Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
- This article is about the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game. For other uses, see Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (disambiguation).
- "Super Mario World 2" redirects here. For the manga, see Super Mario Bros. 4: Super Mario World 2. For the Spanish VHS release of the Super Mario World television series, see Super Mario World: 2.
- "SMW2" redirects here. For the Wii game known as "Super Mario Wii 2" in South Korea, see Super Mario Galaxy 2.
| Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 For alternate box art, see the related gallery. | |||||||
| Developer | Nintendo EAD | ||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||
| Platforms | Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES Classic Edition, Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Famicom, Super Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics | ||||||
| Release dates | Super Famicom: August 5, 1995[1] 1995[?]Super Nintendo Entertainment System:  October 1995[2] October 5, 1995[?] December 1995[3] 1995[4]Super NES Classic Edition: September 29, 2017[5] September 29, 2017[6] September 30, 2017[7]Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Famicom: October 5, 2017[8]Super Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics : September 5, 2019[9] September 6, 2019[10] September 6, 2019[11] September 6, 2019[12] September 6, 2019[?] September 6, 2019[?] | ||||||
| Languages | English Japanese French (Europe) German | ||||||
| Genre | Platform | ||||||
| Ratings |
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| Modes | Single player, multiplayer (in only two Mini Battles) | ||||||
| Format |
 CartridgeSNES:  Game Pak Digital downloadBuilt-in
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| Input | SNES:  Joy-Con (horizontal) | ||||||
| Serial codes | SHVC-YI SNS-YI-USA SNSP-YI-UKV SNSP-YI-NOE SNSP-YI-FAH SNSP-YI-FAH SNSP-YI-AUS SNSN-YI-KOR SNSN-YI-HKG | ||||||
- Kids to Adults
- General audience
- General
- “Yoshi Returns to Save Baby Mario in this Sequel[sic] to Super Mario World!”
- —Game tagline
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (also known as simply Yoshi's Island)[14][15][16] is a 2D platform game for the Super Famicom and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, developed by Nintendo EAD. Despite being labeled as Super Mario World 2, the game is the prequel to Super Mario World, and it stars Yoshi and the rest of the Yoshi clan, who, while carrying baby Mario, travel across Yoshi's Island to rescue baby Luigi from baby Bowser and his Magikoopa minion/caretaker, Kamek. Instead of relying on jumping and a power-up system for combat as in the traditional Super Mario platformers, Yoshis use their tongues and eggs to overcome obstacles, as well as the introduction of many other different mechanics. The game is notable for introducing a time-based health system rather than hit points, an anomaly to what many platform games typically did in this game's time period. Rather than relying on powerful pre-rendered graphics just like its contemporary Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island employs a very distinct, stylized arts and crafts style to stand on its own. The game makes use of the Super FX2 graphics chip (one of only four commercially released SNES games to do so), which allows for larger, more detailed sprites and more advanced effects that emulate 3D space.
Although Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island was not as financially successful as its predecessor, the game's highly positive reception and unique style have spawned a new series of platform games from the Yoshi franchise, although it is the fourth entry overall. The game has received various adaptations into manga, such as receiving volumes dedicated to it in the Super Mario-kun and Kodansha's Super Mario manga series and extensive merchandising. This is the only Yoshi's Island game to be released on a home console. The game has received a remake on the Game Boy Advance, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, which was released on Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS (with owners applicable for the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program being able to download the game for free) and Wii U. The original SNES version of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is included on the SNES Classic Edition, and although it was never announced for release on Virtual Console on any other system, it is one of the 20 launch titles for Super Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics on the Nintendo Switch. A sequel, Yoshi's Island DS, was released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS. In 2014, the Nintendo 3DS game Yoshi's New Island continues the story told from the first game.
Story[edit]
From the opening cinematic:
Narrator: A long, long time ago... This is a story about baby Mario and Yoshi. A stork hurries across the dusky, pre-dawn sky. In his bill, he supports a pair of twins. Suddenly, a shadow appears in a gap between the clouds and races towards the stork with blinding speed.
