OLD MECHANICS, FRESH IDEAS
The year is 2026; anyone still waiting for a great follow up to Yoshi’s Island needs to give up hope. Let’s be honest with ourselves, there’ve been a couple of good games, a couple of… other games, but most players will agree that whether it be Woolly World, Story, DS, none of the Yoshi games have captured the magic from the SNES original. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book tries a relatively novel idea and doesn’t even try to be Yoshi’s Island. Sure, it shares the same mechanics as the other Yoshi games with hover jumps, eating enemies, and throwing eggs but unlike other games in the series this is a puzzle game where the goal is to figure out what to do.
It’s hard to explain because this type of game is still relatively nameless. We can divide genres of RPGs and platformers down to fine minutia but Yoshi and the Mysterious Book sort of fails to find a proper genre name. The goals are unknown to the player when they enter the level but the mechanics at their disposal always stay the same meaning that players have to determine how their actions affect new elements presented to them and stumble into achieving goals. I’ve seen indie games experiment with this style; games like Wattam and Reventure come to mind in the way that the player is presented with a sandbox with obfuscated puzzles/solutions.
PLATFORMS: NS2
MSRP: DIGITAL $59.99 PHYSICAL $69.99
PRICE I’D PAY: $59.99
The best way to explain the gameplay is to run through a single level. The first area explores a flower creature. Through engaging with the flower creature with Yoshi’s moves the player will discover that Yoshi can indeed eat them, they can ride on his back, they get dazed when jumped, etc. But where the game becomes more complex is that while the flower creature rides on Yoshi’s back flowers bloom in the grass and this mechanic when done in a specific area unlocks another discovery (the goals of the game). Each level is marked off with one large discovery that marks off the thematic “end” of the level; however, players can stick around to explore further. Some discoveries are challenging and/or extremely obtuse while others are simply uniquely fun and gimmicky, but even when I thought I had surely discovered them all I would exit the stage to find another silhouetted discovery awaiting me. These can be paid to expose more info to help the player figure it out but where’s the fun in that.
I think the really impressive part is that while Yoshi’s mechanics stay the same the levels drastically change in gameplay. There’s a rhythm-based level, there’s a pseudo-stealth hostage saving level, there’s a level that plays like an autoscroller, etc. To maintain a very basic formula throughout and yet adapt it to the characteristics of these creatures really helps build the feeling that these things are not just enemies but “living” creatures players are discovering.
The design of this game is wonderful too. The art style is slightly odd but the animation of the characters makes them feel like stop animation (specifically Claymation) and the bright colors are extremely nice to look at. Good music and sound design as well. The game feels magical. Also while Shy Guys and other Yoshi staples return, the newly introduced creatures are fantastic and I think it’s some of the most unique character design I’ve seen in video games in a long time, but that also comes from the fact that this game is treating them like they are real, multifaceted creatures and not just enemies to jump on.
Now the complaints. I don’t know why this game is a Switch 2 exclusive. Maybe there is a good reason, but as far as I can tell there’s nothing too crazy this game does to warrant exclusivity. I do appreciate that this was one of the first games Nintendo sold for a lesser price digitally, but I also think that’s just the price it should cost. It’s $100 in Canada for this game on cartridge and while I love this game like a warm blanket, it’s not worth $100. Also, Nintendo really isn’t building a strong catalog by adding Yoshi and the Mysterious Book to the Switch 2 library when there isn’t a Zelda or Mario game next to it as this is ultimately a niche title. I love the game and think people should try it, but don’t go buy a Switch 2 to play it.
So, who is this for? Honestly, I would argue anyone who enjoys whimsy but more so families. The game is relatively not punishing yet not easy, and it does have that Nintendo polish on it. It’s incredibly engaging as long as you accept this game for what it is (which is not Yoshi’s Island). In comparison to other games Good-Feel has done for Nintendo, this is one of their best and that’s because it’s not trying to be Yoshi’s Island or Kirby’s Dream Land with a cute aesthetic, but a new type of game using a familiar move set… and it’s much better than their last outing Princess Peach: Showtime!
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
