Yoshi's Island

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's IslandTemplate:Efn is a 1995 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls various Yoshis on their quest to reunite baby Mario with his brother Luigi, who has been kidnapped by Kamek. Yoshi runs and jumps to reach the end of the level while solving puzzles and collecting items with Mario's help.

Following his introduction in the previous Super Mario game, Super Mario World (1990), Nintendo decided to develop a game starring Yoshi, with the aim of making it more accessible. Yoshi's Island introduced his signature flutter jump and egg-spawning abilities. The marker-drawn art style was created by scanning hand-drawn pictures and approximating them pixel-by-pixel. Some special effects were powered by a new Super FX2 microchip.

After four years of development, Yoshi's Island was released in Japan in August 1995 and worldwide two months later. It sold more than four million copies. Critics described it as one of the greatest video games of all time, praising the art, sound, level design and gameplay. The art style and Yoshi's signature characteristics established the Yoshi series of spin-offs and sequels.

Yoshi's Island was the last Super Mario platformer before the series' transition to 3D gameplay, with no further 2D entries for over a decade. It was ported to the Game Boy Advance as Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 in 2002; this version was rereleased for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U's Virtual Console. The original version was also released for the Super NES Classic Edition, and both versions for the Nintendo Classics service.

Plot

A long time ago, Kamek, a Magikoopa,<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev"/> attacks a stork delivering baby brothers Mario and Luigi. He succeeds in kidnapping Baby Luigi, but Baby Mario falls out of the sky and onto the back of Yoshi,<ref name="IGN: review1"/> the friendly dinosaur, on Yoshi's Island.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> Yoshi and his friends relay Mario across the island to reach Luigi and rescue him from Kamek, who is in the service of the young Bowser. Bowser wanted to abduct the brothers when Kamek foresaw that they would foil his plans in the future.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Yoshi defeats Bowser, saves Luigi, and the stork successfully delivers the brothers to their parents in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Gameplay

File:Yoshi's Island - Gameplay.png

Yoshi aims an egg at a Piranha Plant. The timer in the top right corner will count down if Mario falls off his back. The game has a hand-drawn, paper-and-crayon aesthetic.

Yoshi's Island is a 2D side-scrolling platform game.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi4"/><ref name="IGN: review1"/> In the Super Mario series platform game tradition, the player controls Yoshi in run-and-jump gameplay. The player navigates between platforms and atop some foes en route to the end of the increasingly difficult levels. The player controls one of many Yoshis, which take turns traveling through 48 levels across six worlds<ref name="IGN: review2"/> to rescue Baby Luigi and reunite the brothers.<ref name="IGN: review1"/> Yoshi also collects coins to earn extra lives<ref name="Edge: SNES"/> and retains his long tongue from Super Mario World.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi4"/> The game centers more on "puzzle-solving and item-collecting" than other platformers,<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> with hidden flowers and red coins to find.<ref name="IGN: review2"/> Levels include mines, ski jumps, and "the requisite fiery dungeons".<ref name=Mott-285/> Every fourth level (two in each world<ref name="IGN: review2"/>) is a boss fight against a large version of a previous foe.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/>

In a style new to the series,<ref name=Mott-285/> the game has a coloring book aesthetic with "scribbled crayon" backgrounds. Expanding on his "trademark tongue" ability to swallow enemies,<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev"/> Yoshi, as the focus of the game, was given a new move set: the ability to "flutter jump", throw eggs, and transform. The flutter jump gives Yoshi a secondary boost when the player holds the jump button.<ref name="IGN: review1"/> It became his new "trademark move", similar to that of Luigi in Super Mario Bros. 2. Yoshi can also pound the ground from mid-air to bury objects or break through soft earth, and use his long tongue to grab enemies at a distance.<ref name="Edge: SNES"/> Swallowed enemies can be spat as projectiles immediately or stored for later use as an egg.<ref name="IGN: review1"/> The player individually aims and fires the eggs at obstacles via a new targeting system. The eggs also bounce off of surfaces in the environment. Up to six eggs can be stored this way, and will trail behind the character.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi4"/> Yoshi can also eat certain items for power-up abilities. For instance, watermelons let Yoshi shoot seeds from his mouth like a machine gun, and fire enemies turn his mouth into a flamethrower. Other power-ups transform Yoshi into vehicles including cars, drills, helicopters, and submarines. A star power-up makes Baby Mario invulnerable and extra fast.<ref name="Edge: SNES"/>

