Although Nintendo has been the gold standard when it comes to platformers, “LittleBigPlanet” has had the bigger influence on the genre as of late. The series has popularized the idea of user-generated content, but one of its overlooked contributions is the distinctive visual style.
The crafted look built into the ethos of “LittleBigPlanet” caught the eye of developers, most notably Good-Feel. The Japanese studio has reproduced comparable visuals in projects such as “Kirby’s Epic Yarn” and “Yoshi’s Woolly World.” The studio’s latest effort, “Yoshi’s Crafted World,” is one that feels most like a “LittleBigPlanet” campaign, but it’s built around the mechanics of Mario’s dino sidekick.
It begins as nearly all Nintendo adventures do, with the Koopa family causing trouble. Baby Bowser and Kamek try to steal the Yoshis’ Sundream Stone, and during the attempted robbery, the gems attached to the artifact scatter across the world. It’s up to players to gather them back up in a campaign that will take them across dozens of levels and 17 smallish areas.
With different paths, players can embark on the gem search in several ways, and the order in which they acquire the stones doesn’t change the narrative or gameplay. “Yoshi’s Crafted World” is still linear as players go through each level stomping on Bullet Bills and swallowing Shy Guys and turning them into eggs.
Those eggs are the main way players interact with the world. Players hit the X button to enter a tossing stance and they can aim the throw using the left analog stick. With that mechanic, Yoshi can defeat piranha plants and other adversaries, but interestingly enough, they can also hit objects in the foreground and background.
“Yoshi’s Crafted World” plays around with this concept throughout the campaign, giving the game a depth beyond the normal 2D platformer. Good-Feel hides coins and secret rooms through this technique, and it lets Yoshi move in and out of the background layers. Part of the game’s fun is trying to uncover these elements and earn Smiley Flowers, which are the equivalent to Mario’s stars.
That emphasis on exploration and discovery is important and one that Good-Feel relies on a little too much. The studio built these incredibly detailed worlds that beg to be pored over, but they ask the players to revisit them constantly to find a certain object. Meanwhile, other instances have players going through the levels in reverse and in a different perspective in order to search for Poochy Pups.
These missions are optional, but they tug at the heartstrings of completionists who are already collecting other items such as costumes that offer Yoshi new looks and armor. That’s added on top of the multiple playthroughs needed to grab all the Smiley Flowers in each level.
Despite this, players can’t fault the creativity that Good-Feel displays in the game’s level design. The team does a lot crafting levels that look like they’ve been done with string, cardboard and other household objects. Each level has a distinct concept and the studio does just enough to scratch the potential of each idea.
They break up those standard levels with ones featuring vehicles and chases. Some have Yoshi outrunning a Skelesaurus while others have the dinosaur riding atop a plane. Players control the pitch by moving to different parts of the plane, which tests new platforming muscles. Of course, Yoshi’s sidekick Poochy returns and becomes essential in levels where the hero has to ride the dog through obstacles. That will keep fans of “Woolly World” happy.
Lastly, “Yoshi’s Crafted World” offers a cooperative mode, where a second player can jump in as another Yoshi to help friends beat the game. It adds another layer of fun and complexity to a title that excels creatively on both ends.
‘Yoshi’s Crafted World’
3 stars out of 4
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Rating: Everyone
