
For fans who have been anxiously awaiting news of Yarn Yoshi since it was first announced in January 2013, seeing Nintendo’s Takashi Tezuka and Good-Feel’s Etsunobu Ebisu walk into a yarn shop during the E3 Digital Event was enough to send hopeful hearts flutter-jumping in anticipation. Now sporting a new name and a launch window of 2015, Yoshi’s Woolly World was one of Nintendo’s flagship titles on the E3 floor this year, and for good reason. We couldn’t get enough this textile-based platformer — it’s beautiful, charming, and a blast to play with one Yoshi or two.
From first glance, Yoshi’s Woolly World stands out for one thing: it looks absolutely amazing. Good-Feel has taken the endlessly charming design conceit of Kirby’s Epic Yarn and recast it into high definition and three dimensions; the results are mesmerizing. While the move to a three-dimensional world might seem inconsequential in a side-scroller, it makes a huge difference in the look and feel of the game: when enemies unravel, their yarn twists in and out of the background in addition to left and right, sewing pins poke through the platforms they keep delicately in place in different directions, and Yoshi’s boots swirl themselves into a woolly whirlwind as he performs his trademark flutter-jump.

The leap to a 3D world makes Woolly World feel almost like a 2.5D platformer, and there’s at least one instance when the camera pans away from the traditional side-on angle: when Yoshi reaches the hoop at the end of each stage, the viewpoint swings around behind him to get a better view of the jump. The third dimension is also used to full effect in the character models. While Kirby’s Epic Yarn traded entirely in iconic outlines, the denizens of Woolly World are more varied: Shy Guys are made up of loosely bundled strands of thread behind their trademark masks, Huffin Puffin chicks are tightly packed puffs of cotton, and Yoshi himself is an impossibly cuddly-looking stuffed toy — the epitome of crocheted cuteness.
The level of detail in the materials is incredible as well; individual pieces of yarn show subtle fraying, with stray wisps and strands swaying gently off the fabric, fine pieces of thread glisten and stretch as they hold cotton clouds aloft, sequins add a glittery glow to underground caverns, Yoshi’s bulbous nose squishes in softly as he pushes against objects, and the ground responds to his knit-purl pitter-patter differently depending on the fabric it’s made of. The effect is that everything in the game looks like something you could actually create — given enough time and talent, of course — pick up, and manipulate with your hands in real life. In fact, part of what makes Woolly World so surreal in its beauty is precisely the fact that it all looks so real — it feels like the game is made entirely out of fabric and yarn, and it’s easy to forget there are polygons involved in the process at all.

Best of all, the arts-and-crafts aesthetic feeds directly into the gameplay. Sometimes you’ll notice bits of the environment that are a little more frayed than others, or a piece of thread hanging out of an otherwise tightly-knit element; more often than not, these clues hide secret areas or collectables, which makes keeping an eye out for imperfections in each world’s weave a treat for the scoreboard as well as the senses. The resulting animations are in keeping with the theme too, of course: hidden platforms are speed-knit into existence, while a tug from Yoshi’s tongue will unthread barriers stitch by stitch and row by row.
We were able to play through three levels in our time with Woolly World, and we’re happy to report that the demo was just as much fun to play as it was to look at. Even in this early stage, Yoshi controls beautifully — flutter jumping, ground-pounding, and egg-tossing all felt just as they should on the GamePad, and the game already has the hyper-polished feel of Nintendo’s top-tier platformers. In a departure from both the Yoshi’s Island series on the one hand and Kirby’s Epic Yarn on the other, Woolly World uses a health-bar system: a ring of pink petals encircles Yoshi, appearing when you take damage, and you can add to your health by finding more petals hidden around the stages — they scatter when uncovered, just like the Stars of Yoshi’s Island. There are no lives or Game Over screens to worry about, however; if Yoshi looses all his health, he’ll just pop back up at the last checkpoint.