While Yoshi is "virtually invincible", if hit by an enemy, Baby Mario will float off his back in a bubble while a timer counts down to zero. When the timer expires, Koopas arrive to take Baby Mario<ref name="IGN: review1"/> and Yoshi loses a life.<ref name="IGN: E3 Impressions"/> The player can replenish the timer by collecting small stars<ref name="IGN: review1"/> and power-ups.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> However, Yoshi can also lose a life instantly if he comes into contact with obstacles such as pits, spikes, lava, and thorns. Similar to Super Mario World, the player can hold a power-up in reserve, such as a "+10 star" (which adds ten seconds to the Baby Mario timer) or a "magnifying glass" (which reveals all hidden red coins in a level).<ref name="IGN: review2"/> These power-ups are acquired in several minigames.<ref name="IGN: review2"/> At the end of each level, the Yoshi relays Baby Mario to the successive Yoshi.<ref name="IGN: review1"/> If the player perfects all eight levels in each world by finishing with all flowers, red coins, and full 30 seconds on the timer, two hidden levels will unlock.<ref name="Edge: SNES"/> There are three save slots on the cartridge.<ref name="IGN: review1"/>

The SNES version includes hidden 2-player minigames that can be accessed via a button combination.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Game Boy Advance version adds an exclusive bonus level for each world with 100% level completion.<ref name="IGN: review2" /> It also includes four-player support via link cable,<ref name="IGN: review1" /> but only to play Mario Bros., a pack-in feature also included on the other Super Mario Advance games.<ref name="IGN: review2" />

Development

Following his introduction in Super Mario World (1990), the character of Yoshi gained popularity and starred in puzzle game spin-offs such as Yoshi and Yoshi's Cookie. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto asked Yoshi's designer, Shigefumi Hino, to develop an original project. Hino felt that the Mario team had already explored every possible avenue with 2D Mario platformers (Miyamoto would soon begin work on the 3D Super Mario 64). After brainstorming, he landed on the idea of using Yoshi as the main character of a platform game, with the goal of being more accessible than previous Mario games.<ref name="SNES Classic Interview"/> According to Hino, the developers then decided that Yoshi's goal in the game should be to carry Mario across the world map. The team originally chose to feature infant Mario as a justification for him not being able to walk independently.<ref name=BeforeYouDie/>Template:Rp

To give the gameplay a more "gentle and relaxed pacing", the levels lack time limits and feature more exploration elements than previous games; Yoshi's flutter jump also makes him easier to control in the air than Mario.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BeforeYouDie>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Yoshi's ability to lay and throw eggs was added to distinguish Yoshi's Island further from previous Mario games, none of which had prominently featured a throwing mechanic.<ref name=BeforeYouDie/>Template:Rp Progression between levels was made linear so that players would improve their skills by replaying levels, as opposed to letting players avoid difficult levels on a world map.<ref name=BeforeYouDie/>Template:Rp

In 2020, a prototype for a platform game with similar graphics to Yoshi's Island was discovered, featuring a new protagonist wearing a pilot suit. The name, Super Donkey, suggests it may have been considered as a new Donkey Kong game before being repurposed for Yoshi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Yoshi's Island was developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> as part of the core Super Mario series.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Production of Yoshi's Island began on February 1, 1992, and concluded on June 29, 1995.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Full citation needed Development was spearheaded by Hino, Takashi Tezuka, Hideki Konno and Toshihiko Nakago. It was Nakago's only directing role after an 11-year apprenticeship, with Miyamoto as producer. Newly hired artist Hisashi Nogami created the unique marker-drawn style. The graphics were achieved by drawing them by hand, digitally scanning them, and then approximating them pixel-by-pixel.<ref name="SNES Classic Interview"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yoshiaki Koizumi animated the opening and ending, while series composer Koji Kondo wrote the game's music.

