The story
As the game begins, the stork is carrying a pair of twins to their parents(The Stork?! For crying in the mud, Nintendo...!). These twins are Mario and Luigi(Per usual, right?). But all is not well(of course), because Kamek the mean nasty Magikoopa knows that these babies will bring ruin to the Koopa kingdom(Ooh, a psychic-opath).. So he hops on his broom and ambushes the stork to steal the babies, except that he only ends up taking Luigi, and Mario falls towards Yoshi's Island to land on poor Yoshi's head. Wouldn't that HURT(Go Baby Mario! Bop that Yoshi! :D)? Anyways, Yoshi shows the kid to his Yoshi friends, and they're all mighty confused over what to do until they notice that Baby Mario seems to know where he wants to go(Mighty fine brains for a day-year old). The twins have a bond such that each knows where the other is at all times. The Yoshis, being disgustingly nice and helpful creatures, decide to use a relay system to carry Baby Mario back to wherever it is he wants to go. And I'm going to refer to Baby Mario as Chibi-Mario from now on, just because I think that's cuter. ^_^ Baby Mario is scary anyways. He turns all Super from a Star. Sure, for GROWN-UP Mario it's okay, but for Baby Mario, it's disturbing. :p
Gameplay
When Yoshi gets touched by an enemy, Chibi-Mario will fall off his back and start floating away in a bubble, yelling his fool head off the whole time. When this happens, the Countdown Timer starts ticking down, and if it reaches 0 then Kamek's goons will swoop down and take the kid. The Countdown Timer's default time is 10; it starts at this number in each level and will slowly count back up to 10 if you catch Chibi-Mario in time. The Countdown Timer can go as high as 30, you do this by collecting Stars and saving your progress at Middle Rings. However, if you lose Chibi-Mario when your Countdown Timer is higher than 10, it won't count back up that high, it'll only go as high as its usual count of 10(And you'll have to listen to Chibi-Mario bawl, ugh!). If you do happen to drop the kid, do whatever it takes to get him back! Jump and touch him, use Yoshi's tongue, pelt eggs at him(Hmm, homocidal much...). If he gets baby-napped by Kamek's henchmen, you'll lose a life and have to restart from the beginning of the level or the last Middle Ring you found(Which I don't get.YOSHI loses a life if MARIO is taken? What, is Chibi-Mario Yoshi's life support or something?! :p).
Now, Yoshi's got a fine roster of all the moves you'd expect a Yoshi to have. He can carry up to 6 eggs, which tag along behind him (For some unknown reason. Oh well, convinience rocks, eh?) as he runs and jumps around the island, and these can be thrown to defeat enemies and nail bonus items. Holding down the B button after jumping lets Yoshi do a Flutter Jump, he struggles in the air and sort of glides(Complete with constipation noises and faces). After he stops fluttering, you can release B and press it down again for repeated Flutter Jumps without ever touching the ground, which is handy for grabbing items in the air and saving your neck after falling off a high platform. Pressing down on the Control Pad while in the air lets Yoshi do a Ground Pound; he'll body slam the ground to hammer in stakes and break through soft ground(And Pyra think's SHEIK'S legs are strong...). And then there's Yoshi's trademark tongue. He can swallow most enemies to make aforementioned eggs, or use his tongue to grab loose coins, Stars and certain wailing babies that are just out of reach(He eats and digests eggs in the matter of seconds... o_O;).
And as if taking the brat to his bro wasn't enough of a challenge, the Yoshis have to gather Stars, Red Coins and Flowers in every level(Not really. It's just for the losers who want to say they completely beat the game. It's optional. :p). After completing each level, you'll recieve a score out of 100, so a perfect score of 100 means that you were a real smarty-pants and found everything. Not to worry though, you can replay the level any time you like to try getting a higher score. Scoring 100 in every level of a world will give you a super-hard extra level, and a replayable bonus level where you can win lives and items to your little heart's content.