That said, we were impressed and somewhat surprised by the satisfying level of challenge offered by the demo, especially in comparison to Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Some of that challenge comes from level design and enemy placement. One section in the third level we played saw Yoshi leading Huffin Puffin chicks instead of eggs, and had plenty of Piranha Plants guarding gems (the omnipresent, Epic Yarn-inspired pickup of choice in the game) and other collectables. Without eggs, the plants couldn’t be stunned (muzzled, in this case - with a piece of string of course) and set-up for a ground-pound, and in some cases they guarded narrow enough passages that Yoshi wouldn’t be able to ground-pound them anyway. The key to getting past the plants lay in skipping a few screens forward, finding a fuzzy, floating Koopa Trooper, heading back to the Piranha gauntlet, and using the Koopa’s button-shell to take them out.
Another part of the challenge stems from the reason you’d want to get into the hidden areas in the first place; as in most Yoshi games, the emphasis in Woolly World is on unravelling the levels at leisure to find secrets and hidden items, rather than racing to the finish, and there are plenty of collectables to find along the way. Along with the Good-Feel gems and Yoshi’s traditional smiling flowers, there are three skeins of yarn to be found in each stage, some of which were rather deviously hidden. All these collectables added to what felt like a large emphasis placed on secrets in the demo, especially in the form of invisible cotton question-marked clouds. These Cheshire cat-counterparts to the series’ staple item boxes were hidden everywhere, only making themselves known if touched by Yoshi or a yarn egg. Triggering them did everything from opening up new areas and knitting new platforms to dispensing health or gems, and in one area we had to find an invisible cloud just to move forward — Woolly World’s way of training players to keep an eye out for places they might pop up.

We also got to play several rounds of two-player co-op — a feature carried over from Kirby’s Epic Yarn but new for Yoshi titles — and in many ways that’s where the game shined the brightest. Woolly World’s co-op feels unique, distinct from both the cut-throat cramped quarters of New Super Mario Bros. U and the wholesome teamwork of Kirby’s Epic Yarn; in fact, two-player mode can be as competitive or cooperative as you’d like, and Yoshi’s trademark abilities facilitate that. Either player can swallow the other and carry them around as a special yarn ball, and from there, anything goes: you can toss the other player up to otherwise unreachable areas, towards collectables, or across gaps; or you could spit them out of the way or into a pit, making sure you can collect all the gems for yourself.
In our playtime, we went back and forth between both styles depending on both our co-op partner and the feel of the stage, and had lots of fun with both approaches. Cooperation was particularly useful in the sky level we played, where Yoshi needed to toss Huffin Puffin chicks to create lines of cottony cumulous platforms on the fly — a task made considerably easier by having another Yoshi on backup. The Yoshi-stuffed yarn ball made by swallowing your partner is more powerful than regular eggs as well; in the demo, it could be used to take out Piranha Plants where normal eggs would only stun them, opening up new options for exploring enemy-filled corridors.

The only issue we ran into in multiplayer was with the Wii Remote controls — egg-tossing is mapped to the ‘A’ button, which is slightly awkward with the remote held sideways. It also precludes throwing eggs while moving — or at least any graceful implementation of that maneuver — which tripped us up in a particularly perilous part of the demo involving mid-air Huffin Puffin chick-tossing. Still, we certainly expect that the Wii U Pro Controller will be supported for co-op, and in general the action was paced so that tapping ‘A’ to toss wasn’t a problem at all.
Yoshi’s Woolly World was a huge hit on the show floor, wowing with stunning visuals, excellent level design, and a superb co-op (or not so co-op!) experience. We’re excited to see what other surprises Tezuka-san and Good-Feel have in store for the game before its release in 2015, and only sad that next year suddenly feels such a long way off; it’s going to be a tough wait for Nintendo’s knitted mascot to return in what looks to be a fantastically charming platformer.
We have plenty more E3 show floor impressions still to come, and be sure to check out our Splatoon first impressions.
Comments 80
I'm so hyped for this game. Totally trust good-feel with this job after all my favourite game of all time is kirbys epic yarn!
I don't understand why they would ever use A instead of B on the Wiimote. Unless it is used for something else.
My game of 2015.
Amazing looking forward to this game i loved it on 3DS great game.
Just like Kirby's Epic Yarn, I think this game is visually frikin beautiful. I mean just lovely and sooo upbeat and optimistic and joyful. Everything I love about games and the kind of thing that reminds me of the best moments of gaming as a child and ironically this was even true of playing games like Doom 1/2 back then too because although that game was about killing demons it still kinda has a colorful upbeat fantastical look to all the visuals.