Partway into the development of Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country was released, which resulted in its computer-generated graphics becoming the norm for contemporary SNES games. It was too late for the graphic designers to incorporate such a style into Yoshi's Island; instead, they pushed the hand-drawn style further as a way to "fight back".<ref name="SNES Classic Interview"/> As a compromise, the introductory and ending cutscenes feature a pre-rendered style, contrasting with the rest of the game. According to Miyamoto, Yoshi's Island was in development for four years, which let the team add "lots of magic tricks".<ref name="NEXT: spread"/> The game cartridge used an extra microchip to support the game's rotation, scaling<ref name="IGN: E3 Impressions"/> and other sprite-changing special effects.<ref name="IGN: review1"/> Yoshi's Island was designed to use the Super FX chip,<ref name="IGN: E3 Impressions"/> but when Nintendo stopped supporting the chip, the game became the first to use Argonaut Games's Super FX2 microchip.<ref name="NEXT: spread"/> Examples of chip-powered effects include 3D walls falling into the background, objects that are able to dynamically rotate and change size, and a psychedelic undulating effect when Yoshi touches floating fungi.<ref name="Edge: SNES"/>

Release

Yoshi's Island was released in Japan in August 1995, and two months later in North America and Europe.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev" /><ref name=BeforeYouDie/>Template:Rp In advertising, Nintendo referred to some of the visual effects made possible by the Super FX2 chip as "Morphmation".<ref name=BeforeYouDie/>Template:Rp At the time of release, the SNES was at the end of its lifecycle,<ref name="IGN: 125" /> with Nintendo's next console, the Nintendo 64, due the following year.<ref name="NEXT: spread" />

Yoshi's Island was ported to the Game Boy Advance (GBA) as Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 in North America on September 23, 2002.<ref name="IGN: review1" /> When it was previewed at E3 2002, IGN named Yoshi's Island "Best Platformer" on a handheld console.<ref name="IGN: E3 2002" /> The GBA version adds Kazumi Totaka's voice as Yoshi<ref name="IGN: E3 Impressions" /> and six new levels. The visible area was also reduced to fit the handheld's lower resolution.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev" /> The new cartridge did not need an extra microchip to support the special effects.<ref name="IGN: E3 Impressions" /> The GBA version was released for 3DS on December 16, 2011<ref name="IGN: 3DS" /> as an exclusive reward for early adopters<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev" /> and for Wii U on April 24, 2014.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev" /> The multiplayer modes are inaccessible in these rereleases.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev" />

At E3 2010, Nintendo demonstrated "classic" 2D games, including Yoshi's Island, on Nintendo 3DS as remastered 3D games with a "pop-up book feel".<ref name="Kotaku: sorta remakes" /> The SNES version was included as a part of the Super NES Classic Edition micro-console in 2017.<ref name="WP: SNES Classic" /> The SNES and GBA versions were released on the Nintendo Classics service on September 5, 2019 and May 25, 2023, with local and online multiplayer.<ref name="snes">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Reception

Yoshi's Island sold over Template:Nowrap copies in Japan by late 1995,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and went on to sell Template:Nowrap.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has sold over four million copies worldwide,<ref name="Edge: sales"/> selling Template:Nowrap copies for the SNES.<ref name="guinness2016">Template:Cite book</ref>

