Yoshi’s New Switch 2 is Nintendo’s fantastic wildlife exploration

I stare into the backyard of my recently overgrown home, and see a chunky little creature sitting in the tall grass. Squirrel? No, but we also have those. rabbit? No, but we have those too. He’s sitting. It’s a groundhog. Never had one of these before. I look at her. What should I know about his way of life?

This is what it feels like to play Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Nintendo’s latest exclusive release for Switch 2. Mario’s dino steed/friend appears from time to time in unique standalone adventures, sometimes in papercraft form, sometimes as strings, sometimes in puzzles, and sometimes in platformers. After playing for a week, I found a strange and beautiful magic in this game. It is the latest in a series of relaxing games made by Nintendo in 2026 Pokemon Bucopia and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream.

Like a lot of Nintendo games, $60 seems pretty high for that price. But the more I played, the more I learned to love what I was experiencing. I think it’s because I love strange creatures, mystery and the unknown. I loved the recaps of fantasy creatures when I was a kid Book of imaginary creatures By Jorge Luis Borges, O Dungeons & Dragons Monster GuideAnd, as an adult, I like weird art books Codex SeraphinianusFull of impossible life forms.

The idea in this Yoshi game is to fall into a talking book, which serves as a repository of habitats in which unknown creatures live. It’s like Fantastic beasts and where to find themBut Nintendo style. In each puzzle-like level, you’ll learn about a specific creature, find out what it does, then discover and complete your goal.

The goal is a mystery. This could be by making a big pink thing that comes out of a bubble pool, or collecting little surfboard-like babies out of something that looks like a surfboard that you ride through the waves or… I won’t tell you more. Not knowing is the thing.

Super Mario Bros Wonder It also dealt with unexpected whimsy, introducing new creatures with unknown abilities and Wonder Seeds that turned the levels on their head. The problem with whimsy is that once you experience it, the surprise won’t necessarily come back the next time. Uncovering the surprises in each level feels limited, though over time additional challenges appear and creatures somehow cross-pollinate with other habitats. There’s a larger overarching story involving the evil offspring Bowser Jr., but again, I won’t say much more.

I think younger kids will love this game, but the ambiguity of solving the puzzles in each level might frustrate them as well. I like it, but I found some of the challenges difficult or unclear, even with unlockable hints you can purchase with the tokens you collect in each level. You can also collect flowers, and a little flaunting the right stuff like in many Nintendo games.

All of the side-scrolling levels are quite contained, and aren’t that big. You can return to it over time and solve the bits, pieces, and unlock discoveries that are written down in the mysterious talking book inside you. The hand-drawn art style and almost stop-motion style of the character animation are beautiful. I began to enjoy leafing through the book, looking at the dozens of characters documented there over time. Like Pokemon, you have to collect (or keep an eye on) them all.

You can’t die in this game, or get injured, which is really a relief to me. Again, it’s a relaxing experience. It is a game of discoveries. I love that each level is its own set of objectives and gameplay techniques, introducing familiar ideas from other Nintendo games in ways you might not immediately imagine. Bubble-blowing frogs that allow you to jump high into the air, parachuting birds, and… well, really, I won’t say more. And by the way, this is a single player journey.

It certainly ranks lower than Super Mario Wonder (which has earned its own spot Switch 2 multiplayer expansion Lately) for me, but it’s worth it if you like a fun combination of platforming puzzles and a lot of Yoshi gameplay. He jumps and launches eggs exactly as you’d expect, making it feel like a real return to form. I don’t really want it to end, and this is a sign that I’m done with it.

It made me think about the groundhog in my garden in a whole new way. The world is strange and full of mystery, and this game has a generous touch of that curious spirit as well.