Discoveries are the beating heart of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. Every creature you interact with holds a list of secrets waiting to be unlocked, and working through them is how you earn Stars, collect Tokens, and push deeper into the game's 12 chapters. This guide breaks down how the Discovery system works, what moves trigger interactions, and lists every known Discovery across the first three chapters so you know exactly what you're missing.
How do Discoveries work in Yoshi and the Mysterious Book?
Every creature in the game has its own Research level, and each Research level contains a set of Discoveries you can unlock by interacting with that creature in different ways. Every Discovery you make earns you a Star, and Stars are what unlock new chapters. The upper left corner of any creature page shows how many Stars are available from that creature, so you always know your ceiling before you start.
Each Research level also has one Big Discovery that serves as the completion condition for that creature's chapter. When you start making progress toward a Big Discovery, a progress meter appears at the top of the screen. Pay attention to that meter, because it functions as a hint about what you need to do next.
Big Discovery progress meter
Check the progress meter carefully when it appears. The way it fills up often hints at the type of action required, whether that's eating, throwing, or carrying a creature.
What moves trigger Discoveries?
Three core actions cover the majority of early Discoveries: Tail Flick, Eating, and Throwing Items. These are available almost immediately, making them the best starting point whenever you enter a new Research level. Tail Flick is especially versatile since it can also be used to carry certain creatures around, which opens up additional interactions that eating alone would not.
Here is a quick breakdown of the primary move types and what they tend to unlock:
The game has 12 chapters total, with 6 in the main campaign. Each chapter requires a minimum Star count to unlock, so replaying earlier Research levels to find missed Discoveries is a normal part of progression, not a grind.
How do Tokens and hints work?
For every Star you earn through Discoveries, you also receive Tokens. Tokens can be spent to predict Discoveries, giving you a hint about how to trigger something you have not found yet. This system means there is no reason to get permanently stuck. If you have worked through the obvious interactions and still have gaps, spend Tokens on hints before replaying a level blind.
Tokens are also obtainable through amiibo. For a full breakdown of Fortune tiers and Token rewards from compatible figures, the Yoshi and the Mysterious Book amiibo guide covers every supported figure in detail.
Chapter 1: The Wildwoods discoveries
The Wildwoods introduces five creatures: Crazee Dayzee, Bunchabee, Croakaoke, Glubbit, and Scatterpuff. Each has a substantial Discovery list.
Crazee Dayzee
This flower creature reacts to a wide range of interactions. Some standout Discoveries include making flowers bloom in matching colors, growing the Crazee Dayzee into a large tree (with the Big Discovery showing its face growing as large as the stalk), burying it to make it sprout, and getting it muddy. The flower crown Discovery requires making flowers bloom for friends, and there is a color-matching Discovery tied to apples.
Bunchabee
The Bunchabee rewards stealth and thoroughness. You can save a Smiley Flower without being spotted, remove hives inside a cave, slurp up a swarm, and get covered in honey. The Big Discovery involves removing all hives across the level.
Croakaoke
This singing frog creature has one of the larger Discovery lists in Chapter 1. Discoveries are tied to musical scales (Do-Re-Mi sequences in ascending and descending order), carrying a small Croakaoke to play a tune, placing a leaf on top as a hat, and triggering specific melodies like a lullaby or a waltz. Crazee Dayzee appears as a guest conductor in one Discovery.
For Croakaoke, experiment with different sequences of steps on the creature. The musical scale Discoveries unlock in order, so working through Do-Re-Mi systematically is faster than random attempts.
Glubbit
Glubbit's Discoveries revolve around its bubble mechanics. Eating apples produces bigger bubbles, you can bubble-wrap a blooming flower, rescue characters by bursting bubbles, and reach new heights by bubbling up. One Discovery involves burping out a bursting bubble, and another has Glubbit bubbling up a whole bunch of targets at once.
Scatterpuff
Scatterpuff grows in unusual places, including on rocks, and its fluff interacts with water to become soggy. Key Discoveries include using a Ground Pound to scatter small ones, using extra fluff to fracture bigger rocks, and overpowering a stone statue. There is also a Discovery tied to dropping the water level.
For a full walkthrough of every Smiley Flower location alongside these Discoveries, the Wildwoods chapter walkthrough covers all 20 Smiley Flowers and creature interactions in one place.
