Historically, Yoshi video games have been aimed at a younger audience; I have enjoyed these games in the past, but there is no doubt that they are not geared towards adults.
The same could be said about Yoshi and the Mysterious Book as well, but this time around, Nintendo is leaning into something that does appeal to older people: cozy gameplay.
In Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, players will guide Yoshi through the pages of Mr. Encyclopedia, or Mr. E for short. Each level tasks Yoshi with using various abilities to investigate strange creatures and learn about their tendencies and characteristics. This is done by simply experimenting with them. What happens when you lick a flower? What happens when you get something wet? What happens when you jump on a creature?
All of these tasks funnel into what is basically just a checklist game, but one that has you moving through colorful worlds that only Nintendo seems to know how to create. As noted previously, some tasks are as easy as getting a creature onto your back, while others are a bit more difficult and require you to use a creature to impact the environment. To avoid spoilers, we will not go into depth on that here, but a good early example is that when you throw a flower-creature into a pool of water, it spawns a small field of flowers.
While I do think that kids as young as seven or eight will be able to roll the credits on Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, getting every entry on each page will require a bit more thought.
Coins can be found in levels and spent on hints to make the game a bit easier, but those looking to find all the interesting things about each character will have to work for it and do quite a bit of experimentation.
For adults, I think that is where this Yoshi experience shines the most. I’ve been playing Yoshi and the Mysterious Book in handheld mode for hours on end while watching shows or movies with my wife. I’ll run around a level, throw characters around to see what happens, and just experiment with every aspect of the world. This experience forces you to think more about what the world contains, as opposed to how to get from A to B.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book has all the charm of a Nintendo 2D platform title. The game is incredibly colorful, with outstanding music and fairly solid performance, even when things get hectic. I think the game takes a bit of a hit in the quality department in handheld mode, but shines on the bigger TV screen. This is a 2D game, and is definitely a platformer, but not one you’ve experienced before.
What might make Yoshi and the Mysterious Book hard for some to really get excited about is the lack of a start and finish. The first time you begin exploring each creature page, there will be a definitive end to the level as you find one specific characteristic Mr. E is looking for. Future plays of the same level allow you to jump in and jump out whenever you want.
If knocking tasks off a list isn’t your ideal game experience, do not go into this game thinking you are getting a level-and-world design like typical Mario and Yoshi games – that just isn’t the case, but it will be fine for some.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is almost the perfect cozy game, but I found the entire experience misses the mark in one key way: continuity of the experience. You will get to interact with some truly inspired characters on your adventure, but more often than not, these characters all feel like a one-and-done experience.
There are a few levels here and there that utilize information you learned in the past, but most of the game is all about exploring something new. To that end, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will be an incredible experience for people who like to see what’s lurking around the next corner.
Every level is a new creature, new experiments to perform, and new entries to fill. After my 20 hours with the game, I think I would have preferred to see past characters and abilities used again and again to solve current puzzles.
Regardless, there is still something quite enjoyable about this exploration game. Each level feels like a giant puzzle waiting to be solved. Actually uncovering each and every trait and characteristic of the various creatures is enough of a reason to push me forward from the forest to the mountains and beyond.
I do feel, though, that the market for this one is quite narrow. Kids are going to have a blast for sure, but for adult Nintendo fans, I think you only need to apply if you love cozy, checklist filling experiences.
Adam has been writing about video games since 2014 and board games since 2018. If he's not rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs or Toronto FC, he definitely has a controller in his hand - probably playing on a Nintendo platform - or is sitting at a table playing a board game. Adam also has firm opinions on a few key topics: there are much better board games than Settlers of Catan, and Nintendo doesn't need to compete with Sony and Microsoft.
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