The alternative name for Yoshi's Island, a Nintendo platformer peak. Gorgeous and inventive, absolutely essential for platformer fans.
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Category
Platformer1 player3+
Description
Revolutionary platformer in which Yoshi carries baby Mario through pencil-drawn levels. Published by Nintendo, released in Japan in 1995. Yoshi transforming enemies into eggs to throw, levels with unique watercolor and pencil visuals, creative transformations and ingenious bosses. An absolute masterpiece and major visual innovation on Super Nintendo.
Super Mario - Yoshi Island review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Crayon-and-pastel settings, soft outlines and characters drawn as in a children's book: the aesthetic stands as an adorable oddity. This handcrafted signature, warm and inventive, turns every level into a coloured page. This unique graphic choice remains one of the most beloved in the entire library.
Tender and inventive, the music of Yoshi's Island signed by Koji Kondo wraps the crayon world in an unforgettable childlike gentleness. From the soothing "Flower Garden" to the livelier themes, every tune breathes carefreeness and whimsy. This melodic freshness, deeply endearing, remains a peak of video-game tenderness.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Swallowing enemies to lay eggs and hurling them with precision reinvents the platformer around a jubilant aiming mechanic. The floaty jump and the need to protect Baby Mario establish a singular rhythm, at once supple and demanding. Carried by a timeless crayon-drawn style, this treasure of inventiveness remains a delight from start to finish.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Playing as Yoshi carrying baby Mario, gulping enemies to turn them into eggs and aiming at targets with gleeful precision: this crayon-styled masterpiece overflows with ideas and tenderness. Every level reinvents its mechanics with wild inventiveness. Gorgeous, clever and deeply satisfying, a platformer apart that charms as much as it challenges, timeless down to its very linework.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Swallowing an enemy, turning it into an egg and then aiming for a distant platform builds a loop of skill and collection that's astonishingly rich. Flowers, red coins and a perfect score push you to retrace every level to perfection. Wildly inventive, this colorful journey keeps a grip that the hunt for a flawless run sustains.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Long"
Technical info
💾1,2 MB📅05/08/1995
Published by Nintendo
Super Mario - Yoshi Island (SNES) price, value & rarity
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
The Japanese Super Famicom version of Nintendo EAD's Yoshi's Island from 1995, Japan-exclusive under this 'Super Mario - Yoshi Island' name. The Rev 1 fixes several scrutinised bugs. The Japanese cart embeds the Super FX 2 chip for transformation and rotation effects, and preserves the unremastered original audio. Intact boxed CIB with cardboard sleeve and illustrated Nintendo manual is an absolute grail for Nintendo SFC collectors, and the cote climbs hard.
Is Super Mario - Yoshi Island still worth playing in 2026?
Super Mario World 2 - Yoshi's Island, known as Super Mario - Yoshi Island in Japan, marks a total break with Super Mario World, namely Yoshi escorting baby Mario through watercolor backdrops, with egg throws and per island special abilities. The art direction refused DKC pre rendered 3D to defend a hand drawn line that has not aged a day. The Nintendo R&D1 level design is probably the most inventive on the system. Essential for any 2D platformer lover.
