Yoshi's Crafted World (2019 - Switch)

[MindFreak]

6 minutes ago, RedShell said:

How's the soundtrack? Seems to be an area that's inferior to Woolly World.

Also, is the music at the beginning of this trailer in the game?

That groove is slick!  Has got to be the work of Kazumi Totaka.

Anyway, I wasn't so impressed with the demo version. There's also something about the look of this game that doesn't quite sit right with me. It's difficult to pinpoint, but I think it's the lighting. The game obviously has a cute and colourful style, yet somehow it appears kind of dark at times or too contrasty.

In general, music is something I don't really notice in games but the music in this is not really anything to write about. It's very samey with some noticable changes in the tunes once in a while (some areas have their own tunes) but it's for sure the weakest part of the presentation. And that music is not in the game as far as I remember.

I wasn't impressed with the demo either but I find the real came much more enjoyable because I don't have to redo the same levels again and again. I have found that if I just move on from a level, even if I haven't found all flowers, I get much more enjoyment of the game, and then if a level is particularly good, I find myself doing it again. However, I have only done one of the "FInd x of something" from the robot as that is perhaps the worst mechanic I have ever seen in a game to prolong the span of it.

That said, there have been plenty of levels I have replayed and it's almost a rule now that I don't find everything in one go - I have 19/20 red coins on several levels! Finding the three Poochies is also enjoyable but not something I do all the time. There are also levels where you have to do something else and get a certain amount of points to get the flowers. I enjoy some of those, and they are actually quite difficult to get the three flowers on! 

In general, the difficulty has increased since Woolly World.

[RedShell]

1 hour ago, MindFreak said:

In general, music is something I don't really notice in games but the music in this is not really anything to write about. It's very samey with some noticable changes in the tunes once in a while (some areas have their own tunes) but it's for sure the weakest part of the presentation. And that music is not in the game as far as I remember.

Damn. Cheers for the reply though.

BTW, who are you reviewing for, if you don't mind me asking?

[MindFreak]

2 minutes ago, RedShell said:

Damn. Cheers for the reply though.

BTW, who are you reviewing for, if you don't mind me asking?

A Danish site so you probably won't be able to understand it.   It's the largest dedicated Nintendo-site in Denmark at least, but probably also the Nordics. Not that it says that much as Nintendo's presence here is abysmal - though Switch has made people aware of Nintendo once again so that's nice.

Edited March 21, 2019 by MindFreak

[Tim B]

Does anyone know what day the review embargo lifts for this?

[MindFreak]

1 hour ago, Tim B said:

Does anyone know what day the review embargo lifts for this?

Tomorrow at 2 pm UK time, 3 pm CET. 

[Tim B]

Dispatched!

[Hero-of-Time]

Reviews are starting to pop up now. It seems like the soundtrack is pretty meh, the game is very easy and it's not as good as Woolly World. Shame, as I loved Woolly World.  

My copy is on the way and hopefully it will keep my occupied for at least day or two.

[MindFreak]

23 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Reviews are starting to pop up now. It seems like the soundtrack is pretty meh, the game is very easy and it's not as good as Woolly World. Shame, as I loved Woolly World.  

My copy is on the way and hopefully it will keep my occupied for at least day or two.

On the contrary, I found Crafted World better than Woolly World. The game is far more streamlined and actually getting the flowers is challenging this time around. The downside is that you have to repeat the same level again and again to get everything. There is plenty of levels to go through, though, and some of the later levels are quite hard to get 100 %. I also enjoy the craft aspect more than the yarn aspect.

I gave this 8/10 and would rate WW at about 7/10.

Edited March 27, 2019 by MindFreak

[Hero-of-Time]

Just now, MindFreak said:

On the contrary, I found Crafted World better than Woolly World.

I rate WW very highly so it's going to take something special from this to top it.

[Tim B]

It's number 1 on Amazon UK video game best sellers, not surprising as it's the first all-new Nintendo Switch first party game since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-PC-Video-Games/zgbs/videogames

As long as some TV adverts pop up before this weekend, I imagine week 1 sales will be very strong.

[Hero-of-Time]

Just now, Tim B said:

As long as some TV adverts pop up before this weekend, I imagine week 1 sales will be very strong.

Not gonna be hard as I don't think there are any other notable games out this week. Not to mention you only have to sell a very low amount of physical copies to top the charts here in the UK, as seen by DMCV and Anthem.

[MindFreak]

12 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Not gonna be hard as I don't think there are any other notable games out this week. Not to mention you only have to sell a very low amount of physical copies to top the charts here in the UK, as seen by DMCV and Anthem.

Oy, Nelke & the Legendary Alchymists says hello! And Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid (though digital) wants a word!

oh.. Notable.  