If the developer fixes thee one issue I had personally with KEY, that you simply couldn't die*, then I think this could be one of thee best platformers of this generation bar none.
Hopefully this is basically KEY+ which to me would = Near Perfection.
*Which means you never quite feel that genuine sense of tension and fear of failure when playing and consequently never quite feel that genuine sense of achievement and satisfaction when you beat the game, or even individual levels.
Can't wait for this. This seems like it will be the true sequel to the original.
just looks amazing. This i somthing the misses wont object too. not a zombie in sight
@Tsurii897
Well this is Nintendo (to be clear; modern Nintendo) so it's not really surprising to find something about it that slightly ruins/taints what could have otherwise been a taste of basically perfect gaming bliss.
Going for the 100% in KEY was cool but for me personally the not being able to die was one of the fundamental keys, no pun intended, in what held this back from being one of thee games of the generation (beyond just looks and the pure joy and happiness you get from simply playing in that world) and that's talking about on any platform and that I think basically all of the media would have actually agree with that assertion (if that one thing had been addressed) because otherwise the game really was that good imo.
I'll be getting this for the multiplayer (seems easy enough for the gf), and for the dormant hope that it will come close to being as good as Yoshi's Island on the SNES.
Here comes all the hype again.
I've seen it all before with Yoshi's story N64 and again only this year with Yoshi 3d.
Telling us how great the game looks and feels and yet when push comes to shove we get a bad review with a low score saying it not as good as the original.
Yet the game buyers seem to like it more than the reviewers.
Looks very kawaii. love it
@BLPs
That's still the same as not dying imo.
I think the one thing the game needs is that genuine sense of failure and loss, where if you loose all your lives you actually have to start the whole game again or whatever. So lives and surviving actually mean something and have some intrinsic value. That way when you do succeed it feels all the more gratifying and satisfying.
That's all I would have personally added to KEY anyway.
@zool
This is different simply because it's the same guys that make Kirby's Epic Yarn and that actually was one of the best platform games of the generation and imo actually kinda all time...other than that lack of dying.
I don't imagine this game will match the original Yoshi's Island game because let's be honest here; I don't actually think ANY platforming games since it has (in my honest personal opinion)...but if it lives up to the all-round excellent quality of KEY I personally think it will be the Yohsi game that comes the closest to it since the original.
It's actually pretty funny, at first I wasn't looking forward to this game at all, but now I suddenly feel like I want it. It somewhat reminds me of Yoshi's Story idk why...
I hope this game is great and earns great reviews.
That would prove Arzest (Artoon) was the responsible for the mediocrity in "New" Island, and not Tezuka. Time will tell, and I can be patient.
Regarding Epic Yarn, I never had an issue with not dying. If you are looking to get gold medals, that is still a pain. As were some of the challenges, with the vertical shooter being one of them.
@BLPs
Well, don't get this all confused. I'm not saying it has to be rock hard with the player dying every few minutes or anything like that. I mean the original Yoshi's Island wasn't exactly grueling but at least if you truly f'd up then you were truly punished for such mistakes and therefore you worked harder to not make mistakes and at the end of the day felt better when you didn't make any and finally beat a level or the entire game. I just think actual failure has to exist for the inevitable success to actually have some real meaning and value and for gamers to ultimately get that full sense of achievement and satisfaction.
Buy yeah,
Note: This is different to the kind of issues I think you imagine might be raised by reintroducing "death" back into this particular game (this is not about polarizing extremes but truly satisfying game design) and I don't think there would be ANY negative press as a result of this change in the slightest. Quite the opposite actually.
Cute non-dieing co-op works for me. If we wanted to die we'ld keep playing DKCTF.
Though how does a 2 side scroller that was shown in Jan 2013 not come out until 2015, at least 2 years later, but open world Zelda U shown in June 2014 is coming out in 2015 also? Something doesn't seem right there.
Unless they are just holding Yoshi back for amiibo and the release of the 2nd Gamepad so it plays better, the Wiimote sounds like it has issues.
And anybody notice Kirby's game is based almost entirely on drawing on the screen - that will NEED a 2nd Gamepad if that's 2 player. Though drawing all those rainbow lines all over the screen could be TOO crazy in 2 player, so maybe that will be solo for a change.
