Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Review (Switch 2)

I’m uncertain how harsh I can be on Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Am I even allowed to wield the gravel and slam it on my desk at the end of my review, giving it a harsh critique it probably doesn’t deserve? Such cute and whimsy, washed down the drain by the high expectations for games these days.

But what is the point, really? Of gaming in all its shapes and forms? I found it pretty pleasant that a silly game such as this exists, I’ll say. And promptly add that by virtue of its carefree playthrough, it may not sit well with every hardcore platformer or adult with a cynicism toward life. 

Let loose, alright. Hang your coat up after a long day, slip into your coziest pajamas, and throw eggs at whatever object you suspect may be interactable. I promise whatever you’ll yield from it will leave you chuckling silly. It’ll make you feel several years younger, throwing all caution to the wind without any consequences to bear. 

My Yoshi and the Mysterious Book review is about how fun, creative, and silly you’ll find yourself enjoying in the game, and consistently being in the state of, regardless of whatever real-life pressure is currently holding you hostage.  

Mr. E. Portals

Some major plot points in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Yes, Nintendo has really tried to push forward a narrative, if not to still fall victim to the sins of its past platformers. I never expected any compelling story with legs. Instead, I met a talking book called Mr. E. “E” stands for Encyclopedia, but it might as well mean “Mr E Portals.”

Flip the book’s pages, and it takes you to magical worlds. Your purpose on there? To discover what unique creature lies hidden to the naked eye. And beyond, experiment on it? with it? to discover what astounding abilities it can have on the environment. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book’s worlds within the pages of Mr. E are sandboxes that you brute-force your way through, seeking to unlock as many creature-specific abilities as possible.

This is, in fact, your mandate as Yoshi. It’s the main objective of the game, and upon your return, Mr. E will update its page with your discoveries. So, a kind of zoologist, and you know what, I say that’s as viable a purpose as any.

What It Means to Be Human

The story will often seem pointless. It can sometimes delight, incorporating Bowser Jr. and his mischief. But it does feel like a letdown on Yoshi’s part. At least in devising a stronger character arc for him. Everything he does is in service to Mr. E, the creatures he finds… when does Yoshi get to be a figurative character with dimensionality beyond his trademark “Woo-hoos” and “Wow” noises? Yeah, yeah. Make believe, I know.

I’ll tell you what. By the end of the story, I felt strangely satisfied. I found myself marinating in the philosophical ideas of what it means to be human. 1. Serve others. 2. Be a curious George. And 3. Throw eggs at life’s problems. The chips can fall where they may. Oh well, I did say philosophical, right?

Anything is Possible

Any Yoshi fan should quickly feel at home. When Mr. E opens the first page, and you’re transported to a beautiful world of magic and charm, you instantly start running around, flutter-jumping, bouncing, searching for your next target. Most of Yoshi’s abilities remain unchanged from his previous Yoshi’s Island, Yoshi’s Woolly World, etc. You’re still licking, eating, stomping, throwing, and laying eggs. 

All of it can feel aimless, too, until something gives. An object in the environment responds to you, and you can then begin experimenting. This isn’t, at all, a race to the finish line. You aren’t jumping on moving platforms and timing your jumps over death traps. In fact, I might go as far as to say that Yoshi and the Mysterious Book isn’t a platformer, but rather a puzzle game.

Your abilities are very much 2D side-scrolling tropes. And you are flutter-jumping toward a destination. But it’s the journey there that matters most. The secrets you discover hidden in a level, revealing creatures you can interact with, and therefore explore the environment in new ways. It’s a puzzle in the sense that you’re searching for a creature specific to every level, and figuring out their unique abilities through experimentation with the environment.

Buttery Smooth

Hardly as technical as it might sound. In fact, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book may be just a little bit too easy. Everything is obvious to anyone with a slight interest in exploring and experimenting. It’s only in the second half that some puzzles might take a beat to figure out. With as many as 20 abilities to discover per creature, you might give up on a stage before unearthing every last one of its secrets.

And that’s totally okay because completion isn’t mandatory to proceed to the next stage. Nothing is required of you but curiosity and experimentation. No resource management or mastering combat skills. And platforming is negligible, with the death traps you might fall into reviving you just a few feet away. Though Yoshi and the Mysterious Book do have enemies who sting and bite, they cannot damage you.

There are no health bars or lives to keep track of. Instead, you earn stars for every discovery you make. And these unlock more levels with more secrets. That’s the reward for your curiosity. Even at the end of the story, you’ll still be only halfway through. There will be bonus stages where you can discover more secrets, effectively playing to your heart’s content. 

Admittedly, it can all feel a bit aimless. Without any friction to push past, breezing through stages can feel boring. We’ve been conditioned to tight and precise platforming and the brutality of melee combat, so that when there’s no punishment at all for fumbling around, it feels like something is wrong. But is it, really? 

Kids vs. Adults

Some things meant for children can still be fun for adults. Though it isn’t always the case. Some adult and hardcore gamers are accustomed to challenging games with tangible rewards. But if you’re looking to mellow in childlike joy, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book unapologetically rises to the occasion. 

There are a few games like Yoshi and the Mysterious Book that genuinely go to town designing brilliant levels packed with so many creative ideas. The creatures themselves are impressive in their designs and variety. Meanwhile, the world is an explosion of color. It uses hand-crafted visuals with stop-motion-like animations to simulate a storybook world.

It’s like ice cream that melts your heart after the first few scoops. But it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. A game made for kids can bring you joy, but eventually, adulting will come calling, whether actual chores or Hollow Knight. Still, I can’t ignore the strong possibility that Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will remain relevant years from now. Again, games like these that demand very little from you and treat you to so much goodness are rare to come by. 

Verdict

It’s almost like Yoshi and the Mysterious Book knows how tough life can be. And so, it tells you to slow it down. It waits for you to enter into a calming state and soothes your nerves with a most wonderful time. Kids, on the other hand, will find it most accommodating. And even on the puzzles that might give both kids and adults a hard time, a hint system exists to softly nudge you to hitting 100% completion.

Not that there’s any pressure to be perfect. If anything, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book works extra hard to take away any worries that may come with the 2D side-scrolling puzzle-platforming genre. No health bars to keep track of. No lives to replenish. Yoshi cannot take damage, only letting out one of his trademark noises when a few of the creatures you discover prove hostile. And if you somehow fall into a death trap, you’ll quickly respawn just a few feet away. 

You can play Yoshi and the Mysterious Book at any pace, at any time. Any time, I reckon, will be the shoulder most adults will lean on based purely on how “too easy” the levels can be. You might crave some level of challenge after a few runs. But even then, I’m nearly certain you’ll be coming back to Yoshi’s world, if only to let loose and have a wonderfully silly and joyful time.