There are a lot of reasons to love Yoshi’s Woolly World. Its distinctive look is a great selling point, as is the fact that people of any age can jump in and enjoy the adventure. Plus, there are those adorable Yarn Yoshi amiibo to go with it. But there’s another major selling point, and that’s the level design. I only had to reach the second world to discover my favorite level in the entire game.
Yoshi’s Woolly World’s world 2, level 3 is called “Walk the Chomp to Unwind.” Sounds simple enough. Chain Chomps are obviously going to be the enemy du jour, just as Shy Guys and Burts are featured in World 1 levels. The key here is that the Chain Chomp is an unintentional ally. The level is filled with blocks and switches that can only be destroyed or triggered by a Chain Chomp when it is immobilized by Yoshi’s yarn. Getting him to places where he’ll be useful involves either tossing yarn at and rolling the harmless Chain Chomp where you need him or unraveling the string from the enemy and using your Yoshi to lead him where he needs to go.
The result is a Yoshi’s Woolly World level that feels brilliant. It’s so satisfying getting that Chain Chomp exactly where you need to go, especially if you manage to lure the more dangerous version of him somewhere without having the baddie sneak a nibble. Everything is perfectly arranged in levels, from switches to platforms that need to be adjusted. I was particularly pleased by the area in the screenshot above, as that portion of the level has a Chain Chomp on each side. The left area involves ground pounding platforms to ensure the Chain Chomp can be led or rolled to the proper area. The right has a segment where Yoshi has to walk on top of the harmless Chain Chomp to avoid a spiked floor. It’s great.
But the best part of this level comes at the very end. There’s one final Chain Chomp to tie up, but pushing him toward the last switch means encountering an additional seven Chain Chomps. Watching the group tumble along toward the group, creating an impromptu enemy staircase as that all important first one heads toward the switch that will complete the level was the most satisfying part of Yoshi’s Woolly World’s second world. Look at this screenshot and relive this moment with me.
Yoshi’s Woolly World is immediately available for the Nintendo Wii U in all regions.