Stars: These are often found as little bouncing starmen with big smiles and blue shoes. They'll usually pop out of a little flying cloud marked with a "?", just peg it with an egg to release the little buggars and try to catch them all before they disappear. You'll also get 10 stars added to your count when you save at a Middle Ring. Oh yeah, by the way, the Stars you collect for your level score and the Stars you collect for the Countdown Timer are one and the same. Isn't that convinient? ^_^ So if you have your maximum of 30 Stars, don't lose Chibi-Mario or you'll have to go back and find more Stars. They count for 30/100 of the level's points(Which makes the difference between an A+ and C-, for all you nerds. :p).
Red Coins: These can blend in with the regular coins you find floating in the air, and are sometimes hidden behind stakes. Flying Shyguys will sometimes carry them, too. It may seem difficult to identify the hidden Red Coins masquerading as normal coins, but they'll have a slight reddish tint you can see if you look closely. And yes, they count towards the typical Mario game goal of getting 100 coins for an extra life. There's 20 Red Coins in each level, which make up 20/100 points(Which makes the difference between an A+ and a B-, for all you nerds, again. :p).
Flowers: These are nice and easy to find, they're great big smiling daisies that sit there in the air. You might get one out of a "?" cloud once in a while, too. There's 5 to find, and they're usually painfully obvious, which is nice because Flowers are the best thing for you to collect. They're worth half of the level's points(Which decides if you fail or not! :p), they add Flowers to the Goal Ring roulette which gives you a chance at a bonus game, and collecting all 5 gives you a 1-Up.
Items
These can be won from bonus games, and used at any time in a level other than during a boss battle. Just press Start, select an item and press A. Here's some of the useful stuff you might come across.
- Watermelon. Lets you spit seeds at enemies. These can also be found in the field. In the field, there's usually an enemy like a monkey around. Grab a Watermeleon fast and bop him! Take that, Monkey!
- Fire Watermelon. Lets you breathe fire at enemies. These can be found in the field, but you'll get more shots out of an item than a field melon. Fwa, take that, ice enemy!
- Ice watermelon. Lets you breathe ice at enemies and freeze them solid. This works even on tough baddies like Bullet Bills. Like Fire Watermelons, these can be found in the field and last longer when used as an item. Oooh, pretty. *dazes*
- Full Egg. This will give you as many eggs as you can carry. Try not to use it unless you really need it. Carrying five eggs for example, if the perfect time to use it! :p
- Magnifying glass. Makes Red Coins red and highly visible, instead of blending in as usual. And so, I've concluded that the giant Magikoopa commited the crime of hiding the Red Coins! Fwahaha...
- POW block. These can be found in the field, and items have the exact same effect. All enemies on the screen will be destroyed and turned into Stars. So, for all you slow people, use it when no one's around. :p
- "?" Cloud. It turns all enemies on the screen into "?" clouds, and each of these clouds will give you one Star (or a coin if you've got 30 stars). Not worth the eggs, if you ask me. Well, I guess every game needs a completely and totally useless item... Hiiii, ? Cloud!
- +10 Stars. Adds 10 to your Star count. This is best used at the end of a level, if your score is perfect except for a few missing Stars. Isn't Pyra smrt? :D
- +20 Stars. Adds 20 to your Star count. I also find the +10/20 Stars items useful if you've lost Chibi-Mario and can't quite reach him in time, they'll buy you more time and keep you from losing a life. So very very smrt...
Problem Solving
Yoshi's Island doesn't really have any nasty complicated puzzles, but there are areas where it's hard to get the level's 100 points, or maybe survive. Here's a few tips to help you with your babysitting quest extraordinaire.
The incredible, edible egg(Oh, HA! I get it!): Yoshi's eggs can be used to gather things you can't reach, namely coins and Flowers. Sometimes you'll need to bounce eggs off a wall or something to reach a bonus, or aim and fire quickly, so practice your aim in the early levels and make sure you're fairly good at hitting things. (That's really the best way to attack enemies anyway, sillies!) Sharpshooting skill will help a LOT in this game.
