Super Mario World: Yoshi no shima (1995) (VG)

Directors:

Shigefumi Hino
Hideki Konno

Release Date:

1 October 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

Many years ago, the stork delivering the Mario Brothers is kidnapped, along with baby Luigi. The kidnapping wizard looks to take baby Mario, but not if the Yoshis have anything to do with it. |

Plot Keywords:

Baby | Mario | Wizard | Kidnapping | Stork

Awards:

1 nomination

Also Known As:

Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island (USA) (reissue title)
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (USA)
Yoshi's Island (Japan) (copyright title)

Country:

Japan

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:E | USA:K-A

Company:

Nintendo

Trivia:

The music that plays at the final image of the babies after the credits is a slower version of the music from Super Mario Bros. after you finish a level.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dairantô Sumasshu Burazâzu ekkusu (2008) (VG)

A brilliant finale to the Nintendo SNES platformer

This game pits you as Yoshi, who made his debut in the previous Mario game, Super Mario World, which was one of the SNES's first games. This time, you must guide Baby Mario to his brother, who has been kidnapped by the evil Kamek.

The action takes place over six worlds, each comprising eight stages, plus two mystery stages that can only be accessed when all eight of the main stages have been completed with a perfect score of 100 (see below).

Loads of baddies exist. There are some familiar ones, such as Koopa turtles, Boo Diddlies, Lakitu and Goomba, as well as new ones such as Milde, Goonies and a different kind of Piranha Plant. As well as jumping on the smaller ones as per the previous games (and using shells exactly as before), you can also swallow baddies to make eggs to throw at other baddies and power-ups etc..

You collect coins as normal, with every 100 giving you an extra life, but as well as that, twenty red coins exist (most are disguised as yellow coins). You can also collect five flowers in each stage (if you can find them), which will give you an extra life if you get them all.

If Yoshi gets hit, Mario gets knocked off his back, and he has a limited amount of time to get him back on his back before Kamek's Toadies kidnap him, costing you a life. This timer normally starts at ten, but can be increased via power-ups and collecting stars.

When you reach the Goal at the end of each stage, your score for that stage is based on the number of stars you have (i.e., the level of the aforementioned timer, which has a maximum of 30), how many red coins you found, and how many flowers you picked up (each flower gives you ten points). If you have all 30 stars, all 20 red coins and all five flowers, you get a perfect score of 100 for that stage.

This game is brilliant, from the sumptuous graphics (with the obligatory Mode 7, particularly on the bosses) to the wonderful sound, and the gameplay is so slick and varied that even if you have Super Mario World, this is different enough to warrant a purchase. It's also quite challenging at times, particularly the bonus stages I mentioned earlier.

GET IT NOW IF YOU CAN!