Yoshi's Woolly World

Yoshi's Woolly World is a 2.5D side-scrolling game for the Wii U by Good-Feel. It is the first home console game in the Yoshi franchise since Yoshi's Story, which was first released in 1997. It was first released in Australia on June 25, 2015, and later in Europe the following day (the only Yoshi game to be released in those regions before anywhere else) and in Japan on July 16 and North America on October 16 the same year. The game takes place in a handcrafted universe, similar to the one in Kirby's Epic Yarn, which was also developed by Good-Feel. It follows the adventure of the Yoshis trying to pursue and defeat Kamek, who has unwoven their friends and scattered their materials across six worlds. It was originally called Yarn Yoshi.

Like with most other Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software titles, this title can be purchased at retail stores or from the Nintendo eShop. The digital version requires 7991.8 MB (approx. 7.8 GB) of memory to be installed. Due to the software's size, Standard Set Wii U consoles cannot download it without an external storage device, but Deluxe Set ones can.

A port of this game titled Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World was released for Nintendo 3DS in 2017.

As of November 7, 2017, Nintendo has terminated the Miiverse service, which renders this game's Miiverse stamps no longer usable.

General
The game's story revolves around Craft Island, a peaceful island for the Yoshis. One day, Kamek turns all but two of the Yoshis into Wonder Wools as a favor to Baby Bowser, who wishes to use the accumulated yarn to construct a new castle in his name. When the remaining two Yoshis notice Kamek inadvertently dropping Wonder Wools around the areas next to Craft Island, they set out on a quest to collect them all and thus restore all of the unwoven Yoshis.

After Baby Bowser is defeated at his castle, Kamek uses his remaining Wonder Wools to make him more powerful. Despite this, Baby Bowser is defeated again, returning all of the remaining unwoven Yoshis back to normal. The Yoshis return to Craft Island, while Baby Bowser takes some time to "think about what he's done".

In-game
From the game's opening cinematic: Narrator: Welcome to Craft Island, a tiny place in the middle of the Handmade Ocean. Life here for the Yoshi clan is nothing but peaceful and leisurely. Or rather, it HAD been nothing but peaceful and leisurely, until... Kamek: "Hello, li'l Yoshis! Sorry to drop in so suddenly, but I need to turn you all into yarn! Thanks!" Kamek: "Eh, at this rate, I'll be here through lunch. C'mon, I'm busy! EVERYONE becomes yarn!" Kamek: "There. This should be plenty. Well, I'd better get back. Toodles!" Kamek: "EEEEEEEEK! That's quite enough! I've had it with you annoying Yoshis!" Narrator: There's still hope! As Kamek flies away, he drops a handful of yarn! A rather important Yoshi meeting is held... "What do we do to save the others?" "We need to get that yarn back!" "Hurry! After that naughty trickster!" And so another grand Yoshi adventure begins! Will they be able to knit their friends back together? Onwards, Yoshis!

Gameplay
Yoshi's Woolly World is a platform game with textile and fabric environment which plays similarly to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's New Island, with many features coming from these games. With their extensible tongue, Yoshis are able to abduct enemies into his mouth and either eat them or spit them out as projectiles; however, instead of turning them into Yoshi eggs as in earlier games, they turn them into yarn balls, which can be thrown just like eggs. They can also be thrown at objects such as platforms and Warp Pipes made of strings and needles in order to make them solid. Smiley Flowers and Winged Clouds return and coins are replaced by beads. Each level contains 20 Stamp Patches, which are hidden inside common-looking beads, similarly to the Red Coins found in Yoshi's Island games. When a number of Stamp Patches are collected, the player can receive a set of Stamps. The Health Meter system returns from Yoshi's Story. When the Yoshis are attacked by enemies, their Health Meter decreases and can be replenished with Hearts. Additionally, the life system from the Yoshi's Island games is changed; if a Yoshi loses all of the points to its Health Meter, they are simply sent back to either the beginning of the level or the last checkpoint they touched. Bonus Games can also be played by Yoshi once a level is completed.