Edited March 27, 2019 by MindFreak

[Ronnie]

42 minutes ago, Tim B said:

It's number 1 on Amazon UK video game best sellers, not surprising as it's the first all-new Nintendo Switch first party game since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-PC-Video-Games/zgbs/videogames

As long as some TV adverts pop up before this weekend, I imagine week 1 sales will be very strong.

Wow, 7 of the top 13 are Nintendo exclusives. Yoshi beating out Sekiro is pretty impressive too.

[Ike]

1 hour ago, Tim B said:

It's number 1 on Amazon UK video game best sellers, not surprising as it's the first all-new Nintendo Switch first party game since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-PC-Video-Games/zgbs/videogames

As long as some TV adverts pop up before this weekend, I imagine week 1 sales will be very strong.

There are already TV adverts being shown.

[Hero-of-Time]

My copy arrived yesterday and I spent some time in the evening playing the game. I haven't finished the game yet ( I was about to get the 4th of 5 gems that you need to collect before coming to work this morning ) but I feel i've played enough to highlight some of the issues the game has.

If you were to go through the levels without really bothering to collect anything then the game is STUPIDLY easy. I'm playing on original mode and not once have I been in danger of losing a life. Also, the game looks to be super short if you were to play it this way. So, would collecting all the collectables be the way to play the game then? Not really. There are far too many things to find now and there are LOTS of items that are either timed or one time only, meaning if you screw up then you you will have to restart the stage. This is made even worse by the fact that the stages can be pretty lengthy so missing an item can really screw you up.

Another thing that doesn't really work are the new missions that have been added. After you have beaten a stage you can go and talk to one of the NPCs and it will ask you to go find items in the level you have just completed. At the start of the game I was finding these quite fun but as the game goes on they become more and more tedious. One of the earlier ones has you doing 7 missions for him, which means you'll be replaying the level at least 7 times to clear all of his missions. Adding to those 7 times will be your initial play through, as well as a Poochie Pup hunt, so that's 9 times you will need to repeat a stage. Even for someone like myself who loves collectables in games this is pretty tedious and repetitive.

The ability to play through stages in reverse doesn't exactly live up to the promise. The problem with a reverse play through is that you are against the clock because all of these are Poochie Pup search missions. You have to find 3 of them and then get to the exit in under a certain time in order to get the full amount of rewards from the stage. This means it's hard to take in all the differences and changes because you are constantly having to peg it through the level.

It's not all negative. There have been some fun stages to play through. Things like flying on a plane, controlling a giant Yoshi mech and being chased by a giant snake have helped mix things up a bit and keep things fresh. Also, the game seems to run a look better than what it did in the demo, so that's a big plus.

From what i've played, it seems like a game of all style but no substance. They've padded the hell out of it with tedious busy work when instead they could have created less content but gave a more focused experience. While I was playing it I was thinking to myself that this is essentially a 2D equivalent of the likes of Banjo Tooie and Donkey Kong 64, games that had players doing far too much busy work and that needed the fat trimming from them.

 

[MindFreak]

43 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

My copy arrived yesterday and I spent some time in the evening playing the game. I haven't finished the game yet ( I was about to get the 4th of 5 gems that you need to collect before coming to work this morning ) but I feel i've played enough to highlight some of the issues the game has.

If you were to go through the levels without really bothering to collect anything then the game is STUPIDLY easy. I'm playing on original mode and not once have I been in danger of losing a life. Also, the game looks to be super short if you were to play it this way. So, would collecting all the collectables be the way to play the game then? Not really. There are far too many things to find now and there are LOTS of items that are either timed or one time only, meaning if you screw up then you you will have to restart the stage. This is made even worse by the fact that the stages can be pretty lengthy so missing an item can really screw you up.

Another thing that doesn't really work are the new missions that have been added. After you have beaten a stage you can go and talk to one of the NPCs and it will ask you to go find items in the level you have just completed. At the start of the game I was finding these quite fun but as the game goes on they become more and more tedious. One of the earlier ones has you doing 7 missions for him, which means you'll be replaying the level at least 7 times to clear all of his missions. Adding to those 7 times will be your initial play through, as well as a Poochie Pup hunt, so that's 9 times you will need to repeat a stage. Even for someone like myself who loves collectables in games this is pretty tedious and repetitive.

The ability to play through stages in reverse doesn't exactly live up to the promise. The problem with a reverse play through is that you are against the clock because all of these are Poochie Pup search missions. You have to find 3 of them and then get to the exit in under a certain time in order to get the full amount of rewards from the stage. This means it's hard to take in all the differences and changes because you are constantly having to peg it through the level.

