Editing Yoshi's Island (section)

==Gameplay==
[[File:Yoshi's Island - Gameplay.png|thumb|left|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.|alt=]]
''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 [[Level (video gaming)|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 (game terminology)|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 (video gaming)|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>{{cite web |last=Thielenhaus |first=Kevin |url=https://gameranx.com/features/id/122688/article/snes-classic-unlock-2-player-in-earthbound-yoshis-island-secrets-guide/ | title=SNES Classic: Unlock 2-Player in Earthbound & Yoshi's Island {{!}} Secrets Guide | date=October 3, 2017 | access-date=July 8, 2023 | archive-date=February 12, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212195926/https://gameranx.com/features/id/122688/article/snes-classic-unlock-2-player-in-earthbound-yoshis-island-secrets-guide/ | url-status=live }}</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" />