The game features two options for standard gameplay. The first is "Classic Mode", which is the standard gameplay similar to previous Yoshi platforming games. The second mode is "Mellow Mode". In this mode, Yoshi is Winged Yoshi and players can fly around freely, providing an easier experience. Players can switch between the two modes at any time via the pause menu.

Controls
The player may use a total of four different controllers to play the game: the Wii U GamePad, the Wii Remote held sideways, the Wii Classic Controller Pro, and the Wii U Pro Controller. Returning from the Yoshi's Island installments is the two control schemes: patient and hasty, with patient being the default control style. When throwing an egg, patient requires the player to push the egg throwing button again to throw the egg while hasty control schemes allow the Yoshi to throw an egg when the button is released. The Gyro control scheme, which takes advantage of Wii U gyro capabilities to line up the cursor rather than the cursor moving being automatic back and forth, returns from Yoshi's New Island, though it may only be used if the player has the Wii Remote selected as their controller, thus making it closer to its Wario Land: Shake It! counterpart.

There are two control styles, A and B. A is the default style used for the game and in the game manuals. All D-Pad actions can also be done with the left stick.

Cooperative
In co-op mode, the players control two Yoshis, with player one playing as the Yoshi color seen on the save file and player two. A Yoshi is able to eat their partner and either swallow them to use them as a yarn ball or spit them out to destroy obstacles. However, when a Yoshi eats their partner, the Yoshi getting eaten loses all of their yarn balls. If one of the Yoshis goes too far off screen, it is placed into a flying Yoshi Egg and is transported to the other Yoshi, similarly to bubbles in the New Super Mario Bros. games. When one of the Yoshis goes down a Warp Pipe, the other one is transported with it simultaneously. A Yoshi is also able to jump onto another Yoshi to use it as a platform.

amiibo
The game makes use of amiibo, and a series of yarn-made Yoshi amiibo was released alongside the game. When a Yarn Yoshi amiibo is scanned, it will provide a Double Yoshi mode. Double Yoshi mode functions similarly to the Double Mario power-up from Super Mario 3D World, in that both Yoshis follow the single player's inputs, but with the additional functions of co-op mode. If the normal version of the Yoshi amiibo is scanned instead, a normal Yoshi copy will appear. Any Yoshi amiibo scanned will also unlock them for the amiibo tent upon completing the level.

In addition to the yarn amiibo, every Super Mario-related amiibo except for Princess Daisy, Waluigi and Boo, every Super Smash Bros. series amiibo except Pokémon and DLC characters, and the Inkling amiibo from the Splatoon series will unlock a pattern based on the character. Any other amiibo unlocks a green Yarn Yoshi wearing an amiibo shirt. Incidentally, this and the 3DS remake are the only games where both R.O.B amiibos have a different function, being that they unlock different patterns.

Playable characters
Yoshi's Woolly World supports three game saves. Each is denoted with one of the three Yoshi colors available as Yarn Yoshi amiibo; green, pink, and light-blue. When the player starts a new game under one the save files, their default Yoshi will be the same color as the save file. Furthermore, copying a file that does not have King Bowser's Castle complete yet to another save slot will change which color of Yoshi is available. Red Yoshi is always available from the start, regardless of the selected save file. The other unobtained Yoshi colors are unlocked after rescuing their yarn from Baby Bowser at the end of the game, or by scanning the Yarn Yoshi amiibo during a course and clearing it (though the second method adds them to the amiibo tent instead as “Yarn Yoshi”). The dark blue, yellow, orange, purple, black and white colored Yoshis can only be unlocked by completing King Bowser's Castle. If players have access to a save file with a design unlocked, they can save the design into a Yarn Yoshi amiibo (regardless of color), and scan the Yarn Yoshi amiibo to unlock the design in the amiibo tent on a different save file.

Additional playable characters
Many additional playable Yoshi designs can be unlocked by collecting all of the Wonder Wool in the levels or by scanning different amiibo into the game. The designs can be viewed in the Yoshi Hut.

