[Review] Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World
System: 3DS
Release date: February 3, 2017
Developer: Good-Feel
Publisher Nintendo
Yoshi and his Woolly World are back to entertain you again, but this time on the 3DS – and with a friend. Yoshi has seen a long and healthy run in the handheld space with Yoshi Island remakes, spinoffs, and sequels, before going back to the console space. Now he returns home in Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World on 3DS. After Super Mario Maker, this is the newest 3DS port of a Wii U title from its library, but what’s the difference, if any, between its console counterpart?
For those who have played the extremely cute and fun Yoshi’s Woolly World on Wii U, the experience is virtually identical. You’ll start out in your hub world with many other Yoshi when all of a sudden Kamek – a familiar face throughout the Yoshi series – arrives and unravels nearly all of the Yoshi in the area and confiscates their yarn.
It’s from here after a short cut-scene that you’ll embark on your side-scrolling platforming adventure throughout the wool-filled world and save and restore your friends back while getting a bunch of patterns and different looks along the way to play with. This a fun way to personalize your Yoshi in a bunch of different ways, which also includes amiibo. While the amiibo don’t give much if any perks when you scan them into your game, doing so is seamless, and you’ll only have to do it once to get it registered into your game. You can always choose to scan the amiibo at any given point of the game, and, if you want to change how you look, you can simply go to amiibo hut in the hub world – a click away from the touch screen while you’re in the level-selecting overworld – and a selection of every look you’ve unlocked through amiibo or in-game will be made available for you to choose from.
The game is fairly straightforward in its UI and presentation, but in some cases, as an avid Yoshi fan, this does it a disservice. Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World, much like Yoshi’s Woolly World before it, is way too easy even in its Classic Mode – one of the two modes offered in addition to the alternative Mellow Mode in which you’re given wings and it is literally impossible for you to fall into a pit or anywhere for that matter unless you’re incapable of pressing the A button, your primary function for getting across levels and platforming.
While the slight change of name from Yoshi’s Woolly World to Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World would imply that there’s been added content – enough to warrant the pricing of a full 3DS title – there really isn’t too much. Yes, with the addition of Poochy, you get an added mode called Poochy Dash that works like an endless runner would where you’d simply have to time your jumps and collect the gems as you go from point A to point B, but other than that the game is identical to the Wii U version. For those who have played or own the Wii U version of the game, there’s nothing overly new for you here unless you want to give it another go. There’s a Scrapbook Theater also that brings the cuteness of Poochy and Yoshi’s wool-infused amiibo to life through stop-motion animation, but they’re only short snippets of each before you have to wait a whole day until the next video unlocks, assuming you’ve correctly answered the easy pop-quiz that’s given to you after the video finishes.
One unfortunate omission is the multiplayer feature from the Wii U version. While its absence may deter some from picking up Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World assuming they haven’t experienced the original game, playing by yourself is fine, and with the quick levels and ease of the game in general, you never really feel like you need someone there to help you out.
Graphically, Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World looks good and the performance is still on par with the Wii U version as it’s running at a steady 60 frames per second on New 3DS (30 on the regular 3DS) with no drops whatsoever. The set pieces are nice just like they were in the Wii U edition. But due to the lack of power the 3DS offers as well as its poor resolution, the world doesn’t look nearly as alive or as wool-like as it did on Wii U. In the Wii U version of Yoshi’s Woolly World, the wool looks practically real and rarely gives off the vibe of it being a 3D render, and instead feels like you’re playing through an actual wool-made set piece. The 3DS version certainly makes it look cartoony, and is practically Yoshi’s Island but with a slightly different art direction.
For all its faults, Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World feels fantastic on the 3DS thanks to the side-scrolling nature of the game, which I feel has always been appropriate for handhelds and shine the most through them. Being able to take Yoshi platforming on the go with non-stop adorable moments and excellent level-design is a plus in my book, and those unable to attain the Wii U version of the game have a well-done title waiting to be played, especially for the platforming aficionados. The game isn’t particularly designed to be played in extended play-sessions, so having it on your 3DS able to be played when you have time throughout your day in-between errands, work, travel, and other things make Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World accessible and perfect for those situations.
Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World doesn’t provide much for those who have enjoyed the Wii U version of the game, but for those without it, you have a solid side-scrolling Yoshi title that will give you hours of entertainment, even though you’re forced to play alone this time around. Poochy doesn’t provide much in the 3DS release, and while this will probably mislead a few to purchase the game with the notion they’ll have a “definitive” version of the game, all you’re really getting are some mini-games and a few sketches you’ll have to wait days for. Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World isn’t made for those with the Wii U version, but 3DS owners and those who love Yoshi’s Island and similar games will be provided with a nice addition to their library and a decent amount of hours of gameplay to go through.
