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It must be difficult trying to follow something that is so critically acclaimed. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is almost always considered to be one of the Super Nintendo's greatest games, its legendary status elevated somewhat by the notion that it's going to remain a difficult game to find as long as it stays away from the Virtual Console. Sure, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 is a great remake - and it's launching on the Wii U Virtual Console in April - but the original is in the history books, and nothing will change that. What can be changed is the Yoshi's Island series itself, which returns in the form of Yoshi's New Island, a fun platforming title that builds on the legacy left by the original.
Yoshi's New Island begins as the stork from the original Yoshi's Island is carrying Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to their new home; unfortunately, the stork ends up taking the babies to the wrong house, forcing him to turn back and head to the right house instead. It's here that the evil Kamek swoops in and tries to take the babies from the stork, swiping Baby Luigi and dropping Baby Mario in the process. Baby Mario falls to the ground and is found by the Yoshis, who agree to help him get to Kamek and Baby Luigi once again. It's a familiar story which doesn't intrude on the game; you're essentially left to get on with it, which is no bad thing.
Set in six different worlds with eight levels to beat in each, Yoshi's New Island follows the base concept put forward by previous games in the series, with each world focusing on one area of the island and each level marking a point of progression to the end goal. Each level is split into a few different sections and features at least one middle ring - these act as checkpoints in case you lose a life - before the goal ring, which is when Baby Mario transfers from one Yoshi to the next. Along the way, you'll face a number of different enemies and obstacles, and this is where Yoshi's egg throw and ground pound attacks come into play.
One positive aspect of the majority of the game's levels is that they're a good length; there aren't many of them that feel too long or two short, and there's enough variation in each level to stop the experience feeling overly similar for new players. Some of the middle rings are perhaps not particularly well placed, being either too close together or too far away from either side of the level, and it does seem strange that some levels have more than one middle ring when it would be better practice to put just one in the best possible place. That's a minor quibble, though losing lives quite a way after the middle ring can lead to some frustrating moments.
Fans of the original Yoshi's Island will no doubt recognise many of the enemies in Yoshi's New Island, since the majority of them have been lifted right out of the classic; even some enemies which only appeared in one or two levels return, again in a small number of levels and sometimes even in exactly the same place within the game. Let's clear up the fact that Yoshi's New Island definitely isn't a remake - all the levels and a few of the mechanics are brand new - but when you see the same enemy used in a similar place or in exactly the same way, you'd be forgiven for getting a strong sense of déjà vu at times throughout the game.
There are two major new mechanics of note in Yoshi's New Island, though one of them stems from a feature seen in the series previously. The main new mechanic in the game is the introduction of Mega Eggs, which can be used to clear large obstacles and collect a massive number of items in one go. Thankfully, Yoshi's aiming cursor is a little more lenient with these, giving you slightly more time to aim them directly above or ahead of you. You'll also come across some metal Mega Eggs, which are handy for dragging Yoshi underwater. The only shame is the fact that Mega Eggs aren't used quite as much as they could be, and you can go quite a long while without seeing them in any of the levels.
Returning from previous games are transformations - including the submarine and the helicopter, as well as new ones - which are seen more frequently than Mega Eggs and are steered exclusively using motion controls. Most of these are required to progress further; they're neither particularly impressive nor offensive and they're done as well as they can be with motion controls, so they're not likely to stain your experience too much.
While the gameplay in Yoshi's New Island is often enjoyable and runs at a decent pace, there are parts of the game that clearly could have used a little more polish. We've already noted the discrepancy between middle ring locations in some levels; this ties in with the game's somewhat uneven difficulty level, which can jump with no warning before dropping down again in the very next level. It can be frustrating, particularly when the game makes you feel as though the difficulty's rising too quickly, only for it to drop again soon after. It's also difficult to ignore the fact that many of the game's enemies, as we've mentioned, return from the original Yoshi's Island at the same frequency and often at around the same time in the game. This is a new game, and it's a good one at that, but it relies a little too much on the past to get through.
On the plus side, the game's visuals are particularly nice, which makes for some standout levels where the gameplay is as spot on as the visuals. Aesthetically, Yoshi's New Island is very different to the original Yoshi's Island and to Yoshi's Island DS, sporting a more artistic look and feel throughout; the warm fuzziness of the original and the bright, bold colours of the DS entry have been replaced with visuals resembling crayon drawings and watercolour paintings, something which Nintendo was eager to note during the game's development. It works particularly well, even when the backgrounds are more detailed than the foregrounds; this doesn't affect your focus, and is very nice to look at in 3D as well as in 2D.
Collectibles also return in Yoshi's New Island, though the classic formula is managed slightly differently this time around. You still have collectibles in each level - five flowers, 30 stars, and 20 red coins - and the game will still count these up at the end of each level, but rather than giving you a score out of 100, each collectible is counted separately and you get a little icon to denote which ones you've collected all of. That means you'll get a red coin icon for collecting all 20 red coins, and the same applies with flowers and stars. You also have the chance to collect egg medals when you reach the goal - if the goal ring lands on a flower when you pass through it, you get one medal for each flower - but this is down to chance more than anything. The change from scores is probably meant to make collection a little easier, despite the fact that collecting these items can be incredibly tough, and it is something of a shame not to have those proud scores of 100 on the menu.
Yoshi's New Island could so easily be a game targeted primarily at young children, being the newest game in a cute series with cute visuals and two very cute main characters. To the credit of Nintendo and Arzest, they've managed to avoid dumbing down the game and have ensured it remains a solid platformer, but it does still have its problems; the lack of polish and the uneven difficulty levels are both somewhat disappointing, since when the game works well, it really shines. You just have to ignore the uninspired world map, which might as well not be there at all.
Yoshi's New Island is neither easy nor difficult to recommend; overall, the game is a very enjoyable platformer, but it's missing that little bit of extra polish that would turn it into a brilliant Nintendo 3DS game. Even without the grandeur of the original Yoshi's Island hanging over its head, it's difficult to deny that Yoshi's New Island can be flawed at times, but the fact remains that it can be a particularly satisfying experience when it gets the gameplay right, making it a good starting point for anyone looking to get into the series. Perhaps the series will forever be doomed to comparisons with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, a level which it will likely never reach again, but as its own title, Yoshi's New Island is a fun and inoffensive addition to the library.