Kamek: "SCRREEEECH!!!"
Kamek: "THE BABIES ARE MINE!"
Narrator: WOW!!! Snatching only one baby, the creature vanishes into the darkness from whence it came. The second baby falls undetected towards the open sea... OH NO...
Meanwhile, here is Yoshi's Island, home to all Yoshies. It's a lovely day, and Yoshi is taking a walk. HUH?!? Suddenly, a baby drops in onto his back. The baby seems to be fine. This is very fortunate! Wha-? Something else fell with the baby... Let's take a peek... It looks like a map. Maybe the stork was using it? But Yoshi can't figure it out. Yoshi decides to talk to his friends.
Kamek: AAAAAAAAAAKK!!!
Narrator: Kamek, the evil Magikoopa, and kidnapper of the baby, quickly dispatches his toadies, when he discovers that he missed the other baby!
Yoshi heads leisurely back to the other Yoshies, unaware of the danger at hand. Kamek's forces are actively searching the island. Will these two children ever reach their parents safely?
When starting a new game file:
Narrator: This paradise is Yoshi's Island, where all the Yoshies live. They are all in an uproar over the baby that fell from the sky. Wait! The baby seems to know where he wants to go... The bond between the twins informs each of them where the other one is. The Yoshies decide to carry the baby to his destination via a relay system. Now begins a new adventure for the Yoshies and baby Mario.
From the instruction booklet:
This story happened a long time ago...this is a story about a baby and Yoshi...
A stork hurries across the dusky, pre-dawn sky. In his bill, he supports a pair of twins, who are to be delivered to their parents as soon as possible.
Suddenly, something appears between the clouds and races towards the stork with blinding speed!
"SSCCRREEEEECH!!!", it screams. "These babies are mine!"
Snatching only one baby, the creature vanishes into the darkness from whence it came.
Oh no! The second baby falls undetected towards the open sea...
The kidnapper is Kamek, an evil Magikoopa from the Koopa Kingdom. Having divined last night that twin babies born this morning will bring disaster to the Koopa family, he arranged for an early morning ambush. Returning to his castle, Kamek realizes that he missed the other baby. He orders his toadies.
"Go forth and find that other baby! Don't let his parents get him back! Ever!!"
Meanwhile, the second baby does not fall into the sea after all...it lands safely on Yoshi's back! And right after him drops a map!!
This paradise is Yoshi's Island. And on this island lives lots of different Yoshies. These Yoshies are naturally laid back and relaxed, but this a calamity and everyone is in a state of panic. As the Yoshies frantically yell over each other, the baby insistently points at something.
Yes! The baby can sense the other baby's location. All the Yoshies quickly agree to help carry the baby to its destination by using a relay system not unlike the old pony express.
The Green Yoshi draws first honors.
The story of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island takes place while Mario and Luigi are in their infancy, referred to as baby Mario and baby Luigi respectively. A stork was about to deliver the newborn twins baby Mario and baby Luigi to their parents, but is ambushed by Kamek on the way there. While Kamek was successful at capturing baby Luigi and the stork and imprisons them at Bowser's Castle, baby Mario plummets into the sea, only to find himself on a Yoshi's back on an island. The Yoshis then discover that baby Mario also has a map with him, which reveals the location of Bowser's Castle. Kamek has then figured out that he has missed baby Mario and then has dispatched his Toadies to kidnap baby Mario. While the Yoshis discuss what to do with baby Mario, baby Mario then notifies the Yoshis which direction to go due to a powerful twin link, where the Yoshis then employ a relay system to transport baby Mario across the island. After overcoming obstacles and fighting bosses that Kamek has enlarged in various forts and castles in the island, the Yoshis finally manage to defeat Kamek and baby Bowser and rescue baby Luigi and the stork, allowing the stork to safely deliver the babies to their parents.
