2019-04-01_Retro_Gamer

single player. The multiplayer is much wackier than
the single-player, so it was a lot of fun for us to create.
Unfortunately, it’s also easy for bugs to crop up there,
too, and the final debug was quite a challenge. I’m really
grateful to the testing team for testing the game out
with all kinds of different playstyles.”
Alongside its multiplayer mode, one of the most
impressive aspects of Yoshi’s Crafted World is how
the stages constantly unfold and twist about, which
allows Yoshi to uncover new areas and items as he
goes about his quest. It’s a fantastic-looking effect that
builds strongly on the handcrafted theme of the game,
but it certainly wasn’t easy for Ebisu and his team to
implement. “It was incredibly difficult!,” he admits. “As
I mentioned, the crafts are fairly realistic, so players can
imagine how a level feature will work just by how it
looks. To give an example, on the first stage, there’s a
mechanic where a house transforms into a bridge.
We actually had to make this for real to try
and figure out what we would need to do to
achieve this transformation in game. Another
issue is that although the world is full of
many different kinds of handicrafts, there
aren’t actually so many that can be used just
as-is in a game. It caused us many a headache
trying to come up with handicrafts you’d want to
play with in a game.”
Equally challenging for Ebisu’s team has been the
design of each level. While Yoshi can continue to lob
his eggs at enemies, he’s now able to throw them both
into and out of the screen, meaning that Good-Feel has
had to put a little more thought into how each stage
can be interacted with. “Yoshi’s Crafted World is a 2D
platformer with a certain degree of depth back into the
screen,” explains Ebisu. “Sometimes the items and

» [Switch] The tried-and-tested Yoshi design established in Yoshi ’s

Island is present and clear to see.

RETRO INSPIRED: YOSHI’S CRAFTED WORLD

level features placed at the back of the screen will play

a part in beating the stage, and sometimes they may

be collectable items. The handicrafts in the background

aren’t just there to look pretty; we’ve also given them a

role to play too!”

You can get a taster of Yoshi’s Crafted World

thanks to the demo that’s currently available

and it not only highlights the ingenuity of

Ebisu’s team, but also proves that there’s

plenty of life left in Mario’s favourite steed.

It’s a gorgeous-looking game, too thanks to

that stylish aesthetic and the typical quality

control and detail that goes into Nintendo’s

games. “In order to give a sense of realism to the

handicrafts as well as bring out the warm fantasy

atmosphere, we spent a lot of time in research for

shaders,” concludes Ebisu. “We also had to maintain

60fps as it’s a 2D platformer, and so we were tuning

the game right up until the very last minute.” It’s unclear

what’s next for Nintendo’s painfully cute dino, but we

imagine that whatever happens the end result will be

anything but conventional.

DINO

DYNAMICS

Things to do in Yoshi’s

Craed World

PLAYING WITH FRIENDS

QA lot of time has been put into Crafted World’s

multiplayer to ensure that it caters to all audiences.

If you’ve never played a Yoshi game before then grab

a friend and jump in at the deep end, safe in the

knowledge you’ll have plenty of on-screen support.

POOCHY POWER

QYoshi’s faithful companion returns in Crafted

World. He appears as a nice distraction from the

main game, requiring you to find scattered versions

of him that need to be collected. He’ll dutifully follow

you around once he’s been found.

HE’S BEHIND YOU!

QYou’ve got to be more aware of your surroundings

in Yoshi’s Crafted World as it’s possible to shoot eggs

in all directions. Needless to say, shooting things in

the background will trigger new paths and items, as

well as uncover elusive coins and flowers to collect.

» [Switch] One

of those flowers

kind of looks out

of place. We

wonder what

happens when you

lob an egg at it...

» Crafted World sports a neat ‘plushy’ style

of ar t when it comes to its eclectic cast of

Yoshi characters.

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» Crafted Worldd sports a neat ‘plushy’ style

of art when it comes to its eclectic cast of

Yoshi characters.

CS

YOSHHI’SCRAFTED WORLD