Making the grade: So you're at the very end of the level, short by 2 Stars and wondering how you can find them? Yoshi's eggs turn red after striking two surfaces, and a red egg that hits an enemy will give you 2 Stars. So go find a Shyguy or something and ricochet an egg off nearby objects. This works especially well in caves. Strangely enough, I have nothing to say...
OHKO-lahoma(Where the grass is green, or something): I apologise right now for the cheesy name of this tip. ^_^ Most hazaards in Yoshi's Island will just knock Chibi-Mario off Yoshi's back, but somethings will cause insta-death whether or not Yoshi's carrying his young cargo. Lava, spikes, thorns and bottomless pits are to be avoided at all costs. Thorns, however, can be destroyed by throwing eggs at them, which is a good idea even if you're confident you can navigate the area. I mean, come on, think of the children(Namely, that deformed beast Yoshi is carrying. :p)! Also, in levels which scroll on their own whether or not Yoshi's ready to move, don't get caught behind a wall, stake, etc. "Never Look Back..!"
Cradle-robbers(AKA Stealing candy from a Baby, nyuk):: A few enemies are bold enough to swipe Chibi-Mario right off Yoshi's back (just be thankful Kamek isn't one of them). Bandits will freak out as soon as they see Yoshi and dash over to steal the baby, just jump on their heads 3 times to dispatch them because eggs won't work(Ooh, resourceful little robers..). There's dorky looking little birds with beanie hats that swipe Mario too, just deal with them as you would a Shyguy. And occasionally, a Shyguy/Bandit team will hide behind a crystal or tuft of grass to switch the Shyguy for Chibi-Mario and then run like crazy. If you see a suspicious area where a baby-thief might hide, use Yoshi's tongue to check the area. And don't worry, kidnapper baddies usually aren't very smart. They'll just run to the nearest wall and jump around, they're easy enough to catch unless there's tons of obstacles.
Bosses
Boss stages in Yoshi's Island typically make use of a skill you've recently learned. That's because the bosses are just bigger versions of the numberless henchmen you've already been fighting; Kamek shows up to enchant them and make a smartass comment to Yoshi. But some of them are tricky, so here I go giving info on everybody!
-Burt the Bashful. This guy's freaking stupid, just stay out of his way and throw eggs at him. You need to de-pants him! HA!
-Salvo the Slime. When you hit him with an egg, Salvo will shrink and little Salvos will fly off of him. Eat these so they don't make you lose Chibi-Mario, and carry on throwing eggs. Sliiiiimy...
-Bigger Boo. Face the wall and throw eggs, they'll ricochet and hit Bigger Boo while he's visible. Try to finish this guy off quickly, it'll be easier. WOW, he's big! :o
-Potted Ghost. Shove his pot off the ledge. It gets easier once his Shyguy helpers have been pushed off. Haha, those Shy Guys are on Potted Ghost! 8D
-Prince Froggy. Once you're done freaking out over being EATEN, swallow those great big Shyguys and throw the resulting eggs at Froggy's uvula. You know, the little dangly thing at the back of your throat? Watch out for the digestive juices. Yecch.... His uvula is in his stomach, talked about being deformed!
-Navel Pirhana. Squeal with glee because Kamek just called Yoshi a "cutie without a navel", and then throw eggs at the wall, downwards at about a 45 degree angle. If you aim them right, they'll bounce over the water and strike Navel Pirhana's only weakness:....wait for it.....his navel. Way to be discreet, Pirhany, I bet Yoshi would never have noticed that huge bandage on your navel!