Yoshi's Island received critical acclaim. At the time of its 1995 release, Matt Taylor of Diehard GameFan thought Yoshi's Island could be "possibly the best platform game of all time".<ref name="GF Viewpoint"/> Nintendo Power also said that the game was "one of the biggest, most beautiful games ever made".<ref name="NP77 rev"/> Next Generation was also most impressed by the game's "size and playability".<ref name="NEXT: review"/> Diehard GameFanTemplate:'s three reviewers gave the game a near-perfect score. To wit, Nicholas Dean Des Barres said it was "one of the handful of truly perfect games ever produced", and lamented that the magazine had given Donkey Kong Country, which he felt was a lackluster game in comparison, the extra single point for a perfect score.<ref name="GF Viewpoint"/> Casey Loe removed that one point for Baby Mario's "annoying screech".<ref name="GF Viewpoint"/> Nintendo Power and Nintendo Life also found Baby Mario's crying sounds annoying.<ref name="NP77 rev"/><ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> Reviewing the SNES release over a decade later, Kaes Delgrego of Nintendo Life said the crying and some easy boss battles, while both minor, were the only shortcomings. Delgrego credited Yoshi's Island with perfecting the genre, calling it "perhaps the greatest platformer of all time".<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/>

Both contemporary and retrospective reviewers praised the art,<ref name="ONM: best"/><ref name="NP77 rev"/><ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> level design, and gameplay,<ref name="IGN: review1"/><ref name="ONM: best"/><ref name="NP77 rev"/><ref name="Edge: SNES"/><ref name="GF Viewpoint"/> which became legacies of the game.<ref name="IGN: 125"/><ref name="IGN: Yoshi4"/><ref name="IGN: Bad"/> Some called it "charm".<ref name="IGN: 125"/><ref name="NEXT: review"/><ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> Delgrego of Nintendo Life would stop mid-game just to watch what enemies would do.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> Martin Watts of the same publication called it "an absolute pleasure on the eyes and unlike any other SNES game".<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev"/> Others praised the control scheme, technical effects,<ref name="IGN: review1"/> and sound design.<ref name="IGN: 125"/><ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/><ref name="NP263 rev"/> Nintendo LifeTemplate:'s Delgrego felt "goosebumps and tingles" during the ending theme, and marked the soundtrack's range from the lighthearted intro to the "epic grandeur of the final boss battle".<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> GamePro writer Major Mike noted, "[Yoshi's Island] doesn't rely on flashy graphics or jazzy effects to cover an empty game. This is one of the last of a dying breed: a 16-bit game that shows real heart and creativity."<ref name="GamePro" />

Edge praised the game's balance of challenge and accessibility. The magazine thought that the new power-ups of Yoshi's Island gave its gameplay and level design great range, and that the powers were significant additions to the series on par with the suits of Super Mario Bros. 3 or Yoshi's own debut in Super Mario World.<ref name="Edge: SNES"/> Diehard GameFanTemplate:'s Taylor wrote that there was enough gameplay innovation to make him cry and listed his favorites as the Baby Mario cape invincibility power-up, the machine gun-style seed spitting, and the snowball hill level.<ref name="GF Viewpoint"/> Nintendo LifeTemplate:'s Watts called the egg stockpiling system "clever" for the way it encourages experimentation with the environment.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev"/> Edge thought of Yoshi's Island as a "fusion of technology and creativity, each enhancing the other".<ref name="Edge: SNES"/> The magazine considered the game's special effects expertly integrated into the gameplay, and described the developer's handicraft as having an "attention to detail that few games can match".<ref name="Edge: SNES"/>