I'ld say day 1, but 2015 so who knows? Probably under the Christmas tree.
@BLPs
Yeah, the balance has definitely got to be there. You can't just be getting killed and harshly punished left, right and center and you can't be led by an overly protective hand all the way to the end either.
Look at games like Super Mario World, the original Yoshi's Island and even Super Mario Bros 3, which was actually a little bit harder than the usual Mario affair as I recall, for great examples of it imo.
It can definitely be done right.
@BLPs
So; this Yoshi Woolly World game with something like Super Mario World's level of challenge, difficulty and fairness.
Then to me, presuming it delivers a game of the same level of all-round genuine brilliance as KEY, it's basically one of best platformers out there.
Without that, again presuming it's as good as KEY in every other way, it's one of the most fun, happy and joyful platformers out there but...
@BLPs nuff said
Having watched the treehouse footage I have high hopes for this game. The woolly aspect works for me and I can see the kids liking co-op as well. As long as the game is fair and does not have a masochistic difficulty level I will be happy
@BLPs Checkpoints can totally mess up the game and it seems to more often than not recently. It seems to mess up the process of teaching the mechanics. If you cannot do the current world with a reasonable number of lives like 5 then you are even less likely to do the next one and it sensible to stop progress.
I don't want to progress until I have done a decent chunk perfectly. Super Mario Bros 2 (Lost Levels) is a good example of it done right - it has unlimited continues but you have to do a chunk of 4 levels in order to continue on the next world.
@BLPs
I'm sure they do.
Although, funnily, most of the critics appear to almost universally agree on this one point about KEY, which obviously goes to my assertion about YWW if is does things similarly.
It's possibly rare that so many people see something so similarly when we all have such unique individual opinions.
@Tsurii897 @Kirk You have a life bar. When you run out of health you have to restart at the last checkpoint you passed.
It's mentioned in the article.
Looking forward to playing this. I only wish it was coming in 2014. I didn't play Kirby's Epic Yarn because at the time I thought the idea was childish. But I kind of like the look of this game, can't explain it..
I'll have Bayonetta 2 to hold me over :S
The yarn look is a great fit for this game, seeing as the original Yoshi's Island looked to be drawn from crayons.
Kirby's Epic Yarn was impressive visually, but replacing thread figures with actual 'teddy bear' versions makes it all the more impressive, and downright HUGGABLE! I love this sort of art direction with family friendly titles!
@BLPs
I've only played a few Mega Man games, not the ones you mentioned, but I was under the impression they were all pretty hard if not extremely hard in some cases.
PS. I seriously recommend playing Epic Yarn if you can. It's a genuinely brilliant, if mostly easy and totally forgiving, platformer imo.
This game seems brilliant, in that it uses HD graphics for a creative purpose, and let the "material" in the game affect the gameplay.
The visuals are amazing!
I usually don't play yoshi games, but this just looks amazing, i'll need to.
A sure-fire must-have for me. Platformers and Zelda is the heart of Nintendo and the reason I keep choosing their hardware.
When this was first announced last year, I had zero interest. Now, it's a must-buy for me.
For me this title was the best game shown at E3! I love the visuals and can't wait to try it out next year!
I really can't wait to try this game. I think it really has the potential to be something great, even though, God, do I ever hate the egg shooting mechanic.
Tezuka created that masterpiece we know as Yoshi’s Island. This is in good hands (unlike the last game).
This game looks amazing. Cant wait for it.
i want actually give this more a chance then Yoshi's New Island now
can't wait
Day 1,095 for me!
Interested to see how this turns out. I do plan to get it when it comes out since it looks like Yoshi's Island mixed with Kirby's Epic Yarn.
Barrring Hup!
Unfortunatley, they decided to sport the 3-hit KO bosses again. Tooo easy.
Love the art style here. My girlfriend is super excited about this game; looking forward to playing through it with her next year.
My kids adored Kirby's Epic Yarn and I enjoyed it's inventiveness. It's actually pretty hard to 100%, too. So, they were slack jawed watching the trailer and gameplay for this. I have no choice, we will own this and I won't mind at all.
Very, very pleased with how this game is turning out to be. This is looking to be the redeeming Yoshi game he desperately needs after Yoshi's New Island! Really looking forward to this one. Hope there'll be a knitted Yarn Yoshi as a pre-order bonus or something!
