March has kind of become Nintendo’s dumping ground for new releases. It started off great with the launch of both the Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2017, but it has gone downhill from there. At least in a hardcore mentality. Kirby Star Allies was 2018’s March release, which is actually good, but is on the easy, more kid-friendly side. The same goes for Yoshi’s Crafted World. So that’s where I’m coming from with this article. I’m not saying dumping ground in a bad context, but it does seem like these two releases had little in the realm of fanfare and there is probably a good reason for that and one I already brought up. These games are easy and are aimed at kids or people who aren’t accustomed to games. They have accessibility built within their code, which is awesome. At the same time, it is kind of sad to see two of Nintendo’s biggest characters reduced to such levels.
Because of their lack of challenge, they are ignored by a larger swathe of gamers. So with that mentality in mind, I played Yoshi’s Crafted World and thought about how certain aspects would be celebrated by children while the same things could be shunned by adults. Now keep in mind that I am an adult too, but thankfully one with a childlike heart who happens to like whimsy next to his grim, hardcore titles like Fallout 4. Variety is the spice of life, as they say.
20 For Kids: Bright Colors
This may be an obvious statement, but here it goes. Kids love colors. The more there are, the better. There is a reason why the crayon and marker business do so well. It would be pretty boring to color with what a lot of grown-up gamers experience such as various shades of browns and grays. And hey, I like Fallout just as much as the next guy, but you have to admit it is drab compared to this game. Is that what adults prefer? I couldn’t say. Personally, no.
19 For Kids: DIY Design
Along the same lines as the color argument, adults may be a little apprehensive of the DIY-like design of the aesthetic. What goes along with coloring? That is arts and crafts, of course. I could have put these two together, but I think they are different enough to merit their own selections. After all, Grand Theft Auto V is crazy colorful, but it is also more realistic. It is like adults can only handle one thing over the other. I would love to see a GTA game done in this DIY style though.
18 For Kids: Costumes
Another great kid pastime is dressing up. What does Yoshi’s Crafted World have an abundance of? That’s right, costumes. These pieces can easily be duplicated in real life for children too. After all, most of these costumes are made out of cardboard. That seems pretty simple to me. It’s not that adults are averse to dressing up in real life. It’s just that I don’t think cardboard is that socially acceptable past a certain age if you get what I mean.
17 For Adults: Short Levels
As a busy adult, life is just one event after the other. We, being one of them, are always on the go. That’s why I love the shortness of the levels. They are crafted, ha, for portability in mind. This is in case you want something meatier to play for a few minutes rather than something more mind-numbing on the phone; the levels are great for quick pickups. Plus the sleep functionality of the Switch is so good. This might be more of a sell for the system than the game itself now that I think about it.
16 For Kids: No Online Component
I don’t want to generalize, but a big component of video games that make them sell is a multiplayer option. While you can play co-op, it is only local. This can stink when you have no friends around that want to play with you in person. If you have a buddy halfway across the country, well, you are out of luck when it comes to Yoshi’s Crafted World. Again, I don’t want to generalize since multiplayer online, or offline isn’t enjoyed by every gamer. It is a safe bet to assume for a lot of adults though.
15 For Kids: Lack Of Challenge
When you start up the game it will ask players if they want to play on an assisted mode, which gives Yoshi wings and tones down the difficulty. The other option is normal. No matter what you choose, this game is going to be a breeze. It is designed for kids, or more like everyone in mind, as that is the rating. If you are looking for the next great Nintendo platformer that is going to test your skills, well, this isn’t it.
14 For Kids: Cutesy Noises
Let’s be clear here. Even though these Yoshi spinoffs have been primarily about Yoshi and his kin saving baby versions of popular characters, like Mario, they are also baby-like in nature. What I mean to say is that they sound like babies. This can be adorable and perhaps the exact noises kids want to here from their TV, but to an adult, especially one averse to children, well, it can grate on the ears. What exactly are they saying when they ground-stomp by the way? Pudding, ha?
13 For Adults: Plenty To Do
While the majority of Yoshi’s Crafted World is going to be a piece of cake, there are tons of collectibles that will test one’s might. These challenges are only for the hardcore in mind. No, you’re not going to be facing any sort of Dark Souls-type bosses, but you are going to need a lot of time. Patience is a virtue as they say. The lack of online multiplayer won’t keep this game around for long, but the collectibles sure will.
12 For Kids: Sleepy Music
Yoshi’s noises are one thing, but the music is another. If you wanted hard evidence that this game is made for children than look no further than the soundtrack. How has there not been a better attempt at a music score since the original Yoshi’s Island on the SNES? I love that music, but ever since then, they have either been weird and incoherent, or sleepy lullabies. Where have the grand maestros gone? Even I have to admit the score isn’t great when I genuinely love most other aspects.
