Yoshi and the Mysterious Book review roundup: Nintendo's new Switch 2 game divides critics

Video games aren't for kids anymore — but some of them are, and that can throw reviewers for a loop. Even if you have children yourself, it can be tough to properly evaluate a game from a kid's perspective (my son adores the TT Games Lego titles, but I still think they're objectively terrible). Except in those all-too-frequent cases where a kids' game is just bad, reviewers can easily be discombobulated by them.

That seems to be the case with Yoshi and the Mysterious Book: a gentle puzzle-platformer about discovering new creatures and Nintendo's latest Switch 2 exclusive. Nearly everyone agrees it's charming — the most frequently used word in reviews — but opinions on the game design vary from "brilliant break with form" through "interesting but half-realized" to "disappointing." Its review ratings net out fairly positive, if on the low side for a first-party Nintendo game: Yoshi and the Mysterious Book currently sits at 80 on Metacritc and OpenCritic.

VGC's Andy Robinson is a huge fan. In his five-star review, Robinson praised the game's unique, free-form approach to 2D platforming and willingness to do things differently. "Because levels are presented as systemic sandboxes, like a platformer Breath of the Wild, many challenges can be solved in multiple ways, and creatures might interact with each other, leading to unexpected results," Robinson wrote. "Instead of retreading past formulas, the Switch 2 game presents a truly unique framework, full of invention and compelling platforming for all ages."

Eurogamer's Christian Dolan was also pleasantly surprised by Mysterious Book, finding the game true to the spirit, if not the letter, of the classic platformer Yoshi's Island. "Both are games of experimentation, of interacting with the environment and discovering everything that it can do. A watermelon can be a gatling gun. A dandelion seed can be a psychedelic drug," Donlan wrote. "It's a game about the imagination and strange rigour that Nintendo always brings to its platformers. It's a surprise. It's a delight."

Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio agreed in theory, but felt Mysterious Book didn't quite deliver on this promise. "Yoshi and the Mysterious Book puts its entire focus on playful research to create a low-stakes game aimed at Nintendo’s youngest players," he said. "It’s a suitably bright and gentle adventure for parents looking to ease their kids into Nintendo games, but one that doesn’t fully find its footing as a new species of puzzle-platformer. The novel, nascent critter-studying play leaves Yoshi’s new adventure feeling like just the first link in a new evolutionary line."

Nintendo Life's Ollie Reynolds couldn't get on board with the game's lack of challenge and structure. His 6/10 review criticised the "empty and drab" stage design, the lacklustre visuals, and the "repetitive structure that doesn't evolve or provide any sense of meaningful challengeepetitive structure that doesn't evolve or provide any sense of meaningful challenge."

The 6/10 review by IGN's Tom Marks also radiates disappointment. Marks was enthralled by a level in the middle of the game that (without spoilers) appeared to find a new sense of purpose for the creature-collecting mechanic. But the idea wasn't repeated. "It's such a bummer, man," Marks wrote. "Nearly all of its best ideas are left to wilt on the vine. [...] The result is the most charming video game bubble wrap you’ll ever pop, and not much more." (Marks said his 3-year-old didn't dig it, either.)

Young kids and their parents might want to give Yoshi and the Mysterious Book a try, and some Nintendo nostalgists clearly aren't immune to its charms, either. But be aware that this free-form, no-fail platform might not conform to your grown-up idea of a video game.

The Polygon Review

Yoshi's latest adventure invites you inside Nintendo's design laboratory