With the new Mario movie now out of the way, you might be looking for a way to fill the void it’s left behind. Fortunately, Yoshi has quite an adorable and charming adventure lined up for you. He’s all set to meet a certain Mysterious Book, but you’re going to do more than just some light reading. You’re going to be a part of the book’s world in a way that’s designed around discovery.
Wondering what we meant by that? Read on and find out a few things you should know about this one before you buy it.
1. Meet Mr. E.
The Mysterious Book is none other than Mr. E, an old encyclopedia whose stately demeanour and gravitas hide the fact that he’s lost a lot of the knowledge he’s supposed to contain. It’s up to you to dive into each chapter and rediscover his knowledge of the world’s creatures, which might prove harder than it sounds. Mr. E. is your quest giver, progress tracker all-in-one, while also being a crucial part of your adventure.
2. Learning On The Job
How do you learn more about new creatures? By eating them, of course. Or you could pick them up and carry them around levels to see how their presence affects the environment. Or throw them at other animals to see what happens. The possibilities are endless. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is designed around experimentation, and you should remember that there are no bad ideas in this game.
We’re serious, and you’ll learn why as we keep going.
3. Use Interactions to Solve Puzzles
You’re going to have to use all the knowledge you gather to solve puzzles, which are a good source of stars, which you need to complete a level and progress in the game. Discovering new interactions also rewards stars, so indulge your curiosity. We’re guessing that finding a seemingly impassable obstacle is only an indicator that there’s something you haven’t figured out yet somewhere in the vicinity, although that theory may not always be right.
This one’s exploration hides some serious depth, which we’re getting to in a moment.
4. Yoshi’s Usual Tricks
There’s a fair bit of platforming involved, along with a few hostiles to deal with. Thankfully, Yoshi can eat up enemies and then generate eggs that act as throwables, just as he’s always been able to do. It wouldn’t be a Yoshi game if they weren’t included now, would it? Those 2D sandboxes are going to keep you busy, though, as you’re going to have to explore each one quite thoroughly to ensure that you’ve uncovered everything they’ve got to offer you.
Thankfully, the ability to devour enemies isn’t the only ability in Yoshi’s arsenal.
5. Yoshi Gets A New Ability
Aside from his voracious appetite and the projectiles that stem from it, Yoshi gets another ability as he forays into the book’s whimsical worlds. He can now use his tail in various ways. The Tail Flick lets you reach distant items or creatures, bringing them to you when you can’t get to them. Of course, they could be the key to progression, or unlocking new areas and secrets.
It’s good to know we have options on this one.
6. Physical Editions Are Not Game Key Cards
If you’re still into having physical copies of games for your library, you’ll be pleased to know that the entirety of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is on the cartridge. The pricing is in line with other Switch 2 exclusives, which means that physical editions are dearer than digital ones. You could look for a good deal at your local retailers, though.
7. A Gorgeous Art Style
This visual design on this one is captivatingly adorable, with stop motion animations and a vibrant color palette that are going to make your Switch 2 come to life in your hands, or on your display when it’s docked. Either way, this one’s a visual treat and its design choices align well with its tone (which is absolutely charming, by the way).
It’s an experience that looks like it’s come together quite well, and we’re quite eager to see more of it once it’s in our hands.
8. Biome Variety
Speaking of visuals, they’re definitely going to work well with the biome variety on offer, which includes regions like the Wildwoods, Mountain Top, and Seaside (change order), and more. We expect varying creatures and a whole bunch of ways to make them interact with the world around them.
As far as biome variety goes, Mr. E. has us sorted.
9. Another Ability for Yoshi
Early previews indicate that hostile creatures can be eaten to gain their powers, giving Yoshi even more options as he attempts to help Mr E. For instance, like one that eats watermelons to use the seeds as projectiles, which Yoshi can then eat to gain that ability. Looks like we’re not entirely defenceless and can use our foes’ own strengths against them.
It’s probably a good time to cover the rest of his new abilities. He’s also got his flutter jump to cover large gaps during exploration, and a ground pound move for some AoE damage that should help him deal with hostiles or perhaps get annoying obstacles out of his way.
10. You Get To Name Creatures You Learn Of
Discovering new creatures in unfamiliar worlds is hard work, no matter how fun it can be. Mr. E. acknowledges that, and one of the benefits is that you get to name any creature you find. We’re expecting many of you to get quite creative, and we look forward to the hilarity that could come from this level of player agency.
Just know that your names aren’t going to be part of the larger canon, though.
11. Yoshi Can’t Die
Remember when we said there are no bad ideas in this game? One good reason why is that taking damage only displays an animation where Yoshi’s a tad annoyed, but you can’t die or take damage. We’re not sure if we’re on board with that, as we do like a challenge, but we’re willing to give the game a chance when it drops on May 21, 2026, before making any judgments.
It might make this one a relaxing title to take the edge off a long day or a harder game, which is welcome.
12. The Game Rewards Diligent Explorers
The plus side of controlling a virtually immortal protagonist is that you get to explore levels without worrying about meeting a challenge that’s beyond your capabilities. And while you could just explore enough to get the required amount of stars and progress to the next one, the main draw of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is in exploring as much as you can to uncover as much of the titular book as you can.
There are Smiley Flowers, secret creatures, and even entire new areas to find for those of you who don’t like leaving any loose ends. However, you might find that you’re going to have to backtrack a bit if that’s the case.
13. Back To Where You’ve Been
Discovering new creatures isn’t just tied to gaining new abilities and some knowledge for Mr. E. Each creature interacts with the world around you in different ways, and you’re going to have to use those interactions to gain access to more of the world. It’s an interesting mechanic, to be sure, but it’s even better when you know that any new creature you discover could migrate to levels you’ve previously explored, giving you access to potentially new areas
Yoshi is going to have to be quite a dedicated archivist if he wants to help Mr. E. remember every bit of lost information from his reservoir.
14. Boss Fights
Exploring new, visually stunning worlds to find unique creatures is cool and all, but things do need to get interesting from time to time. Early previews of the game have reported boss fights that bring some familiar faces to the table. We’re not going to spoil them for you here, but know that you’re going to find challenges as you navigate different levels, and you might have to get quite creative to get past them.
15. A Splash of Customization
You get to play as different colored Yoshis in this one, and while there isn’t any information on whether those color palettes are purely cosmetic, we’re kind of hoping that each one comes with unique abilities that add interesting wrinkles to the gameplay loop on offer.
We’re going to have to wait and see if that’s the case, but we’d sure be delighted if it’s true.
And that’s about it for this one. We’re pretty excited to dive into what looks like a title whose charm and clever design could have us spending quite a bit of time with it once it drops. Yoshi looks like he’s in for quite an adventure, and if you’re somebody who’s naturally curious, you’re probably already considering this one. Well, you can be sure that we’re coming along for the adventure.