Bosses
There are eight bosses in Yoshi's Woolly World, with two appearing as a midway boss, and six appearing as the main bosses. Yoshi can rematch all of the bosses in the Boss Tent.

Items and objects
Yoshi's Woolly World features some objects from previous games in the franchise, and most of them retain their previous functions. In order to fit the game's environment, several objects are replaced by new items, such as coins being replaced by beads, and Egg Boxes being replaced by Yarn Baskets.

Yoshi's transformations
When Yoshi enters a Transformation Door, he is transported to another area of the level and transforms into one of the six forms listed below, granting him extra powers, often within a time limit. In the area, Yoshi must reach the goal while collecting clocks to replenish time. There are also enemies and obstacles that appear in the areas.

Worlds and courses
Yoshi's Woolly World features seven worlds, each with different themes. Most worlds in the game feature nine levels, with eight being compulsory levels and one being a special level. Similarly to Super Mario 3D World, the world maps can be freely roamed by the Yoshis.

References to other games

 * Super Mario Bros.: Bullet Bill Patches and Shell Patches greatly resemble their respective original sprites from this game.
 * Yoshi's Cookie: The title of the level Yoshi and Cookies is based on this game's name. Additionally, checkered Yoshi Cookies act as an obstacle in this level.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: Many elements from this game return, including several bosses: Burt the Bashful and Naval Piranha. The level name "Feel Fuzzy, Get Clingy" is based on the level Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy.
 * Super Mario Land: Yoshi has a transformation named for the Sky Pop from this game.
 * Mario Kart 64: Moo Moos, which first appeared in this game in the course Moo Moo Farm, is a pattern unlocked by getting all Wonder Wools in Knitty-Knotty Windmill Hill.
 * Yoshi's Island DS: Bouncies return in one of the possible Bonus Games.
 * Wario Land: Shake It!: Several sound effects are reused. These include the pipe entering and boss damaging sound effects.
 * Yoshi's New Island: Transformation Doors have the same function as the Whirly Gates in this game. Some of Kamek's voice clips are reused as well.

References in other games

 * Super Smash Bros. series: The remix track "Main Theme - Yoshi's Woolly World" from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is an arrangement of "Yarn Yoshi Takes Shape!" (the overworld theme) and "Sponge Cave Spelunking" (the underground theme).
 * Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: A stage based on Yoshi's Woolly World, called Woolly World, appears in this game.
 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Yoshi and Poochy appear as spirits in their yarn forms. During Palutena's Guidance for the Piranha Plant, Nipper Spore Patch is mentioned.
 * Yoshi's Crafted World: Both games have an art motif in their art style as well as Mellow Mode. In certain levels such as Skulking Around, stickers reading "15.07.16" can be seen stuck on the level environments, which is the Japanese release date for Yoshi's Woolly World. The level Stitched Together reuses many assets and features, such as mobiles and accordion walls.

Reception
Yoshi's Woolly World has received mostly positive reviews, being praised by critics for its art style and its accessible and clever stage design, though the game received some criticism for its collectibles.

Staff
Yoshi's Woolly World was developed by Good-Feel and Nintendo, the former having previously developed Wario Land: Shake It! for the Wii. Atsushi Kono was the director of the game, Hironori Kuraoka was the programming director, and Kenta Usui was the map and level design director.

Pre-release and unused content
During levels, the playable character Yoshi started out being made only of some yarn threads in his shape—however, using his tongue, the player could swallow Shy Guys to turn Yoshi into a three-dimensional, amigurumi crochet form.

Trivia

 * Nintendo Extra issue 5 featured an interactive promotional post titled You've never seen Yoshis like this before! marketing the game and showcasing the different Yoshi patterns in it.
 * Although Yoshi's Woolly World was released in 2015, the 2014 game Super Smash Bros. for Wii U included a stage based upon this game titled Woolly World. On a Miiverse post before the shutdown, it was stated that the stage was put in late in development.