Gameplay[edit]
Like the early titles of the Super Mario series, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is a two-dimensional, side-scrolling platform game. In addition to the typical run and jump controls, the Yoshis can also catch enemies and manipulate objects using their tongue. After catching an enemy, the Yoshi can either spit out or swallow them, although if Yoshi keeps an enemy in his mouth long enough, he eventually swallows it (with the exception of enemies he can only hold and spit out and not swallow). Swallowing most enemies allows the Yoshi to lay a Yoshi Egg, which it can carry up to six of; eating another enemy results in the egg at the front of the line to be discarded. While Yoshi has some eggs, the player can aim with a constantly moving target reticle and throw them to damage enemies, activate objects, ricochet them off solid surfaces, and skim them across water. This reticle can be locked into one position while aiming, and while Yoshis are aiming their eggs, they can still move around and jump. While most eggs come in green, some are yellow and red, and they release coins and stars when shattered respectively. While a Yoshi throws an egg, the egg changes color depending on how much it has bounced off walls. Green eggs can bounce up to three times, yellow eggs bounce only twice, and red eggs bounce only once. Power-ups also exist in the form of metamorphosis bubbles, which allow Yoshi to transform into various forms, and the Super Star, which lets baby Mario turn into Powerful Mario. In addition to these moves, Yoshis can use Hovering Jumps multiple times in the air to increase the distance they travel. The first Hovering Jumps can increase the height of the jump, but subsequent Hovering Jumps mostly serve to prolong the duration of the fall. Yoshis can Pound The Ground to smash stakes and defeat certain types of enemies. Camera controls include looking up to see upper areas of the level and ducking to force the camera down.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island introduces the concept of time-based health, a mechanic that is reused in future Yoshi's Island games. When the Yoshi comes into contact with an enemy, baby Mario becomes separated from Yoshi, encased in a bubble and floating around in the air. While baby Mario is in this state, a Countdown Timer appears, counting down in seconds until it reaches zero, in which time Yoshi must recover baby Mario or Kamek's Toadies take baby Mario, and the player loses a life. The Timer starts at ten seconds at the beginning of each level, and can be increased to a maximum of thirty by collecting Stars, using 10 Point Stars and 20 Point Stars, and entering Middle Rings. If the Timer falls below ten, it increases back up to ten slowly after recovering baby Mario. Entering a Middle Ring also marks the point where the Yoshi can continue from if it loses a life. Other ways Yoshis can lose lives are if they touch spikes or thorns, if they fall off a cliff, if they touch lava, if they get eaten by a Lunge Fish, or if they get crushed by moving platforms. In these cases, Yoshi's death is shown onscreen, either by spinning and collapsing or flying offscreen. If the player runs out of lives, they receive a Game Over.
There are six worlds in this game, and each world has nine levels total. The objective of each level is to reach the Goal Ring roulette. There are ten spots on the roulette, and five of the spots can be made winning spots by collecting the five Special Flowers in each level. Landing on one of the flower points allows the player to play a Bonus Challenge. These Bonus Challenge allow Yoshis to either gain lives or Special Items for use in levels. Two levels in each world are forts and castles, and the goal in those levels is to reach and defeat the eponymous boss that resides in those establishments rather than reach a Goal Ring. Most bosses are regular enemies that are enlarged by Kamek prior to the fight, with a few exceptions.
Scattered throughout each level are three types of collectibles: thirty Stars, twenty red coins, and five Special Flowers. At the end of each level, the player's score is tallied with a maximum of 100 points, with flowers worth ten points each and red coins and Stars one point each. Attaining a perfect one hundred points in all eight levels in a world unlocks a Bonus Challenge and an "extra" ("special" in Japanese) level on the level selection map. The extra levels are designed to be more difficult than any other level in the game, and each one has its own unique gimmick. However, the player can always choose to exit an extra level by pausing the game and pressing 
; in other levels, this can be done only if the level in question has already been cleared.
