I’ll be honest: I didn’t think that Yoshi and the Mysterious Book was going to be anything but filler. I legitimately thought it was merely going to be “another Yoshi game”. Another cute, well-put, functional, but predictable 2.5D platformer just like pretty much any other game in the franchise. But nope, turns out way more effort was put into this little title than expected. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is the most unique title in this small subseries because it’s not trying to be a traditional platformer. It’s actually a game about… studying and cataloguing…

Explore each level, uncover puzzles, all in a laidback manner.

Wait. What? Cataloguing? Is this supposed to be busy work? Fear not, dear reader; this is a premise that sounds utterly pointless on paper, but thanks to the protagonist’s irresistible charm, as well as a clever gameplay loop, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book manages to make the mundane feel appealing, especially in shorter bursts. In essence, you are helping a living encyclopedia, exploring its magical pages and looking for species of creatures it had never met before. You then help out studying this new species, interacting with said creature, and helping the living book take notes on it.

You do that by basically messing around with the creature in a self-contained, handdrawn level. Think of the book as Animal Planet, and you’re a zoologist. You have to interact with the creature in every single way you can think of. Get close to it, soak it in water, give it fruit, put it on your back and give it a ride, see if it interacts with your surroundings. Hell, eat it and turn it into an egg, and take notes on how it tastes. That sounds silly, but upon interacting with each creature, you will also figure out its unique skill. For instance, a Crazy Dayzee helps grow flowers on the floor it touches; it also helps grow seeds, turning them into big stalks that you can climb on.

In any other game, such a huge bee colony would have been a threat.

Learning about what each creature can do is essential to the completion of its specific level, but also future levels. A Crazy Dayzee might show up in a level starring a little frog, and both can interact with each other; you can also use one’s ability and combine it with another creature’s ability. You’re basically the Mushroom Kingdom’s David Attenborough, discovering about each animal’s unique characteristics in very odd, nonsensical, but surprisingly cozy ways.

Of course, there is a plot that involves Bowser Jr., and there are some more, uh, “serious” segments with little battles and whatnot, but stakes are shockingly low in this game. Oddly enough, though I’m not the biggest fan of the brand new trend of shoving cozy gaming down someone’s throat as if hardcore experiences were the antichrist, I really enjoyed how laidback Yoshi and the Mysterious Book felt. Go to a level, do as many discoveries as possible, get showered with stars, then be told of everything you’ve missed, not in a “you’re an idiot for missing out on these puzzles” way, but more on a “hey buddy, here’s a hint on what you’ve missed, just in case you want to replay a level” vibe. Honestly, perfect.

Oh yeah, he’s here as well.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book innovates on a stagnant franchise by being a really interesting mixture between platforming, puzzle-solving, and zoology cataloguing. Collectathon enthusiasts and cozy gamers will have a blast with this low-stakes experience. It’s super easy but not condescending, adorable to look at (in docked mode, that is), chock-full of content, and best enjoyed in smaller sessions. It won’t be a Nintendo Switch 2 highlight, nor one of the greatest games of the year, but this is the kind of “cozy” palate cleanser that actually works at slowing things down whilst still providing a sizeable experience with lots to do and uncover.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is available now on Switch 2.

Reviewed on Switch 2.

A copy of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book was provided by the publisher.