I'm looking forward to this. It's the fun and exploration of Yoshi's Island, without the one annoyance that was absent in Yoshi's Story, Baby Mario.
Win, win!
This game looks amazing! I loved Kirby's Epic Yarn and I know that this game will be just as good if not better!
No lives?! Best 2D Nintendo platformers ever. XD
But what do you guys mean by it "almost feeling like a 2.5D platformer?" Isn't that exactly what it is? (Even if it is in a 3D enviroment)
Nah, this and kirby seem to me to be fore really young kids, far too easy/boring
@Benjerocks Good point! In my head 2.5D refers more to platformers where some of the action takes place into or away from the screen, like in Klonoa, where you have to throw enemies into the background to trigger switches - but Woolly World definitely has a bit of that 2.5D "feel" even if it doesn't incorporate the background in gameplay.
I hope this game is so easy it pisses people off. It took me a long time to realize that I actually don't enjoy a lot of games. As a kid, I saw the box art and screenshots and wanted to dive into the worlds they were showing me. Once you start playing, though, it's this confined experience driven by conflict. I have enough conflict in real life. While it may be nice to have a challenge now and then, I find most times I just want to enjoy the digital worlds without all the hassle. I suppose that means I'm asking for a virtual reality experience, rather than an actual game with points and penalties. Points don't do anything for me. If I'm playing pinball, I couldn't care about the score. I just want to have a fun experience. The visuals and music are what I'm paying and playing for. Kirby's Epic Yarn, while still a pretty standard platformer, was a pleasant and relaxing experience. This new Yoshi game looks to be very similar, so I'm really looking forward to it.
@rjejr I think maybe Nintendo learned their lesson about showing a game for the first time too early. We've known about the new Zelda game since at least last E3, but they said it wasn't ready to be shown off, so they waited until this E3 to show the new footage.
@IRNBRU115
??? No way dude, this isn't just for kids. NOT far too easy/boring.
Kirby's Epic Yarn, now that game was slow paced, and way too easy for most skillful gamers to enjoy. It was still entertaining just because of how adorable everything was, but the super easy difficulty and incredibly slow-paced movement and gameplay was too much. I tried to get into that game but I just couldn't because of the aforementioned reasons.
When they announced this game last year, I was concerned that it would face the same fate- slow, uneventful paced gameplay and a virtually non-existent difficulty level. Which would be a shame because Kirby's Epic Yarn could have been SO much more than it was with some proper paced gameplay and difficulty, as would this game. Thankfully, it looks like my fears have been alleviated.
After watching pretty much all the gameplay vids and trailers, I can say with confidence that Yoshi's Wooly World is going to be one of the best games of 2015. Not only is the pacing of the game much faster than that of Epic Yarn, but it looks like there is normal platforming difficulty as well. It doesn't actually play like Epic Yarn at all, but rather as a Yoshi's Island game, without the baby Mario.
In fact, it looks even looks MORE action-packed than traditional Yoshi's Island games, with a number of new gameplay mechanics and secrets. It's like it has the pacing of DKC Tropical Freeze, with the gameplay of Yoshi's Island, with the difficulty of New Super Mario Bros, with the aesthetic appeal of Kirby's Epic Yarn, with a few new tricks borrowed from Rayman Legends.
After watching the gameplay for Yoshi's Wooly World, I'm absolutely stoked for this! Observe the game in action, young grasshopper
@rjejr
Different games take different times to develop, and not all games are shown at the same stage of development. You can't just assume "oh, well they showed this game and it's coming out 2 years later, so there's no way they can show this game and have it come out a year later". That based on faulty assumptions.
Remember Super Mario 3D World? Announced the very same year it came out. Captain Toad? Announced 6 months before it's coming out. DKC Returns 3D? Announced 2 months before it released.
So you can't determine whether or not a game will release when they say it will based on how long ago they revealed it. Again, different games take different amounts of time to develop, and they don't show all games at the same stage in development. The games they showed in 2013 January Direct were very far off in development. They only showed them because fans (as usual) were freaking out over not enough games in the pipeline, and they had to dig into their inventory quite a ways back to alleviate concerns. They spent the last 18 months being conservative with announcements in order to catch back up to a place where there's a bunch of games coming out within the next year or so, which is why we had such a great E3.
this game along with many others Nintendo has shown gives me great joy in knowing that HD gaming can be colorful and not just brown yet still give a feel for realism. of the arts and craft variety with woolly world.
