Back in 2015, Yoshi knitted himself into a brand new adventure on Wii U, in Yoshi’s Wooly World. He’s now unravelled in size onto the 3DS, and brought a four legged friend with him in Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World.

Has the downsize kept the fuzzy charm of the original, or has Yoshi snagged a thread in Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World? Find out in our review, after the break!

Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World
NintendoĀ 3DS Family Systems
Developed byĀ Good-Feel
Published by Nintendo
Released: 3rd FebruaryĀ 2017 (NA/Europe)
Review copy provided by Nintendo
Screenshots/Art Courtesy of Nintendo

The story and gameplay seem to have remained mostly the same. The Yoshi’s are enjoying a nice day in CraftĀ Island, until Kamek strolls along to stir up trouble. Kamek casts a spell to unravel all the Yoshi’s into Wonder Wool, bags them up, and flies away. Luckily, two Yoshi’s survived the ambush, and it’s up to them to travel to the different worlds and knit those Yoshi’s back together. There are tons of collectables to collect on your way. Be prepared to collect Sunflower Pins, Craft Badges, Wonder Wool, and Smiley Hearts.

All the levels from the original return in most of their glory. Cleverly hidden secrets and collectables and brilliant level design with a charming, crafty aesthetic. One issue does arise however. Most likely due to the capabilities of the 3DS, the textures are all smoothed out and less detailed. This does remove some of the charm, I do miss seeing all the tiny little details, however this is just a little issue. What it makes up for however, areĀ the very impressive 3D effects. Though ‘in your face’ effects aren’t present, it’s all in the depth of field. It’s almost as if you are peering into a small knitted diorama.

There is a new small-ish courses for each world, and each one stars the lovable Poochy! These levels are very similar to those auto-run games, such as Super Mario Run. The task is to guide Poochy to collect his pups and get to the end of the course by jumping and ducking, though it would be best to avoid colliding with obstacles. Some of the later Poochy levels can pose quite the challenge, especially with extra missions attached to them. These levels are perfect if you want to save up even more beads for Assist Badges in the regular levels.

Though these levels can be great fun, and add a little extra challenge, it’s only just a bit of extra padding. After you have completed them, it is likely you will forget about them, which is shame for such a cute addition to the cast. If you want more Poochy however, you can tap the new Yarn Poochy Amiibo, and he’ll join you as a companion in the main game.

The game also includes Mellow Mode, essentially an easier mode for the more casual and younger players. This gives Yoshi a pair of wings for unlimited hovering, as well as less damage taken from enemies. New in this remake is the ability to tag along an unlimited supply of Poochy Pups. You can use the Poochy Pups just like the wool balls, and throw them at enemies and winged clouds. They may even help you to find those little secrets which you have a hard time discovering. Like in the original, you can switch between the two modes at any time without loosing game progress. This mode is fantastic as it makes the game more accessible to those starting out in gaming, yet you have the choice to play the game with the original challenges.

One new feature which I feel adds to the overall charm is the Craft Mode. This mode allows to to design brand new patterned Yoshi’s to play as and share them though the miracles of StreepPass. The designer is very similar to that of Animal Crossing. You can also unlock brand new pattern patches by collecting Stamp Badges (which replace the Miiverse Stamps). Let your creativity flow!

One fantastic little touch is the Yoshi Theatre, home to the Poochy and Yoshi animated shorts. There are 31 stop motion animations featuring the duo and the mischief they get up to. After you watch one, you are asked a question about the film, answer correctly, and you will be rewarded with beads. 24 hours after viewing an animation, the next one is unlocked, and so forth. The animations show fantastic chemistry between the two characters, and I wouldn’t object to seeing a TV show at some point!

Overall, Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World is a very faithful remake of the Wii U title. The levels are still fun to play, the music is fantastic, and the characters are still so cute. What the game dwindles with detailed graphics from the original, makes up for with the impressive 3D and new features. The only other issue is that some may not think there are enough new features to gratify purchasing again… oh, and the lack of co-op.

If you haven’t played the original, or if you loved it a bit too much, we’d definitely recommend Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World!

Final Rating – 4 out of 5

Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World is out now, exclusively for Nintendo 3DS Family Systems.

Click here to find out how we rated the original!

Leon Fletcher

I am a huge Nintendo fan, hence why NintyBuzz exists. I especially love all things Zelda and Metroid. NintyBuzz was started by me back in the Summer of 2014, it started out mainly as a hobby, though the site has gradually grown, and I hope it grows for many years to come!