Reader Reviews

Yoshi's Island (SNES)

by Kalel

Style.

It is a word that occasionally gets used to describe the odd eclectic game out there. Rez for example. Now there's a game with style. Retro meets modern in a crazy rhythm action shoot-em-up! Mmmm. Yes. Stylish. You'd never get a Mario game like that.

Well, maybe not today (shhhh, don't mention Paper Mario 2), but allow me to take you back a few years, let's say to 1995. Remember? You were probably engrossed by screenshots of Lara's Croft's strangely triangular mammarys at the time. Well, if you were, and I know I was, I have some news that may have passed you by.

You know Super Mario World?

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Yeah, ok ok, calm down, I didn't mean to insult you.

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OK, I get it!

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Well, if it's the best 2D game ever, then why didn't they do another one eh? Mario World was the launch title for the SNES, so it's not like they didn't have plenty of time to do another one. Wasted opportunity no?

Well, no actually. Because they did do a sequel. Hah! That shut you up didn't it?

Yes, in the final days of the SNES, as it was in it's death throes, thrashing around desperately in denial of the imminent 3D revolution that it was so ill-equipped to deal with, damaged by ruined CD drive adds, satellite receivers and enormous unusable light-bazookas, from the rear end of the Japanese giant slipped out the sequel to one of the most played and loved games of all time. And nobody noticed.

In truth, they hardly made a song and dance about it. The main title 'Yoshi's Island' did not elude in any obvious way to its heritage, sounding more like a kid's spin off, and the words 'Super Mario World 2' were virtually hidden in the small print. And to be fair, it is a very different creature to Mario... literally.

You see in Yoshi's Island, funnily enough, you control Yoshi. Mario is there, well baby Mario, but he sits upon Yoshi's back and you have no direct control over him at all. The plot itself is your typical Mario storyline. There's a kidnapping as usual, this time it's baby Luigi that Koopa has nicked off with, and it's up to the many Yoshis of the island to take baby Mario to Koopa's lair to rescue him.

So, with this change of protagonist, comes a complete new set of controls to get to grips with. The standard jump on the head move is still there, although Yoshi's has an interesting optional leg waggling extension that can keep you in the air a little longer should you wish. The dinosaur, if that is what he is, also has the ability to eat enemies and spit them out as a projectile weapon. Alternatively, he can digest the enemy and lay an egg, which can then be fired anywhere on the screen using a targeting system...

...yes, I know. It's starting to sound a bit complicated for a Mario game isn't it? Well, it is a little more complex than platform gamers at the time may have been used to, but the system works incredibly well, and the extra moves that Yoshi has means the game itself has more depth...but I'll come to that.

The final difference that will take a little getting used to is the deaths, or rather the lack of them. Yes, Yoshi, for the most part is invincible. Mario however is not, and when Yoshi takes a hit, Mario floats away in a little bubble, and Yoshi has a set time limit to retrieve him before it's game over. This time limit can be extended by hunting down the stars that are floating around the level, and are hidden within clouds that you have to launch an egg at to unlock...

...yes, it's sounding complicated again I know, but bear with me, as I'm about to start gushing about the level design, then all will become clear.

In a word, it's flawless. Not perfect, nothing's perfect, but it is flawless. I could write pages telling you about all the clever little touches that combine to make this such a fascinating game to play; the mixture of different play mechanics, from classic platform, to the bits where you turn into a helicopter, to the original enemies that force you to rethink the way you play Mario games, and truly understand the need for the new control system. I could write a book on how well the mini-games are integrated, along with glorious little surprises such as the sports car and the toy train. I could chew your ear off in the pub for at least an hour on the hilarious, tricky yet oh so logical bosses, and the way they set a new standard for enemy attack patterns. But instead, I'll leave you with the word 'flawless', and just let it ring around your head for a bit.

Now, I'm no graphics whore. Realistically I wouldn't be banging on about a ten year-old game if I was, but nevertheless, I like to see what technology can offer, and it's been a good period for graphics cards. So what do you think? Good year? Well, you can take Riddick, Rome, Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 and stick them up your X800XT quicker than you can say Super FX2 chip, because this is better... in a way. See, it gets back to this business of style. Personally I think it's far too lacking in most games, but thank goodness for Yoshi's Island, which has kept me going all this time. The pencil drawn style graphics are literally vibrant (they are constantly in motion), and fit the cartoon feel of the game perfectly. The detail of the characters is particularly good, and the bosses are original even today. It's all very childish and playful, but not in a sickening way. Instead the game's look has a refreshing innocence that is fiendishly juxtaposed by the gameplay's subtle complexities.