I have always been a fan of Yoshi. Even though Nintendo tends to treat Yoshi games as “Kid-friendly” platformers rather than traditional Mario games, they have a cozy vibe I adore. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book carries that forward, with a cute aesthetic and unique premise that is a lot of fun.

In Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, a magical encyclopedia finds itself on Yoshi’s Island. Calling itself Mr. E, the Encyclopedia enlists the help of Yoshi and his fellow…well, Yoshi, to study the creatures in its pages. Along the way, Yoshi will discover Bowser Jr., who has also wound up inside the mysterious Encyclopedia.

Each level involves you studying a different creature or plant. By doing different actions such as eating, jumping on, or interacting with the creature or plant, you’ll uncover different bits of information that are recorded in the book. Yoshi doesn’t really have “health” per se, and as far as I can tell, there isn’t a fail state.

In each level you’ll also have Smiley flowers to discover, and once you uncover them all, the level is considered complete. You can return to levels later on to uncover things you may have missed and fill out the page further. Further chapters offer new creatures and ideas, fleshing out the book even further.

In reality, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a game of discovery, with accessible gameplay for all ages. The painterly, storybook-esque art style is gorgeous, and unlike other Yoshi titles, once you are given the general gameplay controls, the rest is up to you to figure out and discover. It kind of reminds me (in a way) of a very simplified, kid-friendly version of La-Mulana or Animal Well, where exploring and interacting with things rewards you with new discoveries.

Unfortunately, some of the gameplay does get a little bit repetitive in areas, and after a while, I found myself craving a bit of a challenge. With that said, I think for parents with children who want something to play together, this is a great option.

Overall, in terms of Yoshi games, I think Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a more experimental experience. The discovery-based gameplay is something that I don’t think Nintendo has really approached before, and I’d love to see elements of this be implemented in something a bit more ambitious or challenging.

In that same vein, I think it would be great to see Nintendo give Yoshi a more mature adventure. It would be great to see Yoshi get a chance to shine in a way that doesn’t shoehorn him as the “kid-friendly” protagonist for low-difficulty fare. Some of the early Yoshi’s Island games were tough, and It’d be interesting to get back to that. Regardless, I really like Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, and if you are a Yoshi fan, you won’t be disappointed.

A Nintendo Switch 2 Review Copy of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book was provided by Nintendo for this Review.

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Yoshi and the Mysterious Book

$59.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Gorgeous Painterly visuals
• Fun, Experimental, Discovery-based gameplay
• Accessible Gameplay for all ages

Cons

• Gameplay can get Repetitive
• Some areas could use a little more challenge