Yoshi's Island - SNES - Review

[pichu]

Retro Review ahead:

Yoshi's Island for both GBA and SNES has some sort of magic that has it that makes you want to play it again to relive that old memory. It has a sort of a nostalgia feel to it. Somehow though, some may have forget how this game went and forgot the stages and obstacles that this game have. Well if no one remembers then why not go back to re play it for old times sake ?



Game begins with the story of how the game is meant to be. It’s a story that pops up every time but you can easily skip it when you press a button. Anyways, the story is all about a stork that needed to deliver both baby Mario and baby Luigi to their parents in the mushroom kingdom. But along the way the evil Witch Kammy Koopa also knows as Baby Bowser’s malignant ally has hunted them down and hurt the stork in order to open it’s beak so the bag that the brothers were in fall down on earth. Kammy kidnapped one of the brothers while the other fell down to an ocean. Only to fall on a wandering Yoshi in an unknown island. With the baby comes a letter saying that he needs to get the baby to his parents quick, but they need to rescue Luigi, the one that got kidnapped. And get them both back to their parents. But as Kammy knew that she forgot the other brother, She sends her minions out on a baby hunt to stop yoshi and all of his friends from rescuing his brother. There are a few worlds in this game to complete and with each world comes various levels and a sub fortress with a sub boss with a bigger castle at the end with an even bigger boss to defeat. Each world has a brand new enemy to encounter. Each enemy will hurt you if you have touched them or they throw something at you. When they do your baby will get out of yoshi’s saddle and fly out in a bubble crying waiting for you to go and retrieve it. But there’s a limit to how long you can retrieve it. Initially there’s a ten second limit to get your baby back.

If you don’t then Kammy’s minions will kidnapped the baby and fly away leaving you baby - less and you lose a life. Yoshi doesn’t have a life meter per se. When you do get your baby back the countdown clock will count up till 10 and then stop. You can gather stars that you might encounter along the way to boost the limit or in a checkpoint sometimes found in the middle of a level to also boost it up. Though the limit to how much you can boost up is 30 and will go down and stop at the number unless you get below 10 then it will go up back at 10.

You get six eggs to take with you to aim and shoot around at enemies or anything that you desire to hit. Sometimes you need to hit something that will help you get across from a needle-filled hole or a fire-filled hole, so it’s necessary to gather up eggs along the way. You can get eggs by swallowing up enemies. Some enemies though are not swallow able but the majority of them are. Each level you come across with has a new enemy for you to discover and with it a new obstacle for you to figure out how to use them and use them. No level is the same, each has their own distinct design that fits it somehow with the enemies that are wondering all about. Along with the worlds has a boss to fight. A sub boss and a mini boss. Minibosses are always found in the castle on the middle of the world. They get harder and harder as you continue the worlds but it’s usually something that’s there to stop you from continuing. The bosses are the enemies you came contact with only difference is that Kammy, the despicable koopa magically turns them big and super powered and involves tricks and some sort of puzzle to beat them. After defeating the sub boss there are a few levels to get through and finally an even bigger castle to get through with more plat forming and obstacles. A boss found at the end of the castle, again an enemy transformed to a monster by Kammy. After you beat the boss then you’re in a new world with even more obstacles to go. Map designs are the same for all worlds that the game has. A few levels and 2 castles. Each world has a colorful background that matches
what kind of environment you’ll be entering in a level. The first level is a grassy field so the levels will be usually grassy and have a grassy background with the stage. Then a mountainous terrain to a jungle terrain.

The coloring looks really good for the kind of game that has sprites in it. Doesn’t have a blurry feel to it once you “get” in the game. Has a cute crayon feel to it actually. The music of the game fits with the stage as well. Though there are only a few music that the levels can have but somehow they manage to fit in. A normal adrenaline music fits with a stage that requires lots of jumping and enemy killing to do to an underground music once you hit underground. Castles and bosses has their own music as well but are the same in each world. Now Yoshi has a good jumping ability that makes him jump in the air if you press the jumping button, but goes lower and lower if you do that. The other button that you might need is the “tongue” button that yoshi sticks out his tongue to gobble up enemies or spit fireballs once he has a fireball berry that is found in later worlds. Another button that yoshi requires is the egg throwing button. Once you press that then yoshi will hold an egg and an arrow will rotate partially around yoshi and once you figure out where to aim, you let go of that button and the egg will go in an impressive speed and hit whatever you hit depending where the arrow went.

Aiming more accurately will come in handy in later worlds. This game is a 1 - player game and it doesn’t have any multiplayer in it whatsoever, but who says taking turns isn’t bad?
This game is fairly a tad short as there are only a couple of few-minute levels and castles that are slightly longer to come across to. Not really collectables to collect through the game but you’re graded on each level, most depending on the collection of a few certain items that is found in every level and can be ignored easily as it’s not required to collect them or get some sort of “bonus” if you collect them. One thing that will drive you insane about the adrenaline in a few levels is the immense amount of jumping that is required. Sometimes a platform that is moving in the air may be difficult to jump on or you might get worried about something and make you jump which ends in losing if you fall on a cliff or anywhere where there’s no ground. So again this is where accuracy will be needed a lot.

Luigi has been kidnapped! You must help yoshi guide baby Mario to the stork, save Luigi from Baby Bowser and stop Kammy and her evil tricks all at the same time. With your accuracy in egg throwing and jumping abilities you might accomplish Yoshi’s goals.

This game is a true classic! One of the most memorable games in history.

9.5 / 10

[Don Ramón]

This was one of the greatest games on SNES, no doub about it.
Great Review Pichu.

[amp316]

Next up, Pichu reviews Gorf.

[loro]

I missed this game. Is it available on Wii's dl service?

[B4L]

good review too long for me to actually read . But I remember playing it good game throwing egg has never been as fun .

[pichu]

I missed this game. Is it available on Wii's dl service?

Nope, Nintendo hates me; they won't add this and it's one of my favorite games in the SNES.

[Brute]

Sorry for bumping this old thread, but I just found it at the reviews, and I must say I have never played this game, hopfully it will soon come to VC(VERY SOON!!!).

[pichu]

Sorry for bumping this old thread, but I just found it at the reviews, and I must say I have never played this game, hopfully it will soon come to VC(VERY SOON!!!).

Don't be, bump any thread you want.

Yeah, me too. I had the GBA version of the game and it's one of my favorite. Check at any gamestops when you come back in America. they're probably around $20? Don't know.

And yeah, I want VC too.

[Brute]

^Hopfully it's get's released on the VC before I go to America.

[Mako]

Nice review!

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