Yoshi has been a firm favorite for Nintendo fans for decades, but it feels as if he’s been thrust further into the limelight as of late.
Of course, the Super Mario Galaxy Movie released at the start of April, and the box office phenomenon placed Nintendo’s egg-lobbing dinosaur into something of a starring role. There was plenty of buzz around the casting of Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) as Yoshi, we saw an unending swathe of Yoshi toys and merch hit the shelves, and we even got a Yoshi popcorn bucket — which I own, and yes, I did pay far too much for.
It seems, then, that Yoshi’s position in terms of public consciousness is pretty prominent, and as a result, the stage is set for his return to the video game arena.
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Luckily, I’ve already had the chance to play the game — well, at least some of it. That’s right, Nintendo invited me to its UK headquarters to try out Yoshi’s new adventure and see what fans can expect upon release. I have to say, I’ve got some pretty strong feelings about Nintendo’s upcoming title, so without further ado, let’s discuss my experience with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book.
A world that’s wealthy in whimsy
In Yoshi’s latest outing, you’ll encounter a strange talking encyclopedia, named Mr. E. Right away, you’ll find that strange creatures lurk within Mr. E’s pages, and I spotted everything from Shy Guys through to an unfamiliar bubble-blowing frog.
You’re tasked with learning more about these mysterious beings: how they react to different environments, what powers they possess…even what they taste like. Yoshi can throw creatures, lick them, give them items, and even let them interact with others to learn more about their behaviors, and finding out every minute detail about them is seriously enjoyable.
What’s more, the creatures — both new and old — are bursting with charm and whimsy. The hand-drawn, stop-motion-inspired visual style is brilliantly executed and brings so much charisma and life to each character you’ll encounter.
It helps that many of the creatures have surreal, colorful designs, too. I was a big fan of the aforementioned frog, but I also enjoyed interacting with a singing bird-like blob and flying watermelons that violently spat seeds. Some characters will interact with one another, too, for instance, I got a Shy Guy to surf on this Skateboard-like monster and asked a few flowery dudes to pull up a vegetable for me, which really makes the encyclopedic world feel alive.
I personally liked the art style of Yoshi’s Wooly World and Crafted World, finding the yarn characters to be pretty appealing. But for me, The Mysterious Book has really taken things up a notch. The art direction is a little rough around the edges in a very intentional way, and the imaginative character designs add some much-needed variety to the Yoshi game formula, which was in need of a spruce-up, in my view.
Explore at your own pace, Yoshi
It’s clear — I’m a big fan of the visuals in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, but how does the action feel to play?
Well, it’s pretty strong actually. Yoshi has his usual skills — he can eat enemies and turn them into throwable eggs, he can flutter jump over long distances, and he can ground pound to deal damage.
All of this feels great to control, and using the right stick to aim and release eggs was especially satisfying, but there’s actually another neat ability to note. Yes, Yoshi has a new skill called Tail Flick, which enables you to bring creatures or items with you on your journey to uncover new areas and other secrets.
As you’d expect, Nintendo is keen to market this entry towards younger players. And in turn, the game’s baseline difficulty is pretty low. For instance, Yoshi couldn’t take any damage during my time playing — as was the case when I played Super Mario Bros. Wonder - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
However, this title feels less centered around traditional platforming and defeating your enemies, and far more focused on exploration and discovery. Each creature in the encyclopedia has its own bespoke level, and if you want to blitz through it, then you easily can. There’s usually one main discovery to make per level, after which you get the option to end your exploration.
But for the more curious players, there are a lot of discoveries to be made. You’ve got the usual collectible Smiley Flowers — some of which are genuinely tough to find, especially in later-game levels. But there are also some hidden creatures and secret areas to uncover, which can open up all sorts of possibilities.
I really liked how some creatures could use items and help Yoshi make new discoveries — I gave a Shy Guy a dual-pronged garden fork, and it uncovered a cheekily-hidden Smiley Flower...well, that was before it accidentally impaled a few of its brethren. Whoops.
Much of the game’s challenge, then, isn’t in avoiding deadly attacks or making crazy jumps — it’s in finding the obscured oddities that each level has to offer. And you truly can commit to as much exploration as you please. Before playing, Nintendo told us that it hoped this entry could appeal to and unite Yoshi fans of all ages — and this user-led approach feels like a very sensible way of doing so.
Final thoughts: a fantastic first impression
At the end of my session with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, my heart was filled with joy (and whimsy), and I’m feeling positive in the lead-up to release.
With impeccable art direction, buckets of charm, and no end of secrets to uncover, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is gearing up to be a blast for all ages. Yes, Yoshi’s apparent invincibility paired with low-difficulty platforming and action may prove to be a turn-off for those in search of a tougher gaming experience, but it’s not setting out to be that.
I even had the chance to fight Kamek and Bowser Jr. on the back of a huge hog with a drill snout (I’m pretty sure no other human has uttered those words in a sentence) — and this was admittedly a very easy battle. But there were a fair few levels where I only found a couple of Smiley Flowers — some of which were genuinely difficult to spot.
We’ve only really scratched the surface so far — after all, I haven’t even mentioned your ability to play as multiple different colored Yoshis, the delightful soundtrack, or the fact that you can name the creatures you discover. Some highlights for me were ‘Beehave’ for a buzzy fruit-like bug and ‘Gary’ for a flowery friend. But I’ll have plenty more to say after playing Yoshi and the Mysterious Book in full, so keep your eyes peeled for my review!
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book will release on May 21, 2026, only for Nintendo Switch 2.
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