11 For Kids: Too Much Text
Okay so for me, personally, I love a good story in a video game. That’s why RPGs are my favorite genre. When it comes to Nintendo platformers like Mario and Yoshi, I want the stories gone past like an introduction. The narrative isn’t overbearing I would say, but the constant text and random pop-ups, when they do happen, are annoying. Kamek and Baby Bowser stole some gems from the Yoshi. That should be all I have to know! I wonder how kids feel.
10 For Kids: Easy Bosses
As I said already this game isn’t very hard. That doesn’t mean the bosses are easy. Some games have an overall simple difficulty, but ramp up with bosses. To bring it up again, I don’t think the Dark Souls series is all that hard until you get to the bosses. Levels can be tricky, yes, but bosses will be the true test. Sadly that’s not the case here as the bosses, while cleverly designed, are not challenging in the slightest.
9 For Adults: Level Variety
It’s hard to argue against the level variety presented in Yoshi’s Crafted World. You may not like the bombastically bright colors, or the DIY design, but the craftsmanship put into each level is unique. Worlds are small, containing maybe 1-3 levels, so aesthetics may blend together like in the desert area. Yet, in that same world each level, again, is special. Rarely do gimmicks repeat themselves. So while it may be easy, I found the variety quite a lot of fun.
8 For Kids: Gashapon System
It is time for a quick lesson in Japanese culture. Gashapon machines are everywhere over there and their products have a lot better quality compared to similar vending machines in the West. I remember all of the quarters I wasted from my parents just to get a dumb little sticky hand or a plastic ring. As lame as these gifts were, I was addicted to the surprise. I can only imagine that must hold true with the Gashapon-like system in this game in order to get new costumes. I don’t think this addiction applies to adults though, even though it is like gambling.
7 For Kids: Poochy
Kids love animals, right? I mean most humans do, but I think this is especially true for children. Even though Poochy doesn’t look like a normal dog, he is indeed an adorable companion for Yoshi. The limited levels he is in are kind of lame though, as you basically ride on his back while he plows through enemies automatically. I’m not a big fan of the levels that play themselves. It’s not like the game was easy enough as it was, you know?
6 For Kids: Reverse Levels
Speaking of Poochy, a little way into the game you will be introduced to his children. Not sure where they came from, but whatever. Babies just pop out of nowhere in Nintendo games without a mother in sight. Anyway, you can replay every stage in the game in reverse order, which is to say you will scroll from the end to the start. Plus you will get to see the backside of the stages as you search for Poochy’s missing pups. Kids might love seeing behind the curtain, but I thought these levels were needless padding.
5 For Adults: Co-op With Kids
It’s true that you can’t play with your buds elsewhere in the world online with co-op, but there is a silver lining. As I’ve stated numerous times, the game is easy. I can’t say what age someone can start at, but it doesn’t matter. If you are a father, or mother, looking for a non-violent and easy-to-pick-up game to play with your kids, then this is it. That might be a small majority of you out there who are reading, but it remains true regardless.
4 For Kids: Amiibo Rewards
It should come as no surprise that once again the Amiibo tie-ins for a Nintendo game are bad. Imagine paying $13 for a costume. I guess that isn’t a very good analogy as buying DLC usually results in digital items only. At least the toy does something even if the supported Amiibo costumes aren’t spectacular. I imagine kids will have a ball with this as they have ample time to scan everything they have. Adults probably don’t have as much time or patience.
3 For Kids: Yoshi Colors
Choice can be paralyzing sometimes. For example, I recently went to an anime convention. My biggest draw, as always, was the dealer’s room where I could buy tons of merchandise from anime tie-ins to games. Even though I brought quite a bit of disposable cash, there were just too many choices so I wound up getting nothing. I hope this doesn’t happen to kids when they want to pick out their favorite colored Yoshi to play as, or what course worlds they want to tackle first. I have some bad FOMO.
2 For Kids: Limited Ammo
There have been some improvements to the egg-throwing mechanic, but ammo capacity is still limited meaning you can run out of eggs fast. Kids might love this opportunity to run around, eating enemies all day, but I found this egg grind monotonous. Why can’t I just have a number attached to my health bar, or something? Is it so hard to let me have more than seven eggs, or whatever? This seems like a limitation based on nothing. I want more eggs!
1 For Adults: At Long Last…
Yes, if it wasn’t clear I hate the limited ammo. However, at long last, the aiming system for your eggs has been fixed! Instead of having to wait for a fixed angle, you can now adjust it at your leisure. Not only that, but swallowing enemies and producing eggs is now automated. It makes the process go a lot quicker. If it wasn’t for that blasted ammo limitation it would be perfect, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day, or something like that.