At this point, I just want a physical Yarn Yoshi. You know, something I can hold in my hands?
Anyway, I'm buying this for the visuals. Even if the gameplay is horrible, who cares? I can always stare and wonder what would happen if those plushies just...appeared in stores.
@Burning_Spear my sentiments exactly! It's the true sequel that the fans of the original have been waiting for and deserve.
@rjejr guess u never visited Funky's Shop in DKCTF huh? Or kept collecting bananas until u reached 100? Or banana coins or entered any of the secret stages…hmmm maybe Super Kong was meant for you. A challenging game shouldnt be treated so harshly for the challenge it presents.
My 8 year old son and i had a blast with the challenges DKCTF threw at us in fact he figured out the strategy to beat Lord Freddrick before i did but then again he did beat Super Metroid at the age of 7 so i guess we jus appreciate the games for what they are…great games
yet another sweet game to be released.... i love my U...
Can't wait until next year so I can play this with my son. This game looks amazing and now I really want a yarn Yoshi for my collection. He just looks so cute.
This game looks like what Yoshi's New Island should have been. A classic Yoshi game that is nevertheless unafraid to try new things. The yarn art style being beautiful doesn't hurt this comparison either.
It looks so damn nice and beautiful!
good goddddd this is gorgeous. Finally tempted to get a Wii U... And I won't have money for at least 6 months.
Now, what we need for our 3ds not too feel left behind, is to have a portable Epic Yarn for the 3DS.
I'm may get this since I haven't played much of Yoshi games.
@edcomics nuff said! Totally agree. I don't have the patience either as well playing hard games and restarting over and over over over again. Been there done that in the past. Not too easy but not hard. Or with a bit of mix
@JaxonH haha! Maybe it's just me! In all seriousness I think a demo could sway my opinion, but until then, I will see. Although there is a lot of mature games coming out this holiday, Bayonetta, devils third, HYRULE warriors and smash bros, so I think all the lighter games like this and kirby coming out early next year will get young kids enticed with its cool graphics.
@FattyWhale_42 no that's not what I mean! I play almost all nintendo games, just this one looks a bit easy/bland to me. Not because it's rated 3+ HAha, if I was one of those people I wouldn't be playing nintendo games!
I find these ideas of playing with texture and appearance a far more impressive realisation of HD than trying to render realistic settings.
For all the people who find this game adorable. Say 'Eye!'
I hope the full version will support Wiimote + Nunchuck controls or atleast the Wii's Classic Controller. Not really interested in buying a U Pro atm.
@FattyWhale_42
That's exactly what it is. Things aren't "kiddy" to you when you're an adult. They're "cute" and "adorable" is all. Young kids enjoy the colorful games because, well, they're kids and what's not to like about a colorful, playful game? Older adults enjoy them because they don't care about only playing what's cool and realistic, they just want to have fun and hearken back to their younger years. It truly is just that age gap in the middle that takes issue with games like this. And some older adults that are stuck in that teenage mentality of "I'm too old to have fun" even though they're still playing video games any way you slice it
This is generally speaking, of course. Not directed at anyone in particular, because obviously not everyone is going to take to every game.
Game of the Year material right here.
@JaxonH
Well to me, at the two extremes, it's more like there's crappy games that are churned out and specifically made to appeal to kids, with the real goal of making a quick and easy buck off ignorant parents who'll buy any crap as long as it says it's suitable for kids on the box, and then there's genuinely great games that are just designed and made in such a way that they inevitably appeal to and are indeed suitable for kids, adults and any age in between. Nintendo's games are pretty much always the latter. This Yoshi game is most certainly the latter.
@Kirk That's actually a good point. I suppose even if a game IS for kids though, as long as it's fun, what does it matter anyways though.
I was watching gameplay from Pac Man Ghostly Adventures 2 and some of the platforming sections looked pretty fun, despite the Saturday morning cartoon styled voice acting which, as you point out, is aimed at kids. Idk if I'll buy the game but it's a good example. But yeah, Nintendo keeps general appeal by not incorporating full voice acting I think
@JaxonH
I think the thing Nintendo does that virtually always stops it's games from going into that kind of "kiddie" territory is not patronize the audience.
