Despite there being plenty of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book to watch before release, I wonder if there’s still some confusion over what type of game it actually is. While it does take the traditional moveset you’d find in previous Yoshi-starring games, it’s more of an adventure that combines some of the ideals of both Echoes of Wisdom and Tears of the Kingdom, only kind of in reverse.
I fear I’m adding to the confusion here, so let’s simplify things. In Yoshi and the Mysterious Book you are dropped into pages within the titular Mysterious Book, page by page you will find unique (and sometimes familiar) creatures. These creatures all have multiple ways to interact with them. Interacting will involve using Yoshi’s moves: tongue, tail whip, egg throw, and jumping on them. All of these creatures also have multiple interactions with the other creatures, and while it starts simple enough, it soon spirals into an experience that offers so much depth and exploration, despite each level not actually being that large.
The Zelda comparisons, however, come in via these creatures. Take the slug-like boomerang which you can suck up, or throw onto your back with the tail whip. This gives you a weapon to throw at enemies, but it can only do so much damage. Thankfully, there are ways to make it stronger, and discovering these means you can solve even more puzzles on your way to 100% completion and smash that rock that’s been blocking a secret room. The things are already there for you to discover, you see, you just have to experiment to unravel the ideas.
These discoveries and puzzles range from simplistic to fiendish. Take the slug-boomerang. You can throw it to cut grass, and that’s a simple puzzle solved. But it’s also more of a tutorial to the things you’ll be doing with that creature as you move forwards. Discovery is what Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is all about, and there’s simply so much of it. Once again, the Zelda comparison comes in because it has a feel of “if you think of it, you can probably do it”.
Take the Glubbit (or FroggyBubbler, if you want). You can have this frog that looks like a kid’s bubble blowing toy on your back, and it’ll create bubbles as you move side to side. You can then ride them for a short time, and get higher. The first time you do this, you’ll wonder “how high can I go”, and while there’s a limit, you’ll be rewarded for getting up high with another star for doing so. The examples I could give for these rewarding “what if” moments are almost innumerable because Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is quite literally all about those moments.
Levels are small and self-contained, but they’re densely packed with flowers and currency to find, puzzles to solve, and hidden interactions between all manner of creatures and items. Whether it’s an apple, a pepper, a cloud, or a melon: everything does something. At the end of each page of the book, you’ll get a “boss” fight of sorts. Here, the previously learned interactions pay off, allowing you to take part in (often large scale) experiences that are jaw dropping and entertaining in equal measures.
Progression is gated via the stars you get for each puzzle solved. You will unlock these at a rate of knots to begin with, though towards the end you’ll be scratching your head to unlock everything. You’ll notice, perhaps, I’m not really name-dropping many of these creatures. Firstly that’s because I don’t want to spoil it, but secondly that’s because once you discover something, you can take the book’s recommended name, or give it a name of your choosing.
As you solve puzzles they are literally scrawled upon the screen where they were figured out, and it adds to the painterly, sketchbook feel of the whole game. Even the menus are fully animated, and once you’ve solved the “main” puzzle for a creature, the book page will be updated and new animations play out, with the page itself ever-changing and progressing towards the finale of each chapter, so to speak.
The creativity behind the design of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book truly is masterful. The sheer volume of creatures you can discover and learn about alone is incredible, but there’s so much more to it than that. This is a gorgeous journey, at times veering into Rayman Legends territory with musical levels (though never quite committing fully, in truth). The art style is genuinely one of the nicest I’ve seen in a long time, and getting up close with the animals Yoshi will meet is lovely, with so much attention to detail, even down to idle animations.
Underpinning all of this, there is a story involving Bowser Jr and Kamek, but given you can pick the colour of your chosen Yoshi, I hesitate to say it’s much more than a framing device, really. But then, that’s not really why anyone is here, and the adventure itself is the reward.
There’s also a lot more game here than I initially expected. It’s not uncommon for a first-party Switch 2 title to offer more after you’re “done”, but Yoshi and the Mysterious Book really does offer great value. In fact I’d go so far as to say you shouldn’t dawdle with the main story, and you’ll want to get to the end to really find some of the coolest and most interesting parts of the adventure.
More than anything, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book feels like it’s been designed for everyone to enjoy without friction. It’s a very easy game with no death state, no damage taken, and if you’ve any level of experience with games you’ll likely unlock three to four stages at a time, such is the way you’ll barrel through the early levels. But I can imagine friends and family calling out ideas to try with the creatures you’ll find, and it can’t be understated just how gorgeous it is to look at.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a bit of a slow burn in some ways. Not every discovery is as good as the best moments, but overall there is so much to dig into and enjoy here, and there’s just boundless creativity within the design of the stages. A hefty adventure with more to do after the credits roll, it may not quite be the Wooly/Crafted World sequel people would want, but the Mysterious Book has that classic Nintendo charm in every second of play.
Because of its laid back, lack-of-peril nature design, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book won’t be for everyone. Those seeking a challenge will have to look elsewhere, and there’s no doubt this is an adventure aimed at younger audiences, but so were the previous Yoshi games. If you’re happy to enjoy a game that’s part platformer and part weird nature documentary, then Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is the one for you.
