So apparently we now have two Yoshi games to look forward to! Now’s a better time than ever to hop on the tour and find out what made the first Island so appealing! And if there’s more you want to know/discuss about the game, feel free to hit me up on the forum or in the comments!
Welcome to the jungle! We’ve been through a flower garden and forest, but this world’s theme manifests itself much more strongly. We have cattails, monkeys, natives, plants, melons, trees, vines, frogs, fish…everything you’d expect from a steamy tropical paradise! Let’s plunge on in!
Mar 13, 2014 Yoshi's New Island Star, Red Coin and Flower collectibles guide. By Shabana Arif 13 March 2014. Red Coin 7 – 11: Pop up the stairs to collect 6 red coins. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Yoshi series. SNES, Switch. The Cave Of The Bandits 6-3: Beware The Spinning Logs 6-4: Tap-Tap The Red Nose's Fort 6-5: The Very Loooooong Cave 6-6: The Deep, Underground Maze 6-7: KEEP MOVING. Jungle Rhythm.
Welcome to Monkey World introduces us to the monkey natives rather gently. They’re skittish, leaping away and climbing vines and trees (that Yoshi himself can’t scale) when Yoshi draws near. They’re also tough to kill, only stunned by jumps or being spat out. This actually makes them a bit more sympathetic, since they shake it off and panic, running away even faster. From the safety of trees, they’ll chuck dynamite or Needlenoses at you (the latter makes for a decent refill station), but you get the sense they’re more mischievous than malicious, and you are invading their territory.
This stage isn’t so much about clever tricks keeping you on your toes as it is about introducing the monkeys. And that’s totally fine, because they’re really lovable, have a wide range of actions, and are well-detailed. Aside from the harmless type we’re introduced to and the type that bombard you from trees (easily avoidable as long as you’re not directly beneath them), we run into some carrying half-eaten melons, and they’ll spit seeds your way (as with Baseball Boy eggs, anything a seed may collect goes to Yoshi, though seeds will actually hurt you). You can rob them of their meal and spit some seeds yourself, although you don’t get nearly as many as a whole melon would render (makes perfect sense). For the home stretch, we come across chains of monkeys swinging from the canopy. You have to pass these with caution, or they’ll snag Baby Mario right off your back and you’ll find out just how potent their agility is.
While the monkeys provide more interest than the stage itself, there are some nice sets on display here, from thick canopies that the sun just peeks through to sunny clearings to misty waterfalls to a muddy waterfront area, complete with cattails and tiny frogs leaping around (or maybe they’re crickets? They’re happy, one way or the other). There’s one brilliant secret of note here. You may notice before dropping into the water that the mud gives way to a log platform for about the length of one Yoshi. The water below gives your only other (extremely subtle) clue that something’s up: Ordinarily, you can see the distorted silhouette of landmasses underwater. That’s not present here, so we can force ourselves beneath the cliff and reach another very well-hidden secret.
Fortunately, there’s nothing of scoring interest here. We do get a series of giant donut lifts, the only ones of their kind in the game (and the only other donut lifts at all outside 1-5). There are eggs aplenty on them, while Fly Guys carry 1Ups across the other side of the screen, resulting in a 1Up shooting gallery. The game may toss out 1Ups wholesale, but at least it does it in unique and interesting ways.
In Jungle Rhythm, we abandon the monkeys and come across what looks like some old ruins. Now we see the debut of the famous Spear Guys! I can’t recall them being used in a platforming context outside YI games, and that’s a shame, because they work very well for common foes. Their shields fend off frontal attacks, while their spears not only protect them, but can even make getting past them dangerous (and the height of their spears can vary). This forces you to attack from behind if you want to be rid of them, and between their height, their placement, and their companions, this is not always easy. They basically force you to recall and improve upon the tactics you learned with Stilt Guys. Oh, and their spear and shield go flying if you do manage to take them out.
