What it does best
A hand-drawn crayon world unlike anything else on SNES
Platforming levels packed with invention and surprise
Bosses that turn cartoon imagination into set-piece battles
A fresh platforming toolkit built around Yoshi’s unique body
What might put you off
Baby Mario’s crying and recovery timer
Completionist scoring can feel demanding
The setup
What you are walking into
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is a platform video game acting as a prequel to 1990's Super Mario World. The game casts players as Yoshi as he escorts Baby Mario through 48 levels in order to reunite him with his brother Luigi, who had been kidnapped by Baby Bowser's minions. As a Super Mario series platformer, Yoshi runs and jumps to reach the end of the level while solving puzzles and collecting items. In a style new to the series, the game has a hand-drawn aesthetic and is the first to have Yoshi as its main character. The game introduces his signature abilities to flutter jump, produce eggs from swallowed enemies, and transform into vehicles.
Where it lives
Genre
Vibe
Up next
