Yoshi's classic, beautiful game to be played by you now
While there is no perfect game out there, this is the one game that I’ve played that’s the closest to perfection. Why? Because it’s that much fun. Everybody has the perfect game made just for them. This one is mine.
Long story short – as the stork is delivering baby Mario and baby Luigi, baby Bowser’s caretaker kidnaps Luigi and looses Mario to the Yoshi’s. Thus the Yoshi’s carry Mario one by one to the castle, battling all kinds of things and overcoming this and that. The main weapon is Yoshi’s ability to eat things and make them into eggs, then using those eggs as a projectile. These controls are spot on and work flawlessly, from timing your egg shots to that floaty jump thing Yoshi does.
So what really makes it so good? To start off, Yoshi’s Island has something most games don’t have – a recognizable art style. The game supports a unique and refreshing design that looks like it was drawn by crayons and colored pencil. Forget about everybody else going for realistic graphics, like the Donkey Kong series at the time, Yoshi’s Island wanted to make you play in a world that you haven’t seen before. .
Another strong point in the game is its sound design. The music is all quite memorable, from the catchy theme world, to the beautiful underground levels, to the frantic boss music, to the majestic end theme. The boing-ing, slurping, and popping sound effects fit right in. While some may complain about how annoying baby Mario is when he's lost, I'm not sure what sounds they're expecting a terrified baby to make. If it was mooing, would you rescue him?
And of course, the strongest point of the game I’ve already told you about – it’s fun to play. The controls are tight, responsive, and give you all the control you could ask for. The platform elements are creative and varied. The egg throwing mechanism is used creatively and efficiently. The enemies are full of life with expressions and sometimes even some personality. The boss fights are huge and diverse. The bonus of getting 100% on all the levels is challenging but not impossible (though you’ll swear it on a few levels). The game is as enjoyable to play as it is to look at, thus I'm still doing just that today.
Perfect? Many might say no. It is rather easy to breeze through. But unlike the Nintendo 64’s Yoshi’s Story which tried to make it harder with “find all thirty melons”, Yoshi’s Island’s “find all the flowers, red coins, and complete the level with perfect health” actually works and makes it a fun challenge. And that’s the key, fun. I find this game to be very, very fun. Since I haven’t found another game that can hold my interest and keep me playing again for all these years, I think that really says something. So pick up this classic, or the GBA version, or pray for a WII VC version. It's worth it and will give you a dizzy, fuzzy, level wobbling feeling.