After mixing them with some Mildes and Piranhas, we’re introduced to the more festive dancing Spear Guys. These guys are well animated and even sing, they’re often found in groups in valleys or walled-in areas, and they can make swift horizontal leaps. This first encounter introduces a unique block that transforms into a platform when touched. This is actually kind of misleading, since it implies the best way past these guys is over them, well out of reach. This is a perfectly viable tactic, but the dancing Guys’ lack of shields means as long as you see an opening to either side of them, you’re free to drop in, lap one up, spit it at its nearest comrade, and if there are any left, you have room to deal with them at your leisure. Granted, you have to be quick about moving into position, but once you’re on their plane (and preferably not surrounded by them), you’re in control. But again, the game’s playing with psychology. We’ve seen that ordinary Spear Guys require a bit more care than the average enemy, and these guys move fast and make noise, plus the game provides us with means to avoid the first of them.
Next, we can find a hidden ! switch, which leads to another Poochy appearance. It just involves him swimming for some ordinary coins, but it also contains a message block that sums up why I love this game: Sure, I suppose anyone can say they poured their heart and soul into something (but it does take effort and precious memory in this case), but it’s still heartening to see it. Alongside the various details, creativity, and accommodating design on display so far, it feels sincere.
Unfortunately, there’s a slight design hiccup here, since taking this passage makes us bypass a flower, but we can easily backtrack for it. There is a tricky point where we have to bank an egg into a tulip (no eggs to spit) from a mobile platform, but that’s only if we need the stars.
Anyway, the stage turns vertical, continuing through stone ruins (I love the greenery growing on them). Once we come to their peak, we get a nasty cheap shot. There’s a platform-go-round in a thick canopy. We’re meant to leap from it into the trees, and hitting the right spot transports us to a room with several red coins. Granted, the platforms have no obvious purpose, and the dense canopy is probably meant to be inviting. There have been similar visual cues in previous stages that work very well, but this one seems to go too far. You can’t win ‘em all.
Now that we’ve scaled the ruins, the home stretch is a series of jumps over small platforms above a bottomless drop. We’re opposed by dancers, a Piranha, and a Tap-Tap. It’s probably the most the game has asked out of us as far as straightforward action goes (especially with a red coin Fly Guy in the mix).
This is another great showcase of some creative new enemies, and the territory carries the theme while being completely different than the previous stage. It’s just unfortunate about that blasted canopy.
Nep-Enuts’ Domain lets us finally play out what the box art depicts. We have to scramble across several brief stretches of jungle lake while Nep-Enuts rise out of the depths to make life tough for us. It really is a lovely setpiece, with monkeys leaping around on vines above, Yoshi scrambling through mud and water, and Nep-Enut lurking at surface level, waiting to burst forward. Breaking the lake up into brief segments gives us a nice chance to catch our breath, which is good, because this segment puts our jumping skills to a bit of a test, with emphasis on snagging items just BENEATH platforms (while maintaining a good clip to keep ahead of Nep-Enut). The monkeys add a lot of character to the scene, seemingly terrified of both Yoshi and Nep-Enut. They flail around if they wind up in the water, they scramble up walls, trees, and vines, and they continue to aim for some revenge when they manage to get comfortably out of reach. They’re also very useful, since spitting them at winged clouds, Nep-Enuts, or even flowers, will do the same as an egg, but the monkey will still be alive. Notably, none of the stumps here contain anything, so you can focus completely on outrunning Nep-Enuts and pulling off sweet flutter jumps to snag red coins.
And…we’ve left Nep-Enuts’ domain. Now we get a little “experimental corner.” We meet yet another melon-carrying monkey, but there are more interesting things ahead. We see a mama duck(-like…thing) and two babies. These are Huffin Puffins, and they’re awesome! You can’t hurt the mother, but if you jump on her, then touch her babies, they’ll be added to your egg inventory. (According to Yoshi’s Story dialogue, the “kids are eager to help you on your quest!”, so this totally isn’t brutal and traumatic kidnapping…I keep telling myself). Possibly horrendous acts aside, these guys are amazing, boomeranging back to you and packing an even harder punch than eggs do. With a little manipulation, you can pull off some crazy stunts with these guys. Unfortunately, they fly home once you hit the goal ring and there aren’t many more of them. If only there was a stage that made more robust use of their unique properties…
Anyway, there’s still more to this handful of screens. There’s an unusually tall Shy Guy ahead, and jumping on him will squish him down, causing him to spit seeds ahead. Why? Who cares! It wipes out the enemies ahead of him, and when you jump off, he’s restored to his normal shape, no worse for wear.
