks and red shoes. What a shock given Good-Feel's experience with him!)

Speaking of Kirby, an old friend by the name of Tomoya Tomita returns to again lull us into sweet reverie. Not that the ever-present Kazumi Totaka shouldn't be given credit for doing the same via the adorable main theme -- the airy playfulness of Yarn Yoshi Takes Shape! instantly shoots it to the very top of his Yoshi efforts -- but that is his one and only contribution, leaving Tomita-san and his guitar-based approach to pick up the slack.

As mentioned when I spoke with Tomita-san, I describe Woolly World's soundtrack as being akin to a hayride, and what better example than Knitty-Knotty Windmill Hill? First introduced within a sleepy countryside, those carefree summer days instantly come to mind thanks to this soft combination of slide guitars and pianos, as I can just feel that crinkling straw as I nestle lazily in-between my family. Easily the most pleasant song in the game, Tomita-san's emphasis on country is hardly ever stronger than here. (coincidentally, this also plays in the aforementioned Wobble Mobile Jaunt, which is the key for its dreaminess)

It's also fascinating listening to how Tomita-san alternates in sticking to Yoshi's playful roots while stretching his boundaries. When accounting the familiar, you have head-boppingly infectious tunes in Bounceabout Woods and Yoshi and Cookies -- both insanely adorable themes that instantly gel with Yoshi's character -- to the screeching rock guitars of Lava Scarves and Red Hot Blarggs. To say the least, it is entirely unexpected when they greet our ears, but that it remembers to be more measured than your average F-Zero GX song somehow renders it perfectly acceptable within the world of Yoshi.

If forced to choose whether the active or gentle songs are stronger, the former wins on account of one single song: the Special Course theme. Operating on an uptempo, it is a fanciful dream meant for spectacle, not the least of which is a a thrilling curtain-filled rollercoaster navigated through jumps and clinging. Each and every last of those Special Courses will challenge even the most labored of players, but not once do they induce anger, and it's here we realize Woolly World's de-emphasis on lives plays into the music: not once does this rapturous tune ever stop in its highlighting our child-like glee in swinging about through starry auroras and dashing along bead-covered spouts, and that is how I found myself saying, "this is why I play video games."

Yoshi's Woolly World is not without missteps -- a little too many secrets rely on poking about and solving obscure puzzles rather than tapping into the same imagination applied for everything else. The presence of 8-bit "patches" are compelling visual treats in conception, but confuse in their purpose given their identical functions to their regular counterparts. And like Epic Yarn before it, something about the final boss never feels terribly climatic or all that satisfying to overcome.

But that's all rendered irrelevant in what it accomplishes: after twenty years of waiting, we finally, finally have a top-notch Yoshi that does justice not just to one of Nintendo's greatest mascots, but to successfully capitalize upon one of the finest games ever made. For the very final game released under Satoru Iwata's tenure, that's not just the greatest honor it can hope for; it's one of hope for Nintendo's future. 

I must make one final note: the co-op play is perhaps Nintendo's finest since New Super Mario Bros. Wii. While two players must work together, it's not long before friendly fire devolves it into anarchic slapstick, be it smacking Yoshis off ledges via Egg Toss and slurping/spitting Yoshis into poor Poochy. It's definitely a "you have to be there" thing, as there's something about the "SLAP!" sound effect that cracks me up every time I hear it. New Super Mario Bros. U may have the platforming wizardry and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze the spectacle and awe, but it is that loving warmth, its euphoric achievement, and little things like this that renders Yoshi's Woolly World my very favorite for Wii U.