Yoshi’s Wooly World Wii U Preview

Good-Feel’s Yoshi’s Wooly World for Wii U brings console owners Yoshi’s first one-man show since 1997’s Yoshi’s Story for N64. First unveiled by Nintendo at E3 2014, this visually delightful, side-scrolling platformer by the developers of Kirby’s Epic Yarn (2010) throws Yoshi into a crocheted Nintendo-land to face an old-school slew of pitfalls and puzzles. While many details regarding the title have yet to unfold, Wooly World is expected to receive a Q3 2015 release date.

Early gameplay footage shows off a uniquely textured Wooly World with smooth, stop-motion-like animations that bring the 2.5-D iteration of the Mushroom Kingdom to life. A playful, marimba-driven soundtrack helps color the knit-landscape of smiling daisies and poof clouds with a charm reminiscent of Yoshi’s Story’s pop-up book theme. Yoshi’s fully armed with his signature abilities, including flutter-jump and ground pound, although his typical arsenal of polka-dotted eggs has been stocked with deadly yarn balls that cause enemies to literally unravel on impact.

Tapping a compatible yarn-Yoshi amiibo to the Wii U gamepad will enable a second NPC or local-player controlled Yoshi to jump into the game. Players will be able to swallow and throw this second Yoshi to reach areas otherwise inaccessible. The yarn-Yoshi amiibo pack set to launch with Wooly World will include a pink, blue, and green yarn-Yoshi. Other non-Yoshi amiibos are set to be compatible as well but appear to only be cosmetic. For example, scan the Donkey Kong and your Yoshi will appear with a Donkey Kong-like skin and appearance. Most, if not all amiibos, should work with Wooly World although this currently is not 100% confirmed.

While its distinct style has clearly inspired character and level design, it’s unclear as to how Wooly World’s aesthetic will affect its gameplay. Should we expect gameplay as self-aware as that of Paper Mario or A Link Between Worlds or perhaps a more modest consideration for aesthetics? How will Good-Feel build upon Nintendo’s seldom visited franchise? Stay tuned as we await further details from Nintendo’s E3 2015 presentation.

Expect to see more of Yoshi’s Wooly World at E3 2015.

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