Now we get some puzzling similar to 2-4. Beneath us is a tunnel too narrow for Yoshi to enter. There’s a cloud above, which provides a path to the right…both revealing and sealing off a helicopter transformation. But that’s okay, because there’s another cloud over to the right, leading to an “enemy/prize” room, and exiting resets the previous room (we can also get a sneak peek at a new enemy that we won’t encounter for a few more screens).
Using the chopper, we can proceed and immediately gain access to the final transformation: the submarine (also, since we have to be able to see the submarine, the water is crystal clear here, allowing us to finally get a look at Yoshi’s swimming poses). This sub segment is very straightforward and similar to a shoot-em-up. We have Boo Guys dropping dynamite from above, jellyfish providing vertical threats, fish persistently dogging us, and puffer fish that grow and get aggressive when shot. We can fire one homing torpedo at a time, which can take out the jellies or fish. We also run into a couple spinning spike contraptions later. Taking a hit drastically slows you down and almost guarantees you’ll need to redo the segment, but at least all the collectibles are in plain sight (actually, the only thing of note is a single red coin, but with all the threats coming at you, you likely won’t be able to discern it at a glance). While it can be tedious to have to redo it, this is pretty fun, with a nice mix of threats and a chance to finally enjoy some undersea action.
Once back on land, we meet Froggy. This jerk is a rare breed that can shrug off both eggs and ground pounds (though it will give him a hilarious stunned expression). He’s also a fast leaper and has a tongue even longer than Yoshi’s, which he’ll use to snag Baby Mario. He is vulnerable to being eaten himself, however. These guys mean business, and with their incredible speed, reach, and smug expressions, they can really be pests. Since trying to eat them on horizontal ground means they can also snag Mario, your best bet is to get under them and try to attack from beneath.
But they’re not the only new enemy! Meet Clawdaddy, another toughie. (Aside: For about fifteen years I thought this guy just happened to be some cloud-crab hybrid. Perfectly normal for Mario, right? Well, turns out some crabs foam excessively at the mouth! Yoshi’s Island: Great for your children’s education!) Anyway, Clawdaddies are also not to be taken lightly. They’ll rush you when they see you, and their claws can grow to enormous size. They’re quite sturdy, being immune to eating, and taking three eggs (or one Huffin’ Puffin; told you they were awesome!) to kill. A single ground pound will do the trick too, but the terrain often prevents that, and in the occasions when there are openings, their sudden stops and bursts of speed, as well as their swinging claws, can make that risky.
The rest of the stage is based around defeating and outmaneuvering these enemies, including a refresher on bank shots. (And oh yeah, we’re also introduced to Cheep Cheeps! They’re just barely visible on the surface, and can either jump straight up or forward. You can jump on them or eat them, but for some reason, they don’t give eggs. Only small or non-solid enemies have been simply swallowed like this).
This entire stage places a lot more emphasis on combat than we’ve seen so far. That suits it just fine, since the enemies are memorable and each present a unique threat. We also get plenty of variety, from outrunning Nep-Enuts to outmaneuvering frogs to running a sub gauntlet. Surely a stage worthy of box art!
Now this is how you carry a theme! The fort is half-sunken in the tropical waters (or half-standing if you’re an optimist). We have a beautiful sunset background, with pink contrasting against layers of brush (some of it close enough to see color, a lot of it simply silhouetted). We have to do a little work to actually enter the fort proper, contending with some more Spear Guys. Unfortunately, the fort gets off to a lousy start by locking two red coins in a secret door hidden by a batch of thorns on the wall. True, you are told you can destroy thorns, and this is a relatively small, isolated patch, so maybe the thought was it would draw your eye. But in the past, destroying thorns hasn’t really been worthwhile (except for one even smaller patch at a dead end).
