Some of the most impressive moments from the original Yoshi’s Island came in the form of the memorable boss battles that popped up twice in each world – stages 4 and 8, respectively. For the most part they all play and handle identically, foregoing exploration and depth to ensure accessibility. Each one adopts use of the gyroscopic controls, and requires tilting the 3DS to the left or right to move while utilizing a single button to jump or come to a stop, depending on the transformation. These sections remove you from the level, briefly, akin to participating in a minigame. As advertised, you'll have the opportunity to morph into six vehicles, such as a minecart, submarine, hot-air balloon, jackhammer, bobsled, and helicopter. The same goes for Yoshi's transformation abilities. These are all nice additions, but since they can never be used outside of contained situations we were left wanting more. The Yoshi Star, on the other hand, grants invincibility, allowing Yoshi to blast through enemies, run on walls/ceilings, and in a couple of situations even rocket through the air like Superman. When Yoshi consumes an extra-large Shy Guy he produces one of these Eggdozers, which can then be used to crumble barriers interfering with progression or allow Yoshi to walk around underwater by weighing him down. Other new additions, although sparsely used, come in the form of Eggdozers and Yoshi Stars. These will allow for consistent, horizontal fluttering to lend a hand when the going gets tough - the game will penalize you for using them by marking the stage unfinished, even though you're allowed to advance. If pools of lava and bottomless pits start eating up lives, a Warp Pipe will present itself to propose Flutter Wings to the player. Although, getting familiar with the game mechanics - which are slightly more complex than, let's say, a Mario game - may require a little practice. This is where the real challenge lies, though it’s not always for the right reasons - questionable item positioning being the main culprit.įor younger gamers the straightforward design should ensure that finding their way to the goal shouldn't be too daunting of a task.
Twenty red coins will be disguising themselves as standard coins, five smiley flowers are tucked away in devious places, and retaining thirty stars when finishing a stage all contribute to a completion rating. The basic goal is for Yoshi to safely transport his baby companion from the start to finish of each stage, but you’ll also be scored according to the percentage of items gathered. Also, we found the D-Pad to offer much more reliable movement than the analogue stick.ĭoing away with the baby-switching element and dual-screen-spanning view introduced in Yoshi's Island DS, Yoshi’s New Island sticks to the formula established in the SNES original. If you find that the initial mapping of the buttons is off-putting, accessing the options and switching to “B-Style” controls should settle you right into your comfort zone.
#NEW YOSHIS ISLAND PRO#
Yoshi’s distinct repertoire of moves is intact, and you should be flutter jumping, egg throwing, butt stomping, and babysitting like a pro within minutes.
#NEW YOSHIS ISLAND SERIES#
From here, the Yoshi clan assists Baby Mario in searching for his captured bro.Īnyone familiar with either previous game in the series will immediately have a grasp of the controls, as they haven’t changed a bit. As a stork is delivering Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to their parents, Baby Luigi gets intercepted by Kamek in the commotion Baby Mario is knocked loose, sending him tumbling down to a mysterious island. Unsurprisingly, the storyline that sets our characters forth on their adventure is simplistic - a norm for Nintendo platformers in fact, the setup in this outing is nearly identical to that of the original Yoshi’s Island. Can it expand upon the wonderful ideas established by its predecessors? Now, nearly 20 years and one sequel later, comes Yoshi's New Island. Fortunately the unique gameplay mechanics, breathtaking art style, and imaginative cast of characters came together to offer an unforgettable experience absolutely bursting at the seams with creativity and impeccable craftsmanship. Appearing to be more of a spin-off than a direct sequel, there was skepticism as to whether such a departure could live up to the Mario name and please fans of the series. Back in 1995, Yoshi's Island turned heads when it was announced as the successor to the masterful Super Mario World.