It's like we know if you add in lots of pink flowery stuff and stupid goofy looking characters with patronizing high pitched voices and give us games you can "play" by literally just shaking your hand etc that it's going to appeal to little girls and boys but it's just going to patronize anyone that's above 5 years old. So what Nintendo does for the most part is make stuff that's appealing to kids but also not patronizing or off putting to adults and I think that's the way to make truly great and universally appealing games and entertainment that kids, families and adults can equally enjoy.
To be a bit critical for a second; I do think it has started introducing a tiny wee bit of the more forced "let's appeal to kiddies and girls" stuff into some of it's franchises in recent years but it's usually little things that are stuck in among a game that's largely universal in terms of appeal etc so it's generally fine.
I loved how back in the days of the NES, SNES and N64 it basically just made games without trying to make any part of them specifically appeal to girls or boys or casuals or whatever, certainly not in any overtly obvious way, but still kept them simple and intuitive enough that anyone could pick up and play them and used character designs and overall looks and styles that just appealed to absolutely everyone, which is also why I think they hold up so well now and even today still don't feel kiddie or patronizing in the slightest. Even a game like the original Yoshi's Island on SNES, with it's whole crayon look and style, did it in such a way that it looked like an actual serious artistic direction instead of a way of cheaply making it appeal to 5 year olds, which is why it still looks just as awesome and visually striking and appealing today to me as a fully grown adult.
Same goes for this new Yoshi game. It might look like yarn and absolutely appeal to children with it's whole style and charm but it certainly isn't a kiddie game that's basically just patronizing to adults imo.
As long as Nintendo doesn't forget that then I know I'll certainly continue to be able to appreciate and enjoy it's games despite being an "adult".
I've just realized having re-watched the 'Nintendo - amiibo E3 2014 Trailer' below that Yoshi's Woolly World is also going to see Amiibo support.
I wonder what they're going to do with that...
I'm glad I got this preordered. Good Feel is 2/2 so far and this looks like it can top both of them.
@JaxonH - Back from my weekend hiatus.
" DKC Returns 3D? Announced 2 months before it released."
Oh, come on, I know my Yoshi vs Zelda logic is faulty at face value, but DK 3D was a port of a year old Wii game, 2 months is plenty.
Every game takes it's own amount of time to make, but I think it's logical to conclude that a 2D (or 2 1/2D) platformer shouldn't take as long as a fully open world 3D game w/ Zelda in the title.
Hyrule Warriors can be done in a year b/c they are slapping some skins on a DW game, that's practically a yearly series so the guys making it have a lot of experience in that genre.
Captain Toad already exists in SM3DW, so they are just making a few more worlds, not a huge undertaking.
Zelda is a big open world game in HD, Pikmin 3 took them forever (I'm sure I read somewhere it started as a Wii game so it was like 5 years in the making, and it's very similar to 1 and 2 anyway, shouldn't have been that hard), Bayonetta 2 is seemingly taking forever, XCX is taking awhile, Yoshi is taking years for a 2 1/2D platformer that looks like Kirby's Epic Yarn.
Lets just put it this way - I don't even want Zelda in 2015 b/c I don't think they are capable. I'm not sure anybody is. It took Bethesda about 5 years between Oblivion and Skyrim. Nintendo has the benefit of it being only on their hardware, but it's such a giant undertaking.
@Yoshis_VGM - "We've known about the new Zelda game since at least last E3, but they said it wasn't ready to be shown off, so they waited until this E3 to show the new footage."
And after waiting for a year we got 1 scene that lasted 30 seconds. Maybe if they had shown off a 20 minute gameplay trailer encompassing several different areas and monsters I'ld be a bit more enthused.
@JaxonH agreed! I love bright colourful games and it probably is mainly because they take me back to my childhood years! I love feeling like a kid again and Nintendo games always do that to me.
In other news 2015 is going to be amazing. This, Splatoon, (hopefully) Zelda U, Starfox. Can't wait.
Oh and I hope they make a woolly yoshi amiibo. That'd be all kinds of great.
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