The challenge of having to follow up such a hot act as Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is staying true to the original while simultaneously feeling fresh and exciting. The original Yoshi's Island was a pioneer in its design; that design can be straight-up copied again, sure, but the sense of surprise that the first possessed cannot be copied along with it. This kind of "imposter syndrome" is the dilemma that developer Artoon seemed to face when making Yoshi's Island DS, and playing it on the Wii U Virtual Console adds another degree of separation to struggle against.
Let's not start off too fretfully, here: Yoshi's Island DS at its core is a fully competent 2D platformer. Its controls are faithful and translate to the Wii U perfectly, with no stylus necessary. The 5 worlds ramp up into a pretty sizeable challenge by the end, especially for those who want to unlock the secret and extra levels in each. The visuals are also sweet, colourful eye candy, retaining a great deal of the first Yoshi's Island style and still looking great today in certain contexts (more on this later).
And yet, something about Yoshi's Island DS makes it seem a bit less lustrous an egg than the original. At first glance there is a lot of the charm that made the first game so appealing and still makes the DS sequel worth looking at. But some of the level design just feels there to try and recreate the original without bringing many fun, new elements that made so many Yoshi's Island stages so memorable. Many of the new enemies that are introduced feel rather generically crafted, and even the music feels more subdued. Not bad, by any means - just too "by the book."
It's not that Yoshi's Island DS doesn't try at all to be original. The big twist here is the ability to call up the stork and switch between different tykes, each benefiting their babysitter in different ways. Standard Baby Mario will let a Yoshi dash and hit special "M" blocks, for example, while Baby Peach can open her parasol and allow flutter jumps to take off in strong breezes.The most entertaining might be Baby Donkey Kong, though, who can grab onto vines and swing from ropes, giving Yoshi a turn at being the one towed along. Baby Wario and Baby Bowser also show up temporarily, but the first three will always be around once you reach them early on.
Baby swapping is a fantastic idea at its heart. It's cute having baby versions of the characters and encouraging to see them being used for something more than filling go-karts. The actual implementation of the concept, however, can feel somewhat forced at points, as if pieces of levels were slapped in just to have an excuse to swap to a baby for only a minute or two, then causing the need for another swap once that section is passed. It can feel annoying and rhythm-breaking once in a while.
The other quirk Yoshi's Island DS has to its own is the double-tall expanse of being on dual screens. All the real estate is used, so it is essential to keep an eye on both screens and be able to line up long-distance egg pitches across both. Hitting a shot this way can definitely feel rewarding, but the two-screen nature can come with some drawbacks. The first was an issue even on a real DS: the "gap" between the screens is necessary to properly gauge shots, but it also means obstacles and baddies can sometimes hide from view there. This isn't frequently a problem, especially for those who pay attention, but it can still feel dumb to jump a Yoshi schnoz-first into an enemy that would have been plainly seen otherwise.
The other problem comes with the Virtual Console implementation. Since having the screens lined up is so essential to playing - and it's not a stylus-based game - you can play by turning the GamePad 90 degrees, but the only real screen setup that works on the Virtual Console is the one that sets the screens inside the static image of a DS, with the GamePad held normally. This works on either the GamePad or the TV, and looks the best this way, but it makes the actual playfield rather small. Those without huge-screen TVs will likely find themselves snuggling up with the GamePad, which surely isn't a crime, but it's a shame there aren't more workable alternatives.
Conclusion
Is Yoshi's Island DS a good game? Yes, but it shouldn't be expected to sit on the same blockbuster level as its predecessor. Even if its challenge feels increased toward the end, its design seems to just play it too safely at times; rather like it tried so hard to fit into a certain style that shaking up the substance fell to the back-burner. It's still certainly worth checking out for super-happy Yoshi's Island fans, although those who prefer playing on the TV over the GamePad might want to consider trying to snag an original DS cartridge instead.
