REVIEW: ‘Yoshi And The Mysterious Book’ Is A Kids’ Game In The Best Way

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, the new puzzle platformer developed by Good-Feel and published by Nintendo, is the perfect kids’ game. Far too often, games intended for a younger demographic are deemed less than their contemporaries. They’re not hard enough, too simple, or a myriad of other complaints, even though the intent is to provide something that kids can engage with.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a toy box, letting players push and slam pieces together just to see what happens. But it isn’t just for those in the early years of their gaming experience. It offers enough wonder and joy that anyone could fall in love with. 

Naming the creatures after each level is a total delight.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book follows Yoshi as they dive into a talking book named Mr. E after landing on their island. His pages hold secrets and a number of creatures with no names, and it’s up to Yoshi to help understand and fill in the blanks. Bowser Jr. is lost within the pages as well, looking for a Bewilder Bird. It’s a fun, breezy setup that works well enough to move Yoshi through the chapters. 

Each chapter is a different location, and as you dive in and explore, more creatures show up and change the pages. Focusing on one with a magnifying glass lets Yoshi jump into their environment. Yoshi pushes, licks, swallows, carries them on their backs, and a whole lot more, messing with them and the space they live in to see what happens. As players complete the core objectives, they get to name the creature, and either keep exploring to see what else can be found, or bounce out to see how interacting with them changed the chapter. 

For example, running around with Lil Guys on your back (the name I gave to little flower creatures) lets new flowers bloom. Knocking Kirby-like pink creatures into ooze makes them explode and multiply, letting Yoshi hop off them in succession to get to higher platforms. Picking up crabs with different shells, which I named Band Camp, plays different music, blooming flowers on trees, creating measures of music. 

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book consistently encourages playfulness and exploration.

Each space is full of play, letting the player explore without any sense of danger or fear of failure. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is constantly encouraging, nudging the player in different directions to just see what shakes out. It’s never difficult, but it is full of adventure and joy, a bright and colorful playground with plenty to do. For those looking to find every interaction, there’s plenty to discover, even after the credits roll and more levels unlock. 

That’s not to say there isn’t some difficulty here, as finding the flowers hidden in each level can be a genuine challenge. Some are hidden in plain sight, with the crux of the problem being how to get to them. Other times, it’s journeying and exploring every nook and cranny to find the last one that may be hiding in a secret area or passage. Finding every interaction also takes some experimentation, with not all of them being obvious or what you’d expect. 

Not every level works as well as others, with some having more frustrating mechanics than others. The aforementioned Kirby knock-offs can have inconsistent pops, where using them to jump higher can feel like luck. The levels are never very long, so you can easily move past them once you clear the core task, meaning you don’t have to deal with some not-as-fun mechanics for long. There’s more good than not, but there are some duds along the way. 

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is easily one of the Switch 2’s best-looking games yet.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is beautiful; easily one of the best-looking games on the Switch 2. The hand-drawn-looking art style used in the book is gorgeous and memorable. The chapter displays are so detailed and rich with things to look at and find, changing and evolving as you progress and add more to each space. The levels are full of personality, and each new one is a visual delight.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a delight. It’s perfect for both the young and the young at heart. It has a constant sense of discovery and exploration, asking the player to exist and play in each new space and just see what happens. Those looking for a challenge and a more dedicated platformer may not find that here, but for those looking for a sandbox to play in, it’s wonderful. Even if not every level works, most do, making Yoshi and the Mysterious Book a fun and charming experience.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is available now on Switch 2.