Topic: Yoshi and the mysterious Book

Well, I just finished World 1 (and by finished I mean I did everything I could in it at this point in the game) and I can give you some impressions.

Basically the game is all about interacting with creatures and objects and combining them in different ways. The game tracks the "discoveries" you make about each creature, which I think you can basically divide into two categories: mechanics and achievements. What I mean by that is that some discoveries are just that: "Here's what happens when you ground pound this creature," or, "Here's what happens when you feed this creature an apple." And then you have "discoveries" that are actually challenges, like "encase three creatures in a bubble", or "defeat every instance of this creature in the stage". Some of these aren't trivial, and that's where the challenge comes in. I think you can pretty easily just breeze through the game if you're not trying to 100% it.

Anyway, if that sounds boring to you, then I'd say you should avoid this game. But like, I can't calibrate in my mind what you'd find fun. Anybody who doesn't enjoy Bananza has a mind that is alien to me. I must have visited an in-store demo for that game a dozen times before it released.

also, why twice did you buy a game before even knowing a shred of how it played? how the hell do you look up these games in that case?

I did the same thing. I tried to get into it but just couldn’t for some reason.

I have Nintendo for all the first party stuff I like: Mario, Kirby, Yoshi, Metroid, Zelda, StarFox, etc.

When a game comes out for one of those I don’t really spend any time looking at it at all because I know I want it. Do want the next Mario game? Yes. Next Kirby game? Also yes. Next StarFox? GIVE IT TO ME! (Please remake Zero because I couldn’t get used to the Wii U controls).

So I just kinda buy it. I also have a habit of not getting around to play games I buy, so they’ll sit on my shelf sealed. Before I open them, I’ll sometimes look up game footage to see if I like it. I can tell in about 30 seconds if I’m into it.

In almost all cases I mentioned above, the problem is the game diverted from franchise norms:

DK: Platformer with enemies and Bananas? Naw man, dig around everywhere! Just mash that button the whole time! Listen to it say BANANA 50 gazillion times.

Kirby Air Riders: Platformer with power up abilities? Naw, one button racing! (This one’s on me, it’s a sequel and even the back cover gives it away).

Yoshi Mysterious Book: Hard to die relaxing platformer with shooting eggs and enemies that can be easily dispatched. Naw, no deaths, no enemies….imagine a Mario game without enemies.

Yes I need to start watching gameplay BEFORE buying, but it just seems like this has been happening more frequently.

This one might blow your mind: I have every Zelda & Metroid game since the Wii. Have only played half of Twilight Princess & Breath of the Wild. In both cases I quit playing for a bit and when I came back I was lost. The rest are on my shelf sealed.

Still have never played Metroid beyond getting stuck on the SNES in the 90’s. All sitting on my shelf. Sealed. :/

I was just hoping I’m missing something with this Yoshi game. I’m going to watch some more gameplay to see if I can get into it. I want to like it, of course.

i would highly suggest a different mindset. kinda just feels like a waste of money. and you don't need to bust out the snes copy of super metroid to play it, y'know...

For what it's worth, the demo/intro area in bananza is much less interesting than later in the game. I think they used the demo as a way to get the smash-everything urge out of players so that they could play the rest of the game with a more moderate amount of smashing

Imagine Animal Crossing with no enemies. Imagine Tetris with no platforming. Fundamentally, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a different genre than Mario or most Yoshi games so it makes sense that there are different features.

There is some jumping, but the game is not primarily a platformer. It's a side-scroller sort of but there is no goal at the end — you just leave wherever you want anywhere in the level. There are puzzles but many of them have nothing to do with platforming, so I wouldn't call it a puzzle-platformer like e.g Captain Toad.

Personally I was very hesitant to get the game because a lot of reviews didn't make it sound great and watching gameplay honestly didn't make it look that fun either. However, I'm glad I got the game because I'm really enjoying it. I'm not done but I'll probably give it at least a 8/10.

I still feel like the game really needs a demo. Even with a short demo I think most people would either quickly start enjoying the game's vibe or else they wouldn't and that would be a good indication to get the game or not.

I’ve heard this before so I bought the game anyway. Just hesitant to open it. lol.

I’ve heard there might be an in-store demo and maybe a demo will come to eShop. So I’ll keep it sealed for a bit to see if a demo pops up.

With your ranking, 5/10 should be neutral. A lot of people grade stuff like a classroom, so they’ll give something that’s average a 7 or 8, which pegs everything higher than it should be (like IGN does). Things I like but would never do again usually end up in the 6 range. Negative experiences are below 5.

I feel like most peoples “10 scale” is actually a 7-10 scale unless they hate it completely and give it a 1.

I think I rate things pretty close to 5/10 neutral. I try to use Nintendo Life's scoring definitions where 5 is 'average'. There are a lot of games I give 4 and 5 to and I almost never give 10/10 and 9/10 is somewhat rare. Sure, I give far more 7s and 8s than 3s and 2s but that is because I usually avoid playing terrible games and instead often play high quality games I think I will enjoy. I agree with you that some people inflate scores but you also have to acknowledge how many truly awful games are out there and how most of those never really get rated. There are lots of games I have enjoyed and rated 6/10, but both enjoyment and the feeling of high quality is significantly higher for me for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book.

I did not realize they had the scores laid out like that. I looked them up and completely agree.

The biggest thing that frustrates me on games is grinding or if games are intentional padded out. Even reviews of Mario Luigi Brothership acknowledge its padded out quite a bit so I avoided it. Play time does not equal quality. I tend to like shorter games anyway, by the time I start to get tired of it, its over.

I hope I'm able to play a demo soon. I want to like the game of course.