Chapter 2: Mountaintops discoveries
Chapter 2 adds six creatures: Taggit, Milde, Peckadee, Floofly, Plumebrella, and Thudd. The Mountaintops chapter has more complex multi-step Discoveries than the Wildwoods.
Taggit
Taggit is a tag-playing creature with Discoveries tied to different tag variants: balancing tag, balloon plant tag, vine tag, and an all-out dash version. There is a gold Taggit Discovery, and one Discovery involves Taggit taking a Smiley Flower. Getting all of Taggit's Tokens is its own Discovery.
Milde
Milde multiplies and pops, and its Discoveries reward chaining pops together. You can pop 2, 3, or 4 in a row, trigger a Mega Milde eruption, and activate a cooled pool. There are also Discoveries for clearing all boxes in a cave and sending a Croakaoke soaring using Milde's burst.
Peckadee
Peckadee's beak is the key to most of its Discoveries. Firing it up with a hot pepper, breaking rocks, cracking nuts, splitting logs (including a long log), and hitting multiple targets in sequence all count. There is a treasure Discovery and a Peckadee carving Discovery that rewards precise targeting.
Floofly
Floofly makes rain, shoots lightning, and hides rainbows inside storms. Discoveries include befriending a fish cloud, disrupting an arrow formation, and making it to the goal while riding on fluffy flying Flooflys. Big Floofly shrinks over time, which is its own Discovery.
Plumebrella
Plumebrella Discoveries involve floating on updrafts, flipping inside out, finding a golden Plumebrella, and discovering a hidden Winged Cloud. A small Plumebrella variant exists with its own entry. One Discovery involves saving a Crazee Dayzee.
Thudd
Thudd inhales almost everything it encounters, and its Discovery list reflects that. Inhaling the pond, a brilliant white jewel, a red teardrop jewel, the Crazee Dayzee, the Plumebrella, the Croakaoke, the Bunchabee, and the Glubbit are all separate Discoveries. There is also a fossil Discovery and one for rescuing Bowser Jr.
The Mountaintops chapter walkthrough documents all 26 Smiley Flowers and every creature interaction across this chapter.
Chapter 3: Seaside discoveries
Chapter 3 introduces Weewoo, Ouchin, Casterway, Bafloonder, and Snurfboard across the Seaside environment.
Weewoo
Weewoo is a musical shell creature. Discoveries include making a giant dancing flower bloom, finding a hidden concert hall, luring out a Floofly with music, playing a leaf whistle, and reviving a wilted Smiley Flower. Different shell shapes (spiral, pointy, long) each have their own Discovery entries.
Ouchin
Ouchin is spiny and aggressive toward Crazee Dayzees. Discoveries reward rescuing every Crazee Dayzee from Ouchin, sinking submerged Ouchins with watermelon seeds, and protecting apples. Eggs are effective against Ouchin as well.
Casterway
Casterway is a fishing creature with Discoveries tied to catch counts. Catching 10 fish, catching a fast fish, catching a real whopper, draining water by landing the big fish, and fishing a Smiley Flower out of a Winged Cloud are all separate entries. There are also rubbish-tidying Discoveries and a magnet catch.
Bafloonder
Bafloonder explores underwater and can dash through crates. Discoveries include plundering a sunken ship, finding a secret passage, and making a mad dash for a Smiley Flower.
Snurfboard
Snurfboard Discoveries reward surfing tricks and exploration. Flipping small Snurfboards, pulling off tricks, going underwater, finding all small Snurfboards, and reaching sunken treasure are all part of the list.
Several Seaside Discoveries require specific sequences, like catching fish in a set order or triggering musical notes in the right pattern with Weewoo. If a Discovery is not unlocking, check whether a prior step in the sequence is still incomplete.
Should you replay chapters for missed Discoveries?
Yes, and the game is built around it. As Game8 confirms, each chapter has a Star requirement to unlock, and replaying Research levels is the intended way to fill gaps. The Token hint system exists specifically because some Discoveries are easy to miss on a first pass. There is no penalty for replaying, and you keep all Stars and Tokens earned in previous runs.
If you want to plan your time before diving in, the how long to beat Yoshi and the Mysterious Book guide breaks down the difference between a story run and a full completion playthrough, which is useful context before committing to 100% Discovery collection.
For everything else across all 8 chapters, the full Yoshi and the Mysterious Book strategy guides collection has chapter walkthroughs, Smiley Flower locations, and more.