Comments 35
From what I've played (waiting to beat "Super Mario Advance 3" before playing this) it's a pretty fun game.
I had the same issue with when it released on the DS. Overall it was a very good and fun game but it just felt kind of "meh" in the end; I've seen it all before.
Plus I'm sure they changed that awesome jungle theme from World 3 in the SNES game. I loved that world and music!
Never played this one before, going to give it a shot when it comes to Europe.
It isn't worth playing if you have already played the original Yoshi's Island, because it's just flat out worse, despite coming out over 10 years later.
If you haven't played the original SNES or GBA versions of Yoshi's Island - play them. If you have, and you're looking for more, be prepared for a big disappointment.
People will defend it for being an 'OK' game, or saying it "would be good if not compared to the original", but they're missing the fact that it takes so much of the original's content, and just uses it to an inferior standard. It's not much to ask that a sequel that comes out 11 years after the original is at least as good as it - this one didn't even come close.
Meh, nothing sucking me in about this. I like yoshi games but this isn't gonna be the one for me, roll on woolly world.......
@Geonjaha You know many say the same thing when comparing Smash Wii U to Melee
I wasn't too fond of the VC setup, which I kind of learned the hard way (you'd think with all those screen options, one would've disabled the DS border). But I liked this game on the DS, even if the difficulty ramped up insanely. I actually got Nintendo Power because of this game - took advantage of the offer in the game's packaging so I could get the player's guide.
@Grumblevolcano Do you want to turn the comment section into a war zone? Because that's how you turn the comment section into a war zone.
I used to love playing this game as a kid, but now...it's good, but it's not great.
@ShanaUnite if this is becoming a war zone,let me get my AK47
Aha! Finally! Not really surprised with the score. Whenever the opportunity is available, I usually take to playing on the GamePad but I'm not sure if I should get this...
I strongly disagree that the music here is not memorable, but not bad. The original had beautiful, catchy tunes for every level and menu. This one... it's like they had an intern write the music. The soundscapes are sparse and filled with more lonely beeps and dings than melodious chords and tones. The music is boring, distracting, repetitive and often rather grating. All problems made much, much worse when compared with Yoshi's Island's SNES soundtrack.
This shouldnt even be released. Dual screens like that are just weird to play on a tv
@vonseux agreed, this game is hard enough on DS, where it's meant to span the two screens, it's way too weird and hard to jump between screens this way unless you play on TINY screens inside the gamepad
@NintyMan exactly, except i do feel new yoshis island is better.
@Geonjaha Except as a person that loves Yoshi's Island I love this game more and this game has just as much of content and fun as the original Yoshi's Island. The only thing that kinda bad is the music, and that's me just nitpicking. Also nice way of using fact when you're talking about a opinion...
But I digress, I don't really like the setup for DS games on the Virtual Console. The first thing I noticed is that you can't switch the controls, and since I'm use to pressing the ZR and ZL buttons instead of the R and L shoulder buttons, I had to stop playing Yoshi's Island just to heal my hand cramps. It also bugs me how you can't even use the 3DS as a controller which would make a lot of since for these types of games. I probably won't be replying Yoshi's Island on my Wii U anymore, since I can probably find a Gamestop that have a cart.
I am currently enjoying Yoshi's New Island and seeing as I find that one to be pretty good I am sure I would like this one too!
I finished this one on the original DS cartridge a couple months back, and I even managed to unlock all the secret worlds. Honestly, this game is way over criticized. Sure, it's not as good as the original, but it's still very entertaining. I don't think any Yoshi game will ever top or even match the first Yoshi's Island, but that doesn't automatically make every follow up garbage...
I think this was a terrible game to launch the DS VC with, here in the states. It's a really fun game, but the fact that it essentially requires the tiny DS border setup to be functional was quite shortsighted and did not make a good first impression. Would it really have been that difficult to include a setup that featured the stacked view, but filling the whole screen? It made the DS VC seem rushed and considering that it was announced over a year ago, we really shouldn't have to be putting up with basic, easily solvable problems like this.
