"Yoshi's Woolly World" was, to me, a rather interesting Wii U game. Revealed in January of 2013 (very early in the console's lifespan) as "Yarn Yoshi," Nintendo was relatively mum on the game for about a year and a half, giving some of us the impression that it wouldn't be released. Fast forward to E3 2014, and the game was shown off as "Yoshi's Woolly World" and released on the Wii U a little over a year later. For all the talk and all the wait, though, it honestly makes me a bit sad that the game just ended up being...acceptably good. Now sure, it was still enjoyable, but for how long the wait was, I kind of expected better.
Even so, "Yoshi's Woolly World" definitely has some good things going for it: it's absolutely adorable and visually charming, and the art style of the "Yoshi" series blends itself perfectly with the yarn aesthetic. On top of that, the game does control pretty well, it's pretty fun to play, and it's very accessible and easy to get into. Also, it's surprisingly a bit lengthy for a kid-friendly 2D platformer: I didn't even go for all of the collectibles and I clocked in at about 9 and a half hours, which isn't too shabby.
Unfortunately, the game itself, despite having some interesting mechanics that differ a bit from other "Yoshi" games, still feels like your standard "Yoshi" game, with eggs disguised as yarn balls. Now, that's not the WORST thing in the world, but for the game's change in art style compared to other titles in the series, it's a shame the gameplay feels so standard. On top of that, while the game is decently lengthy and has plenty of collectibles, it's often a little TOO basic for its own good, and a lot of the boss fights are extremely repetitive. Don't be shocked if you find yourself getting a bit bored throughout the game.
All things considered, "Yoshi's Woolly World" doesn't exactly deliver on all fronts, despite all of the speculation that came from the wait for the game. Even so, I can't deny that it's a pretty enjoyable and incredibly adorable platformer that's certainly worth at least one play. It's not the most memorable game in the world, and there are certainly far better Wii U games to sink your hours into, but all in all, there's definitely some fun to be had with "Yoshi's Woolly World."
Final rating: 7 out of 10 "Good"