The Game Boy Advance version received similar praise. Reviewing the Game Boy Advance release in 2002, Craig Harris of IGN wrote that Yoshi's Island was "the best damn platformer ever developed".<ref name="IGN: review1"/> While acknowledging the game's roots in the Super Mario series, he said the game created enough gameplay ideas to constitute its own franchise.<ref name="IGN: review1"/> IGNTemplate:'s Lucas M. Thomas wrote that the game's story was also interesting as the origin story for the Mario brothers.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi4"/> Harris felt that the FX2 sprite-changing effects gave the game "life" and that the Game Boy Advance cartridge could handle the effects just as well. He added that Yoshi's morphing abilities<ref name="IGN: review1"/> and sound effects were designed well.<ref name="IGN: review2"/> Levi Buchanan of IGN said the game struck the right balance of tutorial by trial and error.<ref name="IGN: Bad"/> IGNTemplate:'s Harris also noted a few Game Boy Advance-specific issues: framerate drop in areas where a lot is happening onscreen, camera panning problems due to the screen's lower resolution, and a "poor" implementation of the "dizzy" special effect on the handheld release.<ref name="IGN: review2"/> Critics wrote that the "coloring book"-style graphics held up well.<ref name="IGN: review2"/> IGNTemplate:'s Harris felt it was the best of the Super Mario Advance games.<ref name="IGN: review2"/> Of the similar version for the Wii U, Watts of Nintendo Life also noticed the framerate issues and problems resulting from the screen's closer crop, which were "not enough to ruin the game, but ... noticeable".<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev"/> Edge felt that game's only disappointment was the linearity of its overworld following the exploratory Super Mario World and that the sequel would "inevitably ... have less impact".<ref name="Edge: SNES"/><ref name="Edge: GBA"/> It won for GameSpotTemplate:'s annual "Best Graphics on Game Boy Advance" award.<ref name=bestworst2002>Template:Cite web</ref> During the 6th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, it received a nomination for "Handheld Game of the Year" by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Legacy

Retrospective reviews by IGN and NintendoLife declared Yoshi's Island a "masterpiece".<ref name="IGN: Yoshi9"/><ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> IGN recalled it as "one of the most loved SNES adventures of all time".<ref name="IGN: Yoshi5"/> IGNTemplate:'s Lucas M. Thomas wrote it marked where Yoshi "came into his own" and developed many of his definitive characteristics: the "signature" flutter jump, and ability to throw eggs and transform shape.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi4"/> Baby Mario, who debuted in the game, featured in a number of sports-related games.<ref name="NP263 rev"/> The Nintendo producer Takashi Tezuka maintained the "handicraft feel" in later Yoshi games, which later included yarn and similar variations.<ref name="IGN: New Island"/> Official Nintendo Magazine called the art style "a bold step ... that paid off handsomely".<ref name="ONM: best"/> Delgrego of Nintendo Life wrote that the game marked a new era of art in video games that prioritized creativity over graphics technology.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/>

Delgrego continued that the countdown-based life was a "revolutionary" mechanic that became ubiquitous in games like the Halo series.<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMW2 rev"/> Martin Watts also of Nintendo Life considered Super Mario 64 to be a more momentous event in gaming history, but felt that Yoshi's Island was the "most significant" event in the "Mario Bros. timeline".<ref name="Nintendo Life: SMA3 rev"/> In a retrospective, IGN wrote that SNES owners embraced the game alongside Donkey Kong Country.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi4"/>

IGNTemplate:'s Jared Petty wrote that Yoshi's Island bested "the test of time far better than many of its contemporaries".<ref name="IGN: 125"/> Levi Buchanan of IGN thought Nintendo took a risk with Yoshi's Island by making Mario passive and giving Yoshi new abilities.<ref name="IGN: Bad"/> Christian Donlan of 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die wrote that the game was a testament to the Mario team's "staggering confidence" in its development ability. He said the game was "perhaps the most imaginative platformer" of its time.<ref name=Mott-285/> In 1997 Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked it the 7th best console game of all time, saying it "is as much a piece of art as a game" and "is the epitome of platform gaming, falling only inches behind Super Mario Bros. 3 as the best 2-D platformer of all time."<ref>Template:Cite magazine Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article (on page 100) explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.</ref> Yoshi's Island ranked 22nd on Official Nintendo MagazineTemplate:'s 2009 top 100 Nintendo games as a "bone fide classic",<ref name="ONM: best"/> 15th on IGNTemplate:'s 2014 top 125 Nintendo games of all time,<ref name="IGN: 125"/> and second on USgamerTemplate:'s 2015 best Mario platformers list.<ref name="USG: Best Platformers"/> In 2018, Complex listed the game 14th on its "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1996, GamesMaster ranked Yoshi's Island number 1 on their "The GamesMaster SNES Top 10."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In the same issue, GamesMaster rated the game 45th in its "Top 100 Games of All Time."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In July 2020, a large amount of Nintendo data was leaked, including Yoshi's Island source data and several prototypes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A track based on the game was released for Mario Kart 8 DeluxeTemplate:'s Booster Course Pass on March 9, 2023 and for Mario Kart Tour the following month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sequels and spin-offs

