Yoshi and the Mysterious Book

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book was provided by Nintendo for review. Thank you!

There have been a good chunk of Nintendo games that have Yoshi headlining. They’ll have a similar style, look, and general feel for the unique platforming. It’s not a bad thing; I really do enjoy it, but it’s very easy to spot the difference between a Mario platformer and a Yoshi platformer. That’s what I was expecting going into Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, but that’s not what I got. Instead, I got something I never would’ve expected: a puzzle game with platforming elements that all revolves around experimenting. Not only does it work extremely well, but it is satisfying, exciting, and unlike any experience I have played in recent years.

The entire game loses that charm and style that Nintendo has perfected for Yoshi’s brand. Yoshi games have regularly gone off the beaten path with their aesthetic and gameplay mechanics, with Nintendo trying out different styles, like the entire world being made of yarn. In Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, they do the same thing here. Yoshi and his friends are tasked with diving into a storybook where we need to investigate the animals that live throughout the pages. In doing so, we will go through each chapter, which has a different location and set of creatures within it, and discover what those creatures are and what kind of properties they have.

Visually, we have this hand-drawn aesthetic that takes over once we dive into the book. Each of the chapters feels distinct, with varying themes, like the seaside beach, a dense forest, and a mountaintop. Each theme is beautifully wrapped in a coat of stylized filters to make it feel like we’re running around inside of a book. It’s beautiful, charming, vibrant, and enticing to come back into. If we look close enough, there are some reused assets, and the colors can feel washed out in certain biomes, but the aesthetic and stop-motion-esque animations are lovely.

The gameplay matches this refreshing aesthetic with a new style of progression and goals that make us think in ways that not many other games do. We start off by choosing a chapter (or location) and then choosing a creature we want to investigate. After that, we dive in and are put into a level where we have to experiment and see what this creature could do and how it interacts with different stimuli in the environment. As we discover new attributes, we will get stars, which will unlock more locations and continue the story along.

It’s a puzzle trying to figure out all of the attributes for each creature, and there are some that really require thinking outside the box. Some can be as easy as how a creature reacts when smacked with a tail or eaten up, while others could be more complex, like seeing how the flowers can work together as a team or how clay creatures can interact with balloons. It can even get as detailed as seeing how a specific umbrella could interact with clouds.

The emphasis on experimenting with how these creatures behave depending on different actions or interactions is way more fun than I expected. Being rewarded by thinking outside the box kept me invested and motivated me to keep on playing. It was intriguing seeing what creatures we would find and how they would behave, and almost all of them felt completely unique from each other. There were so many different discoveries to make, and thanks to the optional hint system, some of the more obscure ones that I never would’ve thought of became possible.

Despite experimenting being the priority, there are other ways to progress and get more stars. There are hidden collectibles in the levels, and rewards for making it to the end of the level in a specific way. It still retains some of the usual platforming conventions from other Yoshi games, but it doesn’t overshadow the new additions.

However, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is extremely easy. After the first two chapters, I had almost gathered enough stars to unlock all of the others, and it’s generally not challenging to progress. A lot of the more challenging discoveries can almost be avoided entirely if you’re looking to just unlock everything. There could’ve been a lot of benefit from adding in a more challenging mode. There aren’t many new mechanics discovered later on as well, with lots of repeated actions that we will have to try with each creature. It’s interesting to see how each creature reacts, but it’s still the same tail, smacking and ground pounding and gobbling up that we try for everyone. It’s a perfect game for kids, or a cozy afternoon, but it’s not going to entertain for hours on end with challenging, evolving systems.

The story is a simple one, but it is very charming. A mysterious book drops in front of Yoshis, and they are tasked by the book to investigate its contents. However, Bowser Jr. has found his way within the book as well, and is looking for a specific creature. It definitely isn't the focal point of this game, but it's a nice addition that supplements the experience.

Handheld Vs. Docked

Generally, docking the Switch 2 is going to be a better experience for playing the game overall, but it’s pretty significant how big the difference is between handheld and docked for Yoshi. Handheld gameplay is fine, and it performs decently, but trying to play docked just highlighted how much we’re missing.

Docked gameplay is significantly sharper, with many more details much easier to see on the screen. The upgrade to 4K is clear as day, and it makes a huge difference when it comes to the details of the storybook setting. We also get smoother framerates, but I would say handheld play is nice performance-wise, for the most part. The biggest change will be the visual details from the environment that are much clearer, have more depth, and enhance the experience more than I expected.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I had a wonderful time playing Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. The focus on experimentation with a multitude of different creatures in a gorgeous storybook setting works well, and creates the gameplay loop that I not only enjoyed, but that I can’t remember experiencing before. It’s a little on the easy side, and can feel very repetitive towards the end, but there’s still a lot to enjoy.

Our review is based on the Nintendo Switch 2 version of this game.

If you enjoyed this review, be sure to check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that are sure to help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got your back.