‘Yoshi’s Woolly World’ Is Beautifully Crafted For Wii U [Hands-On Preview]
The Nintendo booth at E3 2015 featured several new titles for the Wii U console, including the newly announced Star Fox Zero and Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. Yet, the still-in-development state of these titles, particularly Star Fox Zero, showed. Yoshi’s Woolly World, which is scheduled for release in Europe, Japan, and Australia this summer, served as a shining showcase of just how refined a game on the Wii U console can be with its second E3 showing.
Like a finely-crafted garment, Yoshi’s Woolly World looks and feels beautiful. The graphics are crisp. Animations are smooth. From what I experienced in the hands-on demo this year, it may arguably be one of the most visually and aesthetically pleasing titles on the Wii U console. I chose to play multiplayer with someone I had just met at the show. In many games, that would be a recipe for disaster, but not so here. The controls were surprisingly intuitive, even on the Wii U Gamepad, and it was easy to pick up and play together. Two to three minutes in and we could not help smiling, laughing, and having a grand time collaborating. The platforming puzzles offer enough challenge to keep things interesting, and the ways Yoshi can use yarn in the game force the player to embrace the woven game world. From a cursory glance, it’s creative game design at its best, and delightfully executed.
When I first played Yoshi’s Woolly World at last year’s E3, it was easy for me to buy into the cute concept of playing a game as a plushie Yoshi. So, I was already on board with the premise of the game. However, with the addition of amiibo, I’m not just playing the game as an adorable in-game Yarn Yoshi. I have the option to play with a real-life plush Yarn Yoshi amiibo toy and bring it to life on the screen. Not only that, many of the other amiibo I’ve been collecting, like Mario and Samus, are woven into the game, as well. The feature allowing players to skin Yarn Yoshi with costumes of their favorite Nintendo characters using amiibo (more than 40 are compatible, according to Eurogamer) does not just increase the value of each amiibo add-on, it adds another level of fun whimsy to the game’s experience. It’s a fine finish to the overall package of what makes playing on Wii U fun and enjoyable at this stage of its life cycle.
Yoshi’s Woolly World launches in North America on October 16, 2015. One can hope a decent stock of Yarn Yoshi amiibo will be made to go around so that all players can enjoy the novelty, should they desire to do so.