-Marching Milde. Use Yoshi's Ground Pound to break him up into smaller Mildes, and once they get really small you can just eat them, jump on them or throw eggs at them. Hehe, I don't remember what these guys look like, and Pyra didn't set me up for a joke in here, so let's move on. DAMNIT, no cleverness for this guy! :p
-Hookbill the Koopa. When he stands up on his hind legs, throw eggs at his head to make him overbalance and fall over on his back. Then hop up on his stomach and Ground Pound. Repeat as necessary. When you run out of eggs, jump on Hookibill's head while he's standing on all fours. *Sigh* You'd think Koopa Troopas would practice BALANCING after twenty years of being trounced by Mario...
-Sluggy the Unshaven. I'm as confused about the name as you are. Sluggy's actually pretty tough, but don't believe Kamek when he says that Sluggy's invincible. His heart is his weak point but throwing an egg will only make a dent in his flubbery body, so keep throwing eggs to make the dent bigger until you can strike at the heart. You'll need to hit the heart 3 times to beat Sluggy. He's crawling towards a cliff during all of this, so if you take too long you'll get shoved off. What does being unshaven have to do with anything...? Crack kills, Nintendo.
-Raphael the Raven. Once you're done freaking out over being ON THE MOON, Ground Pound the stakes so that they come out the opposite side of the moon and hit Raphael. Timing is key here, and it's a tad confusing because you're running around the circular moon the whole time and your point of view is kinda weird. Watch out for Raph's fireballs. When the moon hits your eyes like a big Raven pie... :s
-Tap-Tap the Red Nose. Let's all chuckle at Kamek, cuz he seems to scream like a girl. ^_^ Tap-Tap's invincible, so just stay out of his way. But the floor is made of blocks that can be destroyed with eggs. Pelt eggs for all you're worth and watch your step, after you open a hole in the floor Tap-Tap will slip in and fall into the lava below. You'd think with all of Kamek's magic, he'd release what AI is... :p
-King Bowser. Before I continue, let me just say SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!(Down girl!) Baby Bowser (or, as I prefer, Chibi-Bowser) is the cutest little guy ever! He's not even evil or anything, he just wants to ride the "funny gween donkey"(TWIST! >:D). After thoroughly thrashing Kamek for spoiling his nap, Chibi-Bowser does his darnest to knock off Chibi-Mario and go for a Yoshi-back ride, and you'll notice that his clumsy attempts to do so make peeky waves in the floor. You can make your own waves by Ground Pounding, so Pound away and time it so that the waves hit Chibi-Bowser. After you land a few hits on the kawaii little Koopa king, Kamek comes back like the pest that he is and enchants his master. Whoa boy....this gets mighty freaky. Accompanied by some truely funky music, Chibi-Bowser grows to an enormous size(Yoshi v. Giant Young Bowser! </SSBM> :D). Your entire perspective changes too, Yoshi's now facing away from you and the not-so-Chibi-Bowser is facing you from his distant position. He then hurls some huge rocks at Yoshi's safe perch. Dodge these rocks, they'll take big chunks out of your usable ledge space and take you with them if you're not careful. Then he'll start breathing huge fireballs at you. Dodge the fireballs (as if I need to tell you that), grab some of the big eggs floating by on balloons (...?) and heave them at Chibi-Bowser's head. The new pespective is sort of tough to get used to, but for the love of gawd, adjust to it quickly! Hitting Chibi-Bowser will knock him back a bit, and after 3 hits he'll throw more rocks and further decrease your usable ledges. He'll come closer this time too, so hurry up and knock him with 3 more eggs. If Chibi-Bowser gets too close at any time during this proccess, he'll crush Yoshi and it'll be game over, so keep pegging him with those eggs. After landing 6 eggs, you've almost won, except for one last phase. This step can be tough; Chibi-Bowser charges headlong at Yoshi's platform. You need to quickly connect with one more thrown egg before he tramples Yoshi into a little bit of green goo. Doing this will defeat Chibi-Bowser; he'll return to his small, cute form and fall to the ground, defeated. Kamek whines a bit, then grabs his master and flies off. Yay! You've won the game!
And on a more personal note, I like how the Yoshis' hands look like mittens in this game. :D PT has long sleek wings! Ooh, pretty! ^_^