Post by UltimateMustard on Oct 25, 2013 15:34:44 GMT -8
This is my first review, so I apologize if it's shit. Constructive criticism is more than welcome.
Back in the year 1995, the Nintendo 64 was on the horizon, while the Super Nintendo was on the decline. To tide people over until the release of the new hardware, Nintendo released the Super Nintendo’s last great “hurrah!!” with Yoshi’s Island. Yoshi’s Island is often considered to be one of the greatest 2-D platformers of all time, let alone on the SNES, as well as being one of the most technically advanced titles on the hardware, so let’s see what it has to offer.
Story
The story of Yoshi’s Island begins with a stork carrying infants, Mario and Luigi, far above the ocean. While on the way to their new home, they are attacked by Kamek, one of King Bowser’s minions, who was sent there to capture the two babies. Kamek manages to take Baby Luigi, while Baby Mario falls towards a nearby island. The said island is the home of the Yoshies, a race of dinosaur–like creatures. While taking a stroll in the forest, a Yoshi stumbles across Baby Mario, who is miraculously unharmed from the fall (don’t ask how that works, I don’t get it, either) and decides to show it to the other Yoshies on the island. The group of Yoshies learns of Baby Mario’s plight, and decides to help him reunite with his brother. This plot, while simple, is a very nice change in the Mario series, as most Mario games' stories boils down to “AWW NAH MARIO DA PRINCESS BEEN TAKEN BY BOWSER” and Yoshi’s Island takes a very different route with its' narrative and I quite enjoy it.
Presentation
Yoshi’s Island features an art style very unique to most Mario titles, with the entire game looking like it was drawn by a kid who is very talented with crayons. The sprite work is also top notch, with very detailed sprites and fluid animations also being present. This was also one of the games to have an FX chip, an add-on for a Super Nintendo cartridge, which allowed for developers to put simple 3D models into games, making for some very good, albeit simple, 3D platforms. The music, which was composed by Koji Kondo, is also fantastic; with every track fitting the stage it’s featured in, with a calm slow-tempo song, such as Flower Garden, in the early, simpler stages and an upbeat tempo, like the one featured in the track, Athletic Theme, in the more difficult stages.
Gameplay
The goal of Yoshi’s Island is to carry Baby Mario to the goal ring at the end of each stage. To do so, you must traverse through grasslands, caves, icy mountains, or even the skies that are filled with Bowser’s minions that are hell bent on stealing Baby Mario. Luckily, the Yoshies have abilities to deal with obstacles. Their skills include swallowing enemies and turning them into multipurpose eggs that can be used to take out foes from a safe distance, or can be used to grab hard to reach items, and the iconic Flutter Jump, which can be used to get extra air time from a jump, and can also be helpful when landing on smaller platforms. I must also bring up the excellent level design that almost always brings something new to the table in each level including skiing down the side of a mountain, running away from Chain Chomps, and surviving a barrage of birds high up in the clouds. The Yoshies can also transform into different vehicles, such as a helicopter, a submarine, and a digging machine. However, these transformations are somewhat hard to control.
Final Verdict
Yoshi’s Island is a fantastic 2-D platformer from the end of the Super Nintendo’s run, and I highly recommend it to any fan of the genre, or anyone who is a fan of the Super Nintendo, in general.
Back in the year 1995, the Nintendo 64 was on the horizon, while the Super Nintendo was on the decline. To tide people over until the release of the new hardware, Nintendo released the Super Nintendo’s last great “hurrah!!” with Yoshi’s Island. Yoshi’s Island is often considered to be one of the greatest 2-D platformers of all time, let alone on the SNES, as well as being one of the most technically advanced titles on the hardware, so let’s see what it has to offer.
Story
The story of Yoshi’s Island begins with a stork carrying infants, Mario and Luigi, far above the ocean. While on the way to their new home, they are attacked by Kamek, one of King Bowser’s minions, who was sent there to capture the two babies. Kamek manages to take Baby Luigi, while Baby Mario falls towards a nearby island. The said island is the home of the Yoshies, a race of dinosaur–like creatures. While taking a stroll in the forest, a Yoshi stumbles across Baby Mario, who is miraculously unharmed from the fall (don’t ask how that works, I don’t get it, either) and decides to show it to the other Yoshies on the island. The group of Yoshies learns of Baby Mario’s plight, and decides to help him reunite with his brother. This plot, while simple, is a very nice change in the Mario series, as most Mario games' stories boils down to “AWW NAH MARIO DA PRINCESS BEEN TAKEN BY BOWSER” and Yoshi’s Island takes a very different route with its' narrative and I quite enjoy it.
Presentation
Yoshi’s Island features an art style very unique to most Mario titles, with the entire game looking like it was drawn by a kid who is very talented with crayons. The sprite work is also top notch, with very detailed sprites and fluid animations also being present. This was also one of the games to have an FX chip, an add-on for a Super Nintendo cartridge, which allowed for developers to put simple 3D models into games, making for some very good, albeit simple, 3D platforms. The music, which was composed by Koji Kondo, is also fantastic; with every track fitting the stage it’s featured in, with a calm slow-tempo song, such as Flower Garden, in the early, simpler stages and an upbeat tempo, like the one featured in the track, Athletic Theme, in the more difficult stages.
Gameplay
The goal of Yoshi’s Island is to carry Baby Mario to the goal ring at the end of each stage. To do so, you must traverse through grasslands, caves, icy mountains, or even the skies that are filled with Bowser’s minions that are hell bent on stealing Baby Mario. Luckily, the Yoshies have abilities to deal with obstacles. Their skills include swallowing enemies and turning them into multipurpose eggs that can be used to take out foes from a safe distance, or can be used to grab hard to reach items, and the iconic Flutter Jump, which can be used to get extra air time from a jump, and can also be helpful when landing on smaller platforms. I must also bring up the excellent level design that almost always brings something new to the table in each level including skiing down the side of a mountain, running away from Chain Chomps, and surviving a barrage of birds high up in the clouds. The Yoshies can also transform into different vehicles, such as a helicopter, a submarine, and a digging machine. However, these transformations are somewhat hard to control.
Final Verdict
Yoshi’s Island is a fantastic 2-D platformer from the end of the Super Nintendo’s run, and I highly recommend it to any fan of the genre, or anyone who is a fan of the Super Nintendo, in general.