Without much thought.
Sometimes I just don’t want to think when playing a video game. I want to take it in and enjoy everything it embodies. Yoshi’s Crafted World is the perfect game to do just that. Yoshi and Kirby seem to be Nintendo’s testing ground for unique visual style. Whether it is yarn or crafting materials, they have seen their fair share of visual anomalies. Crafted World uses cardboard cutouts and hand-crafted stages to embark its visual appeal. The underlying game however, is a charming romp that requires little more than 10% of my attention to blast through. I loved every minute of it.
Not big on challenge is the best way to describe Yoshi’s latest foray into gaming. There are plenty of levels and secrets to discover, but the only thing I needed to spend to earn them was time. This was a stark contrast as I was also playing Sekiro at the time of working on this review. It was like bouncing between worlds with these games. One that demanded every ounce of my patience and attention, while the other just said do whatever you want, nothing bad will happen.
MSRP: $59.99
Platforms: Switch
Price I’d Pay: $39.99
Moving from the beginning to the end of the level in Crafted World is a simple task, but that is not all there is to do. Each level hosts a variety of collectibles and secrets to uncover. The charm is limitless here. Smacking Shy Guys with eggs or simply knocking over cardboard bushes to find coins never got old. Every level can also be played backwards with an entirely new objective of collecting Poochy’s. I love how the level doesn’t change and you see behind the curtain. The backside of cardboard cut outs, the attention to detail is just smile-inducing.
The real name of the game is collecting. Each stage has plenty of different things to find and collect. There are standard coins, red coins, and flowers along the way. Getting them all becomes an addiction since none of them are extremely difficult. When I found myself missing something, I turned around and searched some more. I rarely moved on from a level until it was 100% complete. The game just does an outstanding job of making this task simple and enjoyable. Once completed the levels will also host secret items to find for various NPCs in order to earn even more goodies.
Yoshi earns coins to use in a giant gumball-like machine for new costumes to wear. They are color-coded by rarity and all are absolutely adorable. I loved finding new ones and seeing the animations involved. It is impossible not to smile while playing Crafted World. These costumes also grant different armor based on their rarity. It is a neat incentive to find everything as there are a ton of costumes to unlock.
There is also a co-op mode within the game that can be played locally. It is fun at first, however there is one drawback to the system. It is entirely too easy for the second Yoshi to attach on the back of the other. This causes more chaos than I wanted in a game of this type. When playing with my son he just kept doing that, which was hilarious at first, but the perfectionist in me wanted to collect items while he spent time keeping me from doing so. We had a good laugh, but I enjoyed the game a little more flying solo.
Nintendo continues its trend of excellence when it comes to visual and audio delight. I adore the look of Crafted World. From the cardboard backdrops to the attention to detail it is simply a delight to look at. The sound effects are whimsical and the music is simply joy-inspiring. Every single ounce of presentation is an excuse to be cute, and it works. Nintendo has mastered the craft of making games appealing to everyone of every age, and Crafted World is no exception.
Yoshi’s Crafted World is exactly what I needed, when I needed it. I could turn off my brain and just have a good time. Nintendo excels at that. While it can get repetitive after a while, it never wears out its welcome. I loved collecting everything in the game and the hours I spent with it were joy-infused. The entry price might be a bit steep, but the Nintendo quality never fails to deliver.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
