Yoshi's Island

I never played Yoshi's Island for the SNES. The sequel to Super Mario World, one of my favorite games for that platform, was largely forgotten in those transitory years that eventually made me pursue PC gaming exclusively. Games at that time had to compete with the likes of Ultima VIII (which I had convinced myself was being ripped off by Blizzard for Diablo), Command and Conquer, and Dark Forces for my attention. But from what I've read, I don't think I was the only one that was distracted. It seems that the crayon-and-markers art style made some gamers avoid this title, when compared to what was capable with Donkey Kong Country only a year before, despite the critical acclaim that followed. Am I only kidding myself, or was Yoshi's Island really that overlooked?

The addition of Yoshi into Super Mario World was a new kind of power-up; aside from the fun to be had eating enemies, I was more amazed at how the music changed slightly whenever Mario was riding him. Yoshi was cute and immediately liked by players of Super Mario World; perhaps this was the excuse Nintendo needed to give him his own adventure. My first experience with Yoshi's Island was the GBA version that was released in 2002 as Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island, which forms the basis of this review.

The set-up is a variation on the rescue theme prevalent in all Mario games: two babies, who will grow to become the most famous brothers in the Mushroom Kingdom, are separated before they are brought safely home by a stork. One of them is kidnapped by the evil sorcerer Kamek, and carried off to an ominous looking castle. The other falls to the ground on an island populated by "Yoshis", one of them being Mario's friend from Super Mario World which essentially tells of their first meeting. Yoshi and his multi-colored friends (also named Yoshi?) must work together in reuniting the twins, each of them relaying Mario along between levels to provide safe passage.

Yoshi's Island is a game that could have easily maintained the gameplay of Super Mario World, and still turned out a decent game. But Nintendo decided to change the presentation of its established characters and environments. Mario is now a baby riding on Yoshi's back, who will float off in a bubble if Yoshi takes damage. The thickly drawn lines, pastel colors and comedic sprite animations all contribute to the game's lighthearted tone, and clearly inspired the visual style of the Paper Mario series. The "?" blocks have been replaced by clouds and the coins have been complemented by stars and flowers. There's no on screen display showing your progress or how many lives you have left. Collecting the coins and stars and flowers is only optional. There are no power-ups or bonuses that are required to advance comfortably - all of Yoshi's abilities are available from the start and it's up to the player to learn how to use them.

Yoshi's Island was the first Mario game to introduce the "Ground Pound", which sees some use in removing obstacles. Jumping again in mid-air causes the flutter jump, effectively allowing Yoshi to float for a few seconds. Though it won't save you, as much as it may seem that way. It takes practice to time it right - to dodge enemies, to land on a floating platform, or to add a little extra to that long distance jump. Yoshi also has the ability to create his own ammunition in the form of eggs (in some weird variation of an ultra-efficient digestive system), but he is limited to carrying six of them. And you'll find that when you need creatures to eat, they never seem to be around. This isn't like Fireball Mario - ammunition must be managed. There is also a series of "Bubble" powers, which allow you to change shape into a vehicle for a short period of time to traverse parts of a level, but these have only limited use and feel more like a gimmick than anything else.

Though the game never loses its feeling of whimsy: the storybook visuals and ability to roam relatively freely through each level gives the sense that there is no real pressure to perform. The player has time to experience everything; to take their time in completing each level. You don't have to collect items or have certain powers to be able to complete a level, but make sure that Baby Mario doesn't get away from you. And beneath this soft and cuddly exterior the challenge is cleverly presented.

Take the most important part of the game: protecting Baby Mario. If Yoshi is hit by an enemy, or is wounded by spikes or other obstacles, Mario will fall off of Yoshi's back and float inside a bubble. At that point a 10 second timer starts, and you have that amount of time to retrieve him before he is taken away by Kamek's cronies. Often he will be floating backwards - away from you - so you have to backtrack, requiring more coordination and skill than getting there the first time around. Throughout the game you are not only watching out for you own well-being, but that of Baby Mario. It's a dymanic that doesn't seem important at first when the levels are more open and Mario can be recaptured easily, but the timer seems to decay a lot faster when the screen is densely packed with obstacles and enemies. Once you get Baby Mario, the timer doesn't instantly reset - it happens slowly. As a result, successive hits will usually result in Baby Mario being captured. The timer can be increased by collecting more stars, to a maximum of 30 seconds. This doesn't help as much as it sounds.

The level design gradually increases the difficulty by introducing areas that require more than one technique to surpass. It's subtle enough that you don't realize it until you start dying more frequently - usually a result of jumping towards a chasm chasing after Baby Mario on pure reflex. Similarly, boss battles were straightforward at first, but they soon began to employ more complicated egg aiming and deflecting maneuvers. Though some levels are made unnecessarily difficult because the edges of the screen feel constantly out of view, as if the SNES version wasn't re-sized correctly for the Gameboy Advance's screen.

Nevertheless, when the two brothers that have come to represent the embodiment of 2D platforming are finally reunited, there is a feeling of satisfaction. Not the kind that is felt after rescuing the Princess at the end of every other Mario game; that's just a reflex. There was a playful quality about the whole thing, as if to say that you were ensuring the course of Mushroom Kingdom history. Yoshi's Island presented the familiar gameplay and aesthetic of its predecessor in a new way; it was probably hurt more by being called a sequel. This isn't so much a rescue as it is an escort mission; you've already saved one baby. The safety of Baby Mario is in your control throughout the entire game, creating a selfless objective that isn't as annoying or aloof as the typical missions in action games where you have to protect a faceless hostage or useless public figure. The strength of Yoshi's Island lies in its departure from what was expected of a Mario game, ensuring its position as a landmark in the series - and in the 16-bit generation.