Yoshi and the Mysterious Book Review: Close the Book on This Dull Adventure

Chances are that if you have played a game starring Yoshi, you've come away feeling like you've seen the most achingly adorable thing of all time. But then you realize that, in spite of how whimsical and lovely it is, it often feels like you've just inhaled a huge spoon of sugar that has little to no nutritional value. Every time I play a modern Yoshi game, that's the feeling I get.

That was certainly how I felt during my time with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, the latest adventure for Mario's not-so-mean and green sidekick. Like all of Yoshi's contemporary exploits, it tends to severely miss the highs that games like Yoshi's Woolly World reached so effortlessly. Still waiting for that Switch re-release of Wooly World, just for the record.

Until then, Yoshi will have to settle for an admittedly beautiful-looking adventure that sees him and his multicolored cohorts jump into the pages of an ever-evolving magical book that catalogs creatures of all sorts. This charming setup frames the entirety of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, as you'll explore and uncover just what it is that makes these little critters tick.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book has a bit of a tough time evolving past its surface-level concept, which is unfortunate when you consider just how breathtaking the whole thing looks and sounds. There's a lot of content here, and it will take you a rather long time to complete all of it, but that's ultimately what keeps the game from being what it could be.

A Real Page Turner

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book begins with the aptly named Mr. E., an enchanted book that is being pursued by Bowser Jr. Inside his worn spine are pages upon pages that detail the life and times of numerous creatures that Yoshi must eat, fling, and bounce on. Not to defeat them, but to understand their way of life and catalog them in order to quell Mr. E's curious nature. It's a rather charming concept, as most Nintendo games are.

Each chapter presents itself as its own distinct land, where the color of Yoshi that you choose will hop into the book in order to learn more. Early on, I felt myself drawn into its oddball world of curiosity and discovery, where the game follows the logic of tossing everything at you in order to prevent you from feeling fatigue. It has that same philosophy of not wanting the player to ever feel like they're doing the same thing twice.

One level will see Yoshi eating disgusting frogs that make him gag, accompanied by a cute sound effect, while others will task the dinosaur with riding unstable clouds to a goal. It's all eccentric in its own unique Nintendo way, but that rapid-fire idea factory started to work against the game in my experience. I found myself longing for an idea that would stick, a core concept that the game could hang its hat on.

Ultimately, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book's core concept is that of homework. It's less of a game and more of an interactive encyclopedia, like a checklist that has little sketchbook ideas for games. It feels like a collection of concepts stitched together like an adorable Frankenstein monster, which sounds a lot cooler than it is in practice.

At some point, I found myself painfully lulled to sleep by its mundane, verbose pacing. What makes matters worse is that each chapter is unlocked by the coins you get by completing objectives, and since it's not likely you'll get everything out of a level in the first go, the game encourages you to revisit levels. This wouldn't be so horrible, except that once you've completed a level, running through it again is an exercise in listless frustration.

Take a Look, It's in a Book

Platformers like Yoshi and the Mysterious Book are often billed as aimed at children, and that's supposed to mean the difficulty is fine. While I understand the sentiment, I find that to be an unfortunate way to look at it. I don't think anyone, least of all me, is asking for a Yoshi Soulslike. As cool as that sounds, that's in fact the opposite of what I'm asking for.

It sounds like waxing nostalgia, and maybe it is, but I think all of us remember the first challenging game we played. That experience was valuable, as it allowed all of us to then start to choose what kind of games we sought out. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is dreadfully easy and offers no challenge whatsoever. I don't think it's even possible to lose a life.

Not every game has to be challenging, and I think there's certainly a market for this kind of experience. Sometimes a game is all about vibes and the energy it creates, and this is a game that will utterly draw you in with its visuals. The storybook style is undeniably gorgeous, and the animation has all sorts of wonderful, lively feelings to it.

If that's all it was, just a cozy game designed to make you smile, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book would be a home run. A grand slam, even. Unfortunately, every single thing that surrounds that cozy vibe is just dreadfully boring. In addition to the paper-thin level design and menial tasks, some of the physics and controls make completing these objectives even more arduous. Sometimes, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book just feels genuinely awful to play.

One saving grace, and perhaps a sign of a fantastic future ahead, is that Nintendo seems to really have a strong grasp on the ins and outs of the Switch 2 hardware. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book looks and runs absolutely fabulously, targeting and maintaining 60 FPS with a 1080p output. Handheld also looks decent, but fares a bit worse performance-wise. Altogether, however, the performance and art direction are a touch above, which is a good sign moving forward if you're a Nintendo fan.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book continues the tradition of cute platformers that Nintendo's iconic green dinosaur has made his calling card. Unfortunately, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is less a platformer and more a bloated, drawn-out homework assignment. The critters are cute, and Yoshi is as adorable as ever, but there's almost nothing to do and too much of it at once. It's easily one of 2026's most disappointing games.