screenshot of ''Yoshi's Woolly World''. The characters and environment are depicted as living
yarn knits, a theme that continues throughout the game. ''Yoshi's Woolly World'' is a
platform game in which players assume the role of
Yoshi. Similar to games like
Good-Feel's ''
Kirby's Epic Yarn, the game is set in a world where the characters and environment are composed of yarn and cloth. Yoshi retains much of his moveset from the Yoshi's Island'' series, including using his tongue to swallow enemies and using his flutter jump to reach high areas. Many elements such as flowers and mystery clouds also return. However, unlike other games where swallowing enemies would produce eggs which Yoshi could then throw, Yoshi instead produces balls of yarn. These yarn balls have various uses when thrown, such as tying up enemies or filling in certain platforms and objects. Players can also gather white chicks in certain levels, which produce temporary cloud platforms when thrown. The game also supports up to two players cooperatively. With both players able to swallow and throw their partners, allowing them to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. In addition, some sections give Yoshi special transformations, such as a
motorbike or
umbrella. Throughout each level, Yoshi can pick up
beads, which can be spent on Power Badges. These can support the player during a level, such as granting more powerful attacks, or the ability to recover when falling into bottomless pits. Each level contains five Flowers, five Wonder Wools, and twenty Stamp Patches, which are hidden behind certain beads. Flowers increase the odds of entering a bonus game at the end of the level, and collecting all Flowers within a world opens up a secret level. Finding all the Yarn Bundles within a level unlocks a new pattern of Yoshi, which players can switch to while on the overworld map. Collecting enough Stamp Patches unlocks special stamps that can be used in
Miiverse posts; the 3DS version has instead Pencil Patches which gives predefinite models for its exclusive Yoshi customization mode. At any point in the game, players can toggle between Classic Mode and Mellow Mode, the latter of which gives Yoshi a pair of wings, allowing less skilled players to fly indefinitely through a stage. ''Poochy and Yoshi's Woolly World'' has a unique mode where the player controls Poochy through a level, with only the ability to crouch and jump, running to collect Poochy Pups and beads. The game features compatibility with
Amiibo figures, including a unique knitted Yarn Yoshi Amiibo. Using any Yoshi Amiibo allows players to create a duplicate Yoshi during Solo Play, allowing solo players to replicate actions otherwise only available in Co-op Play. Additionally, the Yarn Yoshi Amiibo can be used to save a design based on another character. Other compatible figures, such as
Mario and
Donkey Kong, can be used to unlock additional patterns based on the respective character. The game is playable with the
Wii U GamePad,
Wii Remote,
Wii Classic Controller, and
Wii U Pro Controller. ==Plot==