Yoshi (N64) Story Review | Nintendo Life

This review was originally published in 2016, and we are updating and republishing it to mark the arrival of N64 games on Nintendo Switch Online.

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There is so much to love about Yoshi’s Story. The presentation is beautiful, the mechanics are solid, the music is fantastic, and seeing a group of Yoshis wandering around is still adorable throughout the campaign. Unfortunately, the game is held back, at least for veteran players, by a simplified platform, a design that is clearly geared towards young and inexperienced players, and an extremely short campaign.

You start out playing as one of the six Yoshis of different colors, and your mission is … to be happier and rescue the Super Happy Tree. Yes. These six main Yoshis behave the same way, except for a few small scoring advantages when eating fruits of a certain color, but you can unlock a black and white Yoshi that has a number of advantages over its colorful counterparts. Your goal is to collect 30 fruits contained in each level to progress through a storybook and eventually find your stolen Happy Tree.

Starting with the positives, the main game is still fun despite the lack of challenge. It’s a pleasure to march like Yoshi, popping balloons and hitting enemies by shooting eggs. In addition to tossing one of the six eggs in tow, Yoshi can perform a small flap at the end of his jump, allowing him to extend the length and height to a modest extent. It’s a really nifty formula (long established in Yoshi games) that differs from what you would expect in a platformer.

The game is absolutely beautiful. At the time, it proved that the N64 could do more than jagged polygonal shapes and muddy corners, and Yoshi’s Story used the additional power of the console to produce backgrounds and enemies that burst with colors and textures, almost as if they were popping out of the screen. . Of course, it’s aged and isn’t going to match more recent endeavors like Yoshi’s Woolly World or Yoshi’s Crafted World, but it was special for its time and still looks good. Even if you have to squint a bit.

It also oozes charm. Textured environments come to life with bright, vibrant colors, and enemies are designed in a soft, shadowy way that pleases the eye. The presentation of the overworld through the use of a storybook perfectly matches the tone of the rest of the game, as does the kid-friendly melodic music. It’s obviously aimed at young players who have little to no gaming experience, making for a mediocre experience if this isn’t your first rodeo. In fact, the dashed hopes of SNES players hoping this would be Yoshi’s Island 2 are probably the main reason why Yoshi’s story isn’t remembered more fondly.

Nintendo generally does an excellent job of balancing games to provide an enjoyable experience for both newcomers and seasoned veterans, but it’s clear from the outset which direction the company took with this entry. By pressing one of the first explanation boxes, the player gets the valuable information that he must press “Start” to see a menu. Thanks, game! Yoshi’s Story does not respect the intelligence of the player, it is content to give you absolutely everything on a silver platter.

At least this approach is consistent. You can win the game by completing six short stages. Yes, there are additional things you can do to add to the experience, such as collecting fruits in certain orders to increase your score or hearts to open other optional levels, but it is still a basic experience. You progress through six “pages” of the storybook, and although you start by completing only one stage on each page to get to the end, you can play in later tenses to visit up to four stages on each page. It is a light content in addition to tone.

If you are a gamer who likes to fly quickly through games and get to the end, one who does not like to find collectibles and play games, you will be finishing this game in no time and you will almost certainly be disappointed. Those who like to take their time will find more to like here, as the levels are structured in a way that encourages exploration. The stages are not completely straightforward and linear, and you must employ a strategy to achieve higher scores. Some of the hearts required to unlock levels may take longer to locate, although the game insists on providing obvious clues for many of them through the interjection of Poochy, who occasionally appears and points out where you must go to find a “secret.”

conclusion

Yoshi’s Story tells a basic story against a brilliantly colorful background, using some novel platforming mechanics to bolster interest, but ultimately fails a bit to execute. It’s nowhere near the level of its classic predecessor on SNES, but fans of the series may want to pay a visit to relive those days of yore. It’s a cheerful and enjoyable enough fare, just be sure to keep your expectations in check.