Yoshi’s Crafted World is a 2D platformer game published by Nintendo and set to release on March 29, 2019 for $60, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. These are my impressions of the demo.
Yoshi is just one of those characters that consistently flies under my radar. But I love the way Nintendo tends to make his games so stylized; they’re incredibly charming.
And then Yoshi’s Crafted World takes that charm up to an adorable 11. The cuteness of this game is through the cardboard roof! But what gets me truly interested in the game is its unique platforming mechanics.
If the art style didn’t give it away, Yoshi’s Crafted World is less a platforming challenge and more a relaxing stroll through levels in search of collectibles. It’s more like an interactive I Spy book. It’s so different from Mario or Celeste as a “platformer” that it’s almost as if Yoshi should be in his own genre, like a 2D collect-a-thon. Sure it’s not exactly challenging, but it’s fun in its own way.
I like the fact that each of the levels have the ability to be played reversed. It’s enough of an interesting idea that expands the collecting mechanic. You can find anything you may have missed and go back for it later.
I also think having the easy mode is a good choice as well. Being married to someone who loves cute things but dislikes platforming, this the perfect thing for my wife and I to play together. This will definitely be a game we pick up, maybe not immediately, but sometime this year. Gotta save up that money again! 2019 is going to be a year-long massacre on my wallet…
Hookshot, Charge Beam, Revive 