Yoshi's Woolly World

Yoshi's Woolly World is a 2.5D side-scrolling platformer starring the anthropomorphic dinosaur Yoshi known from many Mario games. The game uses a visual style where all characters and the environment look as if they are made out of cloth or yarn, similar to Kirby's Epic Yarn by the same developer. Many Yoshis live together peacefully on Craft Island in the Handmade Ocean. One day the evil wizard Kamek arrives on his broom and turns all the Yoshis into bundles of yarn. Only two are able to hide and they need to rescue their friends.

Yoshi typically attacks using his tongue to swallow enemies and produce eggs, but in this game balls of yarn are produced instead. About six can be carried at all times and they have various uses. They can be launched at enemies, aiming with a reticule, to ensnare them. In other sections they are used to interact with the environment, to activate platforms or reveal hidden sections, or to reach and grab items that are far away. Yoshi can use a flutter jump for a short while to reach platforms while hovering. White chicks can be gathered to create temporary cloud platforms. Instead of just completing levels, players are encouraged to find all the collectibles. There are also short sequences where Yoshi can transform himself into an umbrella, a motorbike, a mermaid etc. Each level has many secret areas and there are jewels to collect, pieces of yarn (Wonder Whools), five smiley flowers, and stamp patches. They are used to buy power-ups, unlock new levels (six S-rank courses), new Yoshi skins and Miiverse stamps respectively. For 5,000 gems for instance you can summon Poochy who sniffs out secrets and a later upgrade reveals all hidden items right away. These only last for a single level. Often small threads can be pulled to reveal a new piece of the environment and stacks of pillow can be compressed to make a path.

There are 48 levels in total, grouped into eight worlds. Each world has a mini-boss in the middle and a world boss. There is a mellow mode, next to a classic mode, where Yoshi can fly through levels without having to land. Using a power badge it is also possible to skip courses. In the local cooperative mode players each control a Yoshi and can work together, for instance by swallowing and launching the other Yoshi to launch it to a hard to reach area.

Through the Amiibo support Yarn Yoshis provide new skins and a power-up that lets players create a second Yoshi at any moment. It is also possible to save a Yoshi skin to use it during cooperative games. Many other Amiiboos are supported as well, proving yarn versions of Bowser, Captain Falcon, Donkey Kong, Luigi, Mega Man, Pac-Man, Samus, Sonic, Wario, Zelda and many others.

The 2017 Nintendo 3DS port of Yoshi's Woolly World contains all the levels of the Wii U game, with extra stages added, especially for Poochy. The 3DS version also introduces the Poochy Pups, which will serve as indicators of special treasures and secrets. You can also design your own Yoshi patterns on the 3DS version and use them in-game.