GENRE
	Platformer
	DEVELOPER
	Nintendo
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONNECTIVITY
	No
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Many overlooked Yoshi's Island when it debuted on the Super NES in 1995. Thanks to the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo fans get a second chance to enjoy this refreshing and quirky platformer about a dinosaur and his quest to reunite the baby Mario Brothers. Newcomers are bound to be pleased, but is the Game Boy Advance treatment reason enough to bring veterans back for more?

visuals

For the most part, this is a pixel-perfect conversion of the Super NES original. Yoshi's world looks like it was drawn with crayons, a stylistic choice that seems very appropriate for a game about Mario's infancy. Sprite scaling, stretching, and rotating tricks abound, giving everything an amazing feel of depth and realism. But the really impressive thing is the amount of animation that went into this game. Every character is expressive and distinct; the Shy Guys in particular can be seen dancing, tumbling, walking on stilts, running around on fire, and more. This is simply one of the best-looking games I've ever played, bar none.

The conversion wasn't perfect, though. A few of the more complex animations (such as the infamous "Touch Fuzzy" hallucinatory effects) are a bit clunky on the small screen. Fortunately, these flaws very rarely surface and never affect the overall experience.

audio

The music in the game is wonderfully composed and used to good effect. Tunes are light and cheerful in the easy-going stages, bouncy in the more frantic areas, and ominous when it comes time to enter the boss' lair. It makes the game feel every bit like a Mario title.

Yoshi and a couple other characters have voices that sound like they were lifted directly from the N64’s Yoshi's Story. It fits right in with the tempo and mood of the game. And of course, baby Mario's cries come through loud and clear courtesy of Charles Martinet whether you want them to or not.

gameplay

As one of many rainbow-colored Yoshis, you must reunite baby Mario with his brother by passing him from one dino to the next in a 'Pony Express' delivery system. With a premise like that, you can expect a few added wrinkles to the typical Mario formula. For one, Yoshi himself is nearly impervious. Most enemy attacks simply knock baby Mario loose, and he floats around in a bubble until you can get him back. But a timer starts ticking down, and if you don't recover him in time, Kamek's goons will capture him. Also, whenever Yoshi eats an enemy, he lays an egg, and up to six follow along behind him. These eggs can be used as projectile weapons, for collecting distant items, and for solving puzzles. Egg firing is handled well enough, though the moving target may take a little getting used to for some. And just to keep things interesting, there are special sections in many levels where Yoshi transforms into a vehicle (i.e. helicopter, car, or submarine) as well as sequences where you have to grab invincibility stars and control baby Mario.

Although the game is something of a departure from typical Super Mario Brothers action, there's no question that this game is 2-D platforming at its finest. Every single level is cunningly designed and filled with unforgettable video game moments. Giant Chain Chomps chase you down while gobbling up the ground beneath you. There’s an extended sequence in which Yoshi turns into a bobsled and races down a mountain, avoiding the rocks in the way. Or the famous "fuzzies" that give the game a feeling of altered perception whenever you touch them. They all help make this game truly unique. But the best part of the game has to be the bosses. Not only are they huge—often taking up most of the screen—but every boss also poses a unique challenge. Where's the weak point? How do you hit it? Each boss is more impressive than the last, culminating in the biggest, coolest, and most potentially challenging final showdown to ever grace a Mario game.

The game is mostly about old-school platforming, but there are lots of collectibles hidden within for those looking for a good challenge. Every stage has hidden flowers and red coins to dig up and you get a score based on how many seconds you have left on Mario's timer when you clear a stage. There are secret stages to unlock when certain conditions are met, and they're even more challenging than the regular stages.

multiplayer

The original Mario Brothers is back, just the same as it ever was. Hit the enemies from below, kick them away, and grab the coins. Not bad for some quick multiplayer action, but it's kind of disappointing that we didn't get any of the Yoshi vs. Bandit games that were in the original.

overall

Yoshi's Island has long been in the running for best platformer ever created, and having it on a portable system in such good form is truly amazing. Its twisted levels beg to be replayed again and again even if you aren't interested in getting that perfect 100%. Even if you thought you played the original to death, chances are you'll find reason enough to come back for more.

10/10