Sometimes you want music that isn’t deep, epic, or emotionally heavy. Sometimes you just want something light and fun, and that’s exactly what you get from Yoshi’s Island.

I chose to do a double feature simply because these two songs are awesome in similar ways. They evoke the exact same vibe, so what I have to say about one applies to the other. And I couldn’t live with myself if I only chose one of them! At any rate, both Athletic and Flower Garden are wonderful, upbeat tunes whose primary goal is to brighten your day. That’s a noble a goal as any, and is a lot of what Yoshi’s Island is all about in the first place. It’s a charming game that prioritizes lighthearted fun above all else, which it delivers in spades. The soundtrack follows suit, and in my mind Athletic and Flower Garden are the standard bearers. These songs just bring a lot of positive energy and personality to the table, in a way that a lot of games seem to have a hard time doing. I’ll never forget running through the titular Flower Garden as the song plays, listening to that hilarious, long winded high-pitched note as smiling, whistling flowers are skipping across the screen. Yoshi’s Island is game that’s simply ecstatic about the fact that you’re playing it, and it’s going to do whatever it can to make sure you have as good of a time as possible. Its soundtrack is one of the main contributors to this, as Athletic and Flower Garden are just too much fun.

There’s really nothing else to say about Athletic and Flower Garden, but there also doesn’t need to be. For songs that are as simple and delightful as this, all you need to do is sit back, hit “play”, and let your mood drastically improve. It’s rare for me to find songs that put a smile on my face so easily, which is why I love Athletic and Flower Garden as much as I do.

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