Yoshi first debuted all the way back in 1990 in Super Mario World as Mario and Luigi’s steed and has been a Nintendo icon ever since. The green dinosaur, and all the other colours, have been swallowing, laying eggs and throwing those eggs across various games over the decades, including the sports games, Mario Party and Super Smash Bros.

Yoshi has even had his own series of games with some of the most fun and creative 2D side-scrolling platforming action on Nintendo consoles. In the September 2025 Nintendo Direct, a brand-new Yoshi game was announced to the excitement of fans, young and old. Yoshi is now filling the pages in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.

One day, on the island inhabited by Yoshi’s, a talking encyclopaedia, named Mister Encyclopedia (“Mr. E” for short), suddenly falls from the sky. With its pages mysteriously scrubbed blank, Yoshi dives into the book to try to restore his information. As Yoshi discovers, explores, and interacts with a variety of mysterious worlds, they soon realise they aren’t the only ones exploring the mysterious book, as Bowser Jr. and Kamek are also lurking through the pages to track down a specific rare creature for their own mysterious purposes.

Yoshi has the same abilities you’ve come to know and love, using his long tongue to catch and swallow creatures or items, turn them into eggs and use the eggs as projectiles. He also has his Flutter Jump to keep him in the air longer and Ground Pound to squash or break objects beneath him. Yoshi can also place items or have creatures ride on his saddle, which can grant him different abilities such as shooting projectiles, surfing waves, swimming underwater and more. There are a variety of abilities to discover, and players can get creative with how to use them.

For those who have played past Yoshi games (notably 2019’s Yoshi’s Crafted World), this latest game is a big departure from all that came before. Historically, Yoshi games are known for their 2D side-scrolling platforming action that is both fun and challenging. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, however, focuses more on the exploration and research portions of the game, which is crucial to refill the lost pages of Mr. E.

This change will have fans divided, with many expecting a modern classic 2D platformer, but are presented with a more toned-down version of a Yoshi game. That’s not to say this game is bad, but it will depend on your expectations going in.

Mr. E has 12 chapters that need to be found: 6 main chapters, 4 additional post-game chapters and 2 secret post-game chapters. Instead of completing levels by racing to the finish, the aim of this game is to explore each world, discovering and interacting with each creature to get their information and thereby refilling the pages of the book.

You can even choose to name them, or let Mr. E decide for you. Many of the creatures are familiar faces from past games, plus a ton of new designs. Discovering the creatures varies between simple and occasionally challenging, depending on how long it takes you to find them. The game encourages exploration, with numerous things to see and do in each world.

The game is very forgiving because there aren’t many enemies that can hurt you. For example, if you fall down a cliff, you’ll instantly be transported back to where you fell. This takes away that urgent feeling, which is why the past Yoshi games were so fun, but players might welcome a relaxing game that doesn’t punish them. The boss battles are enjoyable, but don’t have the same impact as other Nintendo games.

There is certainly a fun factor, but it can feel inconsistent depending on your preference. There are moments where players can really get into the game, but other times, especially with puzzle solving, you could be wandering around aimlessly trying to figure out what to do because the information isn’t always clear.

Thankfully, Mr. E can provide hints if you wish at the cost of tokens, which are easy to come by, but even with that, the momentum shifts from fun to dull, so you’re likely to switch to do something else and give the game a break. After coming back for another session of the game, you’re likely already looking forward to your next break.

This is, of course, all subjective, and different players will have different experiences, but fans of the old Yoshi games are likely to feel let down because what made them special isn’t in Yoshi’s latest adventure. Those who love the freedom to explore at their own pace without pressure will enjoy playing as the adorable Yoshi, who comes in different colours. With all the creatures and collectibles to find, completionists will thrive in this game.

Being part of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, the game has a bright and colourful art style and presentation, but Yoshi games have managed to stand out with their own distinct designs, and his latest adventure has more of that. Everything from the stage designs, environments, creatures, seeing the pages get filled, and more is bright, colourful, whimsical and full of joy and wonder. Character animations have a low frame rate by design, and along with the upbeat, catchy music, they add so much to the game’s charm and personality. You’ll likely be humming those tunes in no time!

Everything looks and performs excellently on a TV, but surprisingly, it doesn’t look as good in handheld mode, which is rare for a Nintendo exclusive. The graphics look more pixelated than intended in parts when playing on the 7.9-inch LCD screen, though the frame rate still holds up just as well as playing in docked mode. Playing the latest Yoshi game on a handheld may not be ideal, but it’s still a nice option for those who want to play on the go.

Fans of the past Yoshi games may feel disappointed with the lack of challenging side-scrolling platforming, sense of urgency and feel it plays it too safe, but those who prefer exploration, challenging and creative puzzle solving and collecting or are just in the mood to relax and unwind, will find plenty to enjoy at their own pace and without feeling any pressure. This game may divide the player/fan base, but it all depends on our individual preferences, mindsets and expectations going in. It can be a tough realisation to swallow, even for Yoshi.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book may not be the Yoshi game we expected and were initially excited for, but it’s a nice, relaxing and whimsical experience full of joy and wonder.

Written by: Sammy Hanson