I can't really agree that the game feels significantly worse than the first one, the screen issue and the baby swapping were pretty minor problems for me that didn't really annoy me that much, and the baby swapping was more of a positive than a negative since it actually put a fresh twist on the gameplay unlike some of the more recent gameplay mechanics they tend to introduce to platformers (in Yoshi's case, the Mega Eggdozer and gyroscopic controls). I was more bothered with the high difficulty and that there were only 5 worlds instead of 6, but those aren't exactly major complaints either.
I'm so nostalgic of this game. My little brother got a ds and this game for Christmas one year and hated it so I asked if I could have it. I played it on his ds whenever he was not playing on it till I got a ds the next year. I do think the original is better but this game will always have a bigger place in my heart.
This game, unlike NEW Island, is still indeed a pretty fun game, even if it's not as good as the original SNES/GBA version. This game was also the very reason I was kinda fearful on Artoon/Arzest getting their hands on Yoshi's new game though, and those fears were right when New Island came out.
But anyway, this game still really isn't all that bad. There's still plenty of fun to be had here, and is still one of Yoshi's better games! A mandatory game for Yoshi fans, surely, and still a solid recommendation for any fan of platforming games.
If Nintendo could remove the DS frames on the gamepad screen and make the screens a little bit bigger that would work perfect but sadly those DS frames only makes things more difficult.
Yoshi's Island DS is a fun game to play specially if you are a Yoshi fan just don't expect to be on the same league as the SNES/GBA prequel, more important Yoshi's Island DS is still a quality fun game compared to New Island.
The worst part in my opinión is the annoying music, besides that the game is quite nice and a worth purchase.
Why aren't you using screenshots of the Wii U version? Providing your readers with an accurate representation of what they can expect to see on their tv screen for a DS title on the Wii U, should be a prerequisite. You may as well skip even bothering to include screenshots when they're not representative of the product available.
Man I loved this game. I spent a lot of hours playing it because of how difficult it can be (like the bonus and secret levels, and then getting 100% on all levels) and how fun I found it. I still ocasionally go back and play through it! I also like this a lot more than the first game audible gasps.
I don't think I'll get the VC version though. My DS version still works fine.
Man I love this game, never played the original though. Gotta admit this game's music is poop compared to the originals. I would pick this up but I still have my cartridge.
I don't understand how so many gamers poo-poo the sequels to Yoshi's Island. The reason I love them is because they are still just as fun as the original, while trying a few new things at the same time. Heck, I almost skipped out of Yoshi's new Island because of the NL review but I'm glad I got it on CN as it still holds up with the other games in the series that I adore. I even once got talked into hating Yoshi's Story, a game me and my sister had countless hours into when it was first released. Now, it's the first game my nephew ever grasped and played for more than just a few minutes.
Now he's obsessed with Kirby though, which is appropriate as the first game I ever beat was Kirby's Dream land on my doorstop gray/grey GameBoy.
8 dude. YIDS is a solid 8.
Nintendo should really released Bowser's Inside Story on Wii U! The best DS game I played, and funny too.
I could not get into this game like I did with the orignal SNES/ GBA. I got really bored with it.
Why is everybody ripping on the music? Wildlands is a great song.
Yoshi's Island (SNES) had one of the best soundtracks ever made. What the hell was the production staff thinking making this terrible, terrible music for this game? It genuinely affected the experience negatively for me.
This game is better than Yoshi's New Island but it's worse than Yoshi's Island.
So the newer the Yoshi game is, the worse.
@King_Octorok you are right about that, music is one of the worst things in the game.
Impossible to omit that the SNES version of Yoshi's Island is still the best.
The music is disappointing.
@chewytapeworm
It IS a great song, but not much else is! At least YI:DS has great storytelling, which YNI certainly doesn't! (And DS handles adult Bowser fine)
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