Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World Review (Nintendo 3DS)

Written by: Patrick Orquia

Title: Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Good-Feel
Genre: Platformer
No. of Players: 1
Release Date: 19 Jan 2017 (JP)/3rd Feb 2017 (NA)/3rd Feb 2017 (EUR)/4th Feb 2017 (AUS)
Series: Yoshi
Price: $39.99
Platform: 3DS systems

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This game is a port of the game Yoshi’s Woolly World on the Wii U released in 2015. It is one of the three ports from Wii U, the others being Hyrule Warriors (as Hyrule Warrior Legends) and Super Mario Maker (as Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS), which were released in 2016. Aside from the expected graphical downgrade from the Wii U version, this version of the game is pretty much the same as the original. All 48 levels are present in this version, plus additional auto-runner levels featuring Poochy (hence the title) that you can unlock as you continue playing through the levels. The stereo 3D effect on the 3DS makes the unique yarn aesthetics pop out, despite it being not as detailed as the original, and it still looks very good.

There are other cool features that are added to this game. One is the ability to craft your own custom Yoshi designs, either by manually setting the color and patterns or with the use of unlocked yarn patterns in the game. You can also use amiibo to unlock character designs from other characters, such as Link from the Legend of Zelda, by scanning them on your 3DS. Your created Yoshi designs can then be shared with other players via streetpass. Another feature is the 31 stop-motion movies in the new Yoshi Theater that gets unlocked one by one every 24 hours. They are short, adorable, and funny, and a nice addition to this version of the game that may encourage the Wii U version owners to double dip, aside from it being now portable and accessible.

Speaking of accessibility, this version has an updated Mellow Mode, for casual gamers. In this mode, Yoshi gets a pair of wings that makes him fly indefinitely, avoiding pitfalls and helping him in reaching platforms. Yoshi also gets assistance from 3 Poochy pups. They act as unlimited yarn eggs and help you in finding hidden clouds and collectibles and also in attacking some enemies in advance, such as piranha plants, so that you don’t have to worry about them much. I personally like this mode because I don’t have to spend much time in finding all the collectibles. I usually play a level in classic mode first and if I miss some of the collectibles, I play the level again on mellow mode to find them all. For me, it complements the portability of this game very well, and It makes the game also accessible to kids who are playing the game that are not as skilled as the older ones.

Overall, this game surely doesn’t look as vibrant and as detailed as the Wii U version, with the yarn aesthetic isn’t as pronounced, but with the additional features, it makes the Wii U version make a run for its money. If you don’t mind the graphical downgrade and you have not played the original, then this is a must buy game for your 3DS. I highly recommend this game, not only to Yoshi fans, but also to any player who wants to have a great time playing one of the best platformers to have ever come out in this generation.

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PROS:

• Excellent soundtrack, gameplay, and aesthetics, albeit the graphics takes a downgrade which is understandable since the 3DS is not as powerful as the Wii U
• All 48 levels from the original is present
• The Poochy levels are fun and quite challenging to play
• The adorable and fun short stop-motion movies are a nice addition
• The Mellow Mode complements the portability of the game very well, as it offers a relaxed way to play the game and also make the young players enjoy the game without getting too overwhelmed by the difficulty, which rises significantly by the latter worlds.
• The game is usually bundled with a Poochy amiibo. Scanning the Poochy amiibo allows Poochy in helping Yoshi in completing the levels and also unlocks the time trial mode on Poochy auto-runner levels.
• The stereo 3D effect is well implemented
• Players can create their own custom Yoshi designs
• Yoshi designs can be shared to other players via streetpass
• Other character designs can be obtained by scanning certain amiibo
• Runs at 60 FPS on the New 3DS (only 30 FPS on the original 3DS)

CONS:

• The graphics are not as detailed as on the original, with some nuances, such as the slight indentation on the ground made of yarn made by Yoshi’s foot as he walks on it, not present on this version
• Multiplayer gameplay has been removed

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SCORE: 4.5/5 big Yoshi yarn eggs

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