It's not all negative. There have been some fun stages to play through. Things like flying on a plane, controlling a giant Yoshi mech and being chased by a giant snake have helped mix things up a bit and keep things fresh. Also, the game seems to run a look better than what it did in the demo, so that's a big plus.

From what i've played, it seems like a game of all style but no substance. They've padded the hell out of it with tedious busy work when instead they could have created less content but gave a more focused experience. While I was playing it I was thinking to myself that this is essentially a 2D equivalent of the likes of Banjo Tooie and Donkey Kong 64, games that had players doing far too much busy work and that needed the fat trimming from them.

 

My approach to the game was to avoid the missions in general - did one of then and then noped out of them. Then I collected what I could from a single playthrough of a level and if I liked the level or felt stupid for missing a flower, I would quickly go through it again. There are quite a few levels where I haven't found all 20 red coins (hint: there is almost always one in the background) but I haven't replayed a level to get all those coins. In general, that made the game far more fun to me because I dislike repetition and being forced to play the same level more than twice is just grotesque. Playing this way, I spent about 12 hours getting through the game. Still need 317 Flowers...!  

I also only played a few of the levels from behind but I liked the clock mechanic as that added a little pressure to the game. It's not like you can't ignore the clock and then find the pups anyways in order to take in the level.

In the later levels (just before the fifth gem), I actually died but mostly because I wanted to collect a flower that I kept missing due to it being timed. I think you'll see which level I mean when you get there.

Edited March 29, 2019 by MindFreak

[Hero-of-Time]

25 minutes ago, MindFreak said:

My approach to the game was to avoid the missions in general - did one of then and then noped out of them. Then I collected what I could from a single playthrough of a level and if I liked the level or felt stupid for missing a flower, I would quickly go through it again. There are quite a few levels where I haven't found all 20 red coins (hint: there is almost always one in the background) but I haven't replayed a level to get all those coins. In general, that made the game far more fun to me because I dislike repetition and being forced to play the same level more than twice is just grotesque. Playing this way, I spent about 12 hours getting through the game. Still need 317 Flowers...!  

Yeah, the little present.

The 20 coins are what cause the most issues. There are usually a couple of hidden clouds in the levels and if you don't find them then you won't get the full 20 coins. The hidden cloud is a mechanic that I have never been keen on in the Yoshi series and I was very happy that Woolly World got around this by at least giving the player the options to spend some of their beads for the power up that allows you to see anything that was hidden.

[MindFreak]

I don't think I had trouble with the hidden clouds as Shy Guys are hovering around them, looking a bit perplexed or down or as if they are looking at something. 

[Ike]

The missions would be better if they let you do all of them at once, the objects are already in the stage anyway.

Already a bit tired of the music.

The game looks really great though. Cutscenes look like stock motion films, reminds me of older TV shows like Morph. 

[Hero-of-Time]

51 minutes ago, Ike said:

The missions would be better if they let you do all of them at once, the objects are already in the stage anyway.

 

Yeah, this really could have helped alleviate the tedium. Baffling why they just didn't go with that option. 

[Dcubed]

18 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Yeah, this really could have helped alleviate the tedium. Baffling why they just didn't go with that option. 

Probably done to artificially lengthen the game... I suspect that it's probably not very long; given that each stage is basically two levels in one (reportedly making the process of level design an absolute nightmare as a result)

Edited March 29, 2019 by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

40 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Probably done to artificially lengthen the game... I suspect that it's probably not very long; given that each stage is basically two levels in one (reportedly making the process of level design an absolute nightmare as a result)

It's definetely a short game if you don't go for the collectables. I got bored of doing so after the second world and after that I was flying through the game. I've only put around 3-4 hours into it and I think i'm not far off the end. I wouldn't be surprised if I see the credits roll once I get back on it after work.

[Hero-of-Time]

Well the end credits have rolled.

Spoiler

The final boss was fun but by the time I reached it I just honestly didn't care. You can see this by looking at how the amount of collectibles I was nabbing in the end worlds plummeted compared to earlier outings.

I dunno if I'm just not in the right frame of mind to be playing it but outside of the visual style and the odd level here and there, I found very little to love about the game. It's a shame because I usually love Good-Feel games but this is the first game from them that I haven't felt good ( couldn't resist  ) playing. 

Oh, @MindFreak you didn't miss anything by playing without or very little sound. The soundtrack for the game is VERY forgettable.

[RedShell]

That track from the trailer is in the game:

Love it.

Shame about the rest of the soundtrack though. Oh, and surprisingly it's not by Totaka.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

I unlocked and beat all of the post game levels this morning. 

They offered more of a challenge, what with there being no checkpoints throughout the levels. It's a shame there are only 4 of these.