Yoshi's Island led to a strong year for Yoshi as a character.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi5"/> IGNTemplate:'s Thomas wrote that the hand-drawn style of Yoshi's Island made the computer-generated Donkey Kong Country appear outdated, though both games sold well. Rareware included a Yoshi cameo in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, released that year. Yoshi's Island graphics and characters were also incorporated into the 1996 SNES puzzle game Tetris Attack.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi4"/>

Following Yoshi's IslandTemplate:'s success, Nintendo developed Yoshi's Story, a 1998 platformer for the Nintendo 64. It was highly anticipated but received weaker reviews, with fetch quests and the 3D style Miyamoto eschewed in its predecessor.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi5"/> It expanded on Yoshi's character voice as introduced in Yoshi's Island,<ref name="IGN: review2"/> but also "dumbed down Yoshi's character".<ref name="IGN: Yoshi5"/> In 2004, Nintendo released the tilt sensor-controlled Yoshi Topsy Turvy for Game Boy Advance,<ref name="NWR: director"/> which was developed by Artoon<ref name="NWR: director"/><ref name="IGN: DS rev"/> and received mixed reviews.<ref name="IGN: DS rev"/> The Nintendo-developed minigame Yoshi Touch & Go was released in 2005 for Nintendo DS.<ref name="IGN: T&G prev"/><ref name="IGN: T&G rev"/>

In 2006, Nintendo published Yoshi's Island DS,<ref name="IGN: Yoshi9" /> also developed by Artoon.<ref name="NWR: director" /> Titled Yoshi's Island 2 until just before it shipped, it retained the core concept of transporting baby Nintendo characters, and added the babies Princess Peach, Bowser, and Donkey Kong, each with a special ability. Yoshi had a similar moveset to Yoshi's Island and added dash and float abilities, but was more passive a character compared to the babies on his back.<ref name="IGN: Yoshi9" /> It received generally positive reviews.<ref name="gamerankings DS">Template:Cite web</ref> It was given high scores by IGN and GameSpot, who gave it 8/10 and 9.1/10 respectively.<ref name="gamespot DS">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ign">Template:Cite web</ref> GameSpot commented that the developers have "produced a sequel that seems fresh and new while remaining every bit as awesome as the original" and IGN called it "a solid recreation of the Yoshi's Island elements in a two-screen-high format". In 2014, Nintendo released Yoshi's New Island for Nintendo 3DS.<ref name="IGN: New Island"/> It was developed by former Artoon employees at their new company, Arzest.<ref name="NWR: director"/> As in the original, Yoshi carries Baby Mario and throws eggs, and can now swallow large foes, which become large eggs that can destroy large obstacles.<ref name="IGN: New Island"/> It received mixed reviews, with criticism for its graphics, art-style, soundtrack and similarity to the SNES original; though the level design and overall charm did attract some praise.<ref name="gamerankings: New Island">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="metacritic: New Island">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die (2010), Christian Donlan wrote that despite the "streamlined" Yoshi's Story and "brilliant" Yoshi's Touch and Go, "the original was never bettered and never truly advanced upon".<ref name="Mott-285" /> In EurogamerTemplate:'s 2015 preview of Yoshi's Woolly World, Tom Phillips wrote that it had "been 20 years since the last truly great Yoshi's IslandTemplate:-".<ref name="Eurogamer: Wooly" /> Yoshi's Woolly World received higher review scores than Yoshi's New Island but worse than Yoshi's Island DS and the original game, with reviewers praising the art style, gameplay, and innovation, but critiquing the easy difficulty.<ref name="MC: Woolly">Template:Cite web</ref> The next Mario 2D side-scroller, New Super Mario Bros., was released in 2006.<ref name="IGN: history5" />

Further reading

• Template:Cite book

External links

• Template:Official website Template:In lang