Yoshi's Story
Reviewed by Shrykulll
A lot of the criticism of Yoshi's Story comes from the fact that it's
different. Most magazines give bonus points for originality, yet they
shun Yoshi's Story to a certain degree because it's different? Is it me,
or do I smell a double standard? Anyway, this is how I look at Yoshi's
Story: Although I would have wanted a pure Mario game much more
than something different, I don't really mind that the developers went
a different route. Yoshi's Story is kind of like Super Mario Bros. 2 (U.S.
version) in that it's quite a bit different from the usual Mario fare. I
know a lot of people loved Super Mario Bros. 2 -- and some didn't --
so the same will probably apply to Yoshi's Story.
For the five people out there who don't know about Yoshi's Story, I'm
going to describe the game's story and concept. Basically, Baby Bowser
has stolen the Super Happy Tree and has cast an evil spell over Yoshi's
Island that turned it into a picture book. Six Yoshi's in a remote section
of the island were unharmed and decide to save the island by spreading
happiness. So now they go on a quest to defeat Baby Bowser and save
the island.
Graphics 8 out of 10
What about the presentation? Well, the graphics in Yoshi's Story are
lush and gorgeous. There are tons of varied graphic themes from
level-to-level that are colorful, detailed, and nicely animated. Some
of the bosses and more difficult enemies to defeat are huge and
well-animated. Also, there are some very cool special effects, such as
scaling, stretching, warping, and rotating, used on objects in some
levels. And as you probably already know, all of these graphics were
rendered a la Donkey Kong Country. Because of the higher resolution
and much higher color count, the graphics in Yoshi's Story go far
beyond that game. There are also several layers of parallax scrolling
on the levels. Essentially, the game just looks fantastic without
any slowdown.
Music and Sound 9 out of 10
The sound in the game is very impressive. In fact, it's probably the
best sound ever heard in a Mario game. The title screen features a
cute track that has the Yoshi's singing. All of the other levels in the
game have music that fit their themes very well. Furthermore, all
of the sound is of extremely high quality and is in full stereo sound.
Sound effects in the game are great, too. The Yoshi's have cute sound
effects for when they're running, throwing, falling, getting hit, etc.
You might even hear a few recycled sound effects from older Mario
games.
Game Challenge 2 out of 10
Unlike every other game nowadays, the goal in Yoshi's Story is to not
just beat the game but to get high scores in all the levels. Many gamers
are too lazy and impatient to master each and every level, trying to
top their previous score. Back in the old days one couldn't beat games
one had to entertain and challenge one's self by trying to beat one's
own (or someone else's) high scores. So this is how Yoshi's Story is
supposed to get its replay value.
But I'll admit that I'm just as guilty as the next person when it comes
to wanting to beat games as fast as I can. With the exception of racing
games and their multi-player modes that last for months, I often find
myself racing to the end of the game to beat it. If you have that attitude,
you can literally complete Yoshi's Story on your first try. But I promised
myself that I wouldn't take that attitude this time around. I promised
myself that I would open up all the levels in the game, find all the
secrets, and set as many high scores as I can. Only then would I be able
to realize how much fun Yoshi's Story can be.
So if you can break the "beat the game and never play again" mentality,
then you can go into the "Trial Mode" and try to set high scores on any
level you've opened up from the Story Mode. If you get a high score, you
can enter your name and it will be saved to the Game Pak forever.
Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10
Control in Yoshi's Story is super easy. You use the Control Stick to
move and aim eggs. The A button is used to jump, though it can be
imprecise at times because of the analog Control Stick. Holding the
A button down will also make Yoshi sort of hover. The B button is
your tongue. You use your tongue to eat enemies and eat fruit. You
can't eat coins, however. (They must be touched to be picked up.)
Any enemy Yoshi eats automatically gets "pooped out" as an egg.
The Z button is used to throw an egg. You hold it down and a crosshair
appears. You can move the crosshair anywhere you want, and when you
release the Z button, Yoshi will throw an egg. Yoshi can have up to six
eggs at one time. By the way, the C buttons are also the same as Z, but
I think Z is more comfortable. The R button is used to sniff out hidden
things, and the L button is used to turn the "fruit frame" on and off. I
didn't think I would like playing with the fruit frame, but it doesn't
bother me as much as I thought.
Yes, Yoshi's Story is kind of easy and way too short. But it was meant
to be that way. The slightly easy difficulty level is so kids -- who the
game is aimed at -- can have a good time. The path design is also as
such because of the storybook concept. Hard-core gamers will have to
look beyond the initial run through and will have to look deeper by
challenging themselves to get high scores and to find all of the numerous
secrets in order to truly appreciate the game. If you can't do that, then
Yoshi's Story is probably not for you. But if you can, you may find that
Yoshi's Story can be a wonderfully irresistible experience.
Rumble Pak 6 out of 10
For a lot of games, I think using the Rumble Pak is too bothersome if a
Controller Pak is also needed. Well, progress is saved to the cartridge,
so there's no excuse not to use it.
Frustration
Yoshi's Story is not at all a frustrating game (unless you are trying to
find all of the melons and hearts and are trying to get a really high
score). As I have said, this game was aimed at younger players. So, of
course it's going to be easy! The true hard-core gamer should try to
find every last secret and then, and only then can you say it was an
easy game (and then you'd be bluffing).
Replayability 10 out of 10
This game is very, very easy to beat. But to master it? You have to
be GOOD to completely master it.
Game Value 7 out of 10
This game is definitely worth the price if you are either an experienced
gamer or a small child.
Overall 10 out of 10
This is a most excellent game. Power to ya Nintendo!