Cheap or not, the secret room is another submarine section. This fort feels very conscious of its overall structure. Here, we go back to the left underwater beneath the first few screens of the stage (only a rotating spike bar opposes us), and we pop out of the water at the start again. As we approach the entrance, a few fake flowers try to bowl us over. They can also crush monkeys that get in their way, continuing to perpetuate the kind of sad notion that they’re just native creatures caught up in all this.
Inside, there’s mist coming up off the water, which separates the first half of the fort into little chunks. There are a few side rooms to step into, which involve dealing with Clawdaddies and avoiding monkey mischief. We also see the return of the hanging buckets from 1-4. Here, we find that dropping them onto water provides a makeshift boat, allowing you to jump higher when away from land and snag coins suspended high above the water’s surface.
We also get more spike bars, placed with red coins and flowers high in the ceiling. Spray Fish return as well, and this is a great combination. Darting in and snagging items while the bar’s out of sight is already mildly challenging (especially when sponge-dirt is involved), but the Spray Fish can cut off your escape route. Hmm…the brunt of the challenge being your desire to collect coins while a non-painful obstacle hinders you? Like I said, not only did this game have a huge influence on the future Mario series, but Wario as well.
After several bite-sized challenges, we can take a manual platform-go-round across a long stretch of lake. It’s slower than swimming, but as with the bucket-boat, the height it provides allows us to snag items. But dynamite-passing Boo Guys return, forcing us to jump as close to them as possible in order to snag the goods.
Now it’s time to head up to the next floor, and there’s a rather eerie transition room that’s glowing red. There are tight corridors and Clawdaddies charging down them.
We’re above the water now, so we change gears a bit. Now the emphasis is on making lengthy shots to hit winged clouds and activate bridges. Meanwhile, the Lemon Drops return from the Salvo fight, dropping from the ceiling and just hoping to be the one to get you to recoil into the spikes (you have to stand close to the ledge in order to hit the next cloud). It works out well, because they can sometimes drop from right above you, but the pause that occurs when a bridge is forming allows you to scan the ceiling for danger.
The slimes only start dropping more frequently as we take to another platform-go-round, this time above lethal thorns. The motif on the first floor is still present: You need to jump to keep it moving, but getting too close to the ceiling only increases the chances of you getting hit before you can react, which is almost a guaranteed death. After a fast-paced home stretch filled with frogs and fake flowers, it’s boss time!
Everyone knows this twist, right? Kamek doesn’t beef up the boss with his magic; he shrinks Yoshi! I love the look on his face as he starts dwindling. Prince Froggy promptly eats us, and it’s time for a unique boss battle in a game of crazy boss battles. We’re in Froggy’s stomach, and we need to avoid a steady rain of stomach acid. The Prince apparently decided to wash us down with a side of Shy Guys, who appear larger than Yoshi himself now, and thus provide giant eggs (but just to note, they resemble large Shy Guys rather than recycling the Fat Guy sprite). Our goal is to shoot them at Froggy’s uvula, which is in his stomach for some reason.
This is a very interesting fight, even setting aside the unique premise and very fluid animation. If you don’t know the trick, it’s the toughest fight so far by a mile, and possibly the toughest in the game to survive unscathed (and there’s no way to recoup stars, so one hit ends a 100-percent run). But if you stand still in the center, eat the Shy Guys as they drop toward you, and fire eggs straight up, you should win without a problem. This isn’t a full guarantee: Yoshi has a wide hitbox, the wriggling stomach lining and the way giant eggs can make you stagger can put you just slightly out of position, so if an acid drop looks like it’s gonna hit you, make an adjustment. But it’s definitely the best method to fight with.
This is probably the best castle stage so far, and one of the best stages in the game. It features a lot of callbacks, the challenges come quickly and build on your prior knowledge, the fortress makes structural sense, it’s incredibly atmospheric, and there’s a nice blend of “explore every corner” and “survive this deathtrap”. Plus, it has a hilarious and unique boss. The only thing holding it back is that stupid hidden cloud in the thorns.
Thanks as usual to Peardian for the spiffy stage maps.
Next time: OH MY!