If the player succeeds in attaining a perfect one hundred points in the extra level of a world, a Star is added to the top of the title screen the next time the player turns on the game, for a maximum of six Stars.
Controls[edit]
There are two controller configurations: Patient and Hasty. By default, Patient is selected. The control setup can be swapped at any time on the world map by scrolling over to the button with the Super Nintendo controller next to the "Score" option and selecting it; additionally, at some points, there are Message Blocks that allow the player to swap control configurations. The only difference between the "Hasty" and "Patient" settings is that with "Patient" the player must press 
to target and press it again to throw an egg, while with "Hasty" the player must hold to target and release it to toss an egg.
| Action | Patient | Hasty |
|---|---|---|
| Move | 
| |
| Jump |  (hold to Hovering Jump)
| |
| Pound The Ground | + (down)
| |
| Eat, spit out |  (press to eat, press again to spit out)
| |
| Duck, swallow | (down)
| |
| Aim/throw egg | (press to aim, press again to throw)
|
(hold to aim, release to throw)
|
| Lock target reticule |  /  (while aiming)
| |
| Look up | (up; hold to pan camera up)
| |
| Pause menu | 
| |
| Level options |
| |
Worlds and levels[edit]
The setting of the game takes place on Yoshi's Island, which is the first world setting of Super Mario World. The island portrayed in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, however, is much larger in scale and comes with a larger variety of biomes and characters endemic to the island as players progress through the game. The game contains six worlds with eight regular levels each, retaining the eight level per world structure first normalized by Super Mario Bros. 3, having a consistent amount of levels per world, and every fourth and eighth level of the world features a boss fight against an enemy enlarged by Kamek. All worlds have particular themed biomes, such as World 1 having a grasslands while World 6 has a stronger theme around caverns and lava as the player closer approaches King Bowser's Castle; this theming of levels has been carried in further entries of the Yoshi's Island series. Unlike Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island does not employ use of a world map and relies on a level select screen, which is represented by color-coded folders containing icons that preview the levels, and these levels are named after their features than rather than using generic numbered identifies, such as the third level of World 3 being called Nep-Enut's Domain rather simply being called World 3-3. One notable aspect of the level icons is that all Yoshis in their previews are Green Yoshis, despite Green Yoshis being used only in the first levels of each world, the Extra levels and King Bowser's Castle. While most levels have players moving on their own accord, a few levels are autoscrollers, with the first one being encountered in Hop! Hop! Donut Lifts in World 1.
Every world contains an unlockable level known as an Extra levels, which are unlocked when players get a 100 score in all levels of the worlds. These levels feature a gimmick and are shorter and more difficult than other levels of the game, often do not contain Middle Rings and they are optional to complete in regards of general progression of the game. These levels do not feature unique icons that display a preview of the level and are instead represented by a star with a number and identifier. In addition, when players first play the game, they play through a level called Welcome To Yoshi's Island, which serves as a short tutorial guiding players basic controls of the game. Once completed, it cannot be replayed, effectively making it an unrevisitable area.
Due to the light arts and crafts aesthetic of the game and usage of the Super FX2 graphics chip, levels and their backdrops are rendered reminiscent of drawings rather than the more organic approach that Super Mario World has done, and their backdrops are dynamically rendered with a more complex palette. For example, the primary backdrop for Watch Out Below! from World 1 uses a soft palette and hills having an emulated colored pencils aesthetic, clouds and hills contain visible shading streaks to communicate their shadows, environment features such as waterfalls and crystals in cave levels such as The Cave Of Chomp Rock and The Cave Of The Mystery Maze are animated, Goonie Rides! renders a shimmering ocean with a large flock of the Goonie species and variants flying in the background, while the general aesthetic of World 6 primarily uses warm color palettes to communicate players that the world is lava-themed and the final world of the game.
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