Yoshi (game)

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Yoshi
An image of Yoshi's box
NES box art
The Game Boy version game cover of Yoshi
Game Boy box art
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer Game Freak
Publisher Nintendo
Platform(s) Famicom/NES, Game Boy, Virtual Console (Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U), Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online
Release date Famicom/NES:
Japan December 14, 1991[1]
USA June 1992[2][3]
Europe December 30, 1992[4]
Game Boy:
Japan December 14, 1991[1]
USA July 1992
Europe December 17, 1992[5]
Virtual Console (Wii):
Japan March 6, 2007
Europe May 18, 2007[6]
Australia May 18, 2007
USA July 9, 2007
South Korea August 12, 2008[7]
Virtual Console (3DS) (Ambassador Program Release):
Japan August 31, 2011
USA September 1, 2011
Europe September 1, 2011
Australia September 1, 2011
Virtual Console (3DS) (Full Release):
Japan August 22, 2012
USA February 21, 2013
Europe May 2, 2013
Australia May 2, 2013
Virtual Console (Wii U):
Japan June 12, 2013
USA June 12, 2013
Europe June 13, 2013
Australia June 13, 2013
Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online:
USA September 18, 2018
Japan September 19, 2018
Europe September 19, 2018
Australia September 19, 2018
HK April 23, 2019
South Korea April 23, 2019
Language(s) English (United States)
日本語
Genre Puzzle
Rating(s)
ESRB:E - Everyone
PEGI:3 - Three years and older
CERO:A - All ages
ACB:G - General
USK:0 - All ages
RARS:0+ - All ages
Mode(s) 1-2 players in a same system
Media
NES:
Game Pak
Wii:
Digital download
Wii U:
Digital download
Nintendo Switch:
Digital download
Game Boy:
Game Pak
Nintendo 3DS:
Digital download
Input
NES:
Wii:
Wii Remote (horizontal)
Wii U:
Wii Remote (horizontal)
Nintendo Switch:
Game Boy:
Nintendo 3DS:

Yoshi, known in Europe and Australia as Mario & Yoshi and in Japan as Yoshi no Tamago (ヨッシーのたまご, lit. "Yoshi's Egg"), is a puzzle game for the NES and Game Boy featuring the titular character. In this game, the player must stack two of the same Super Mario enemy on top of one another to clear them. The concept of the game was inspired by Tetris.

The NES version of this game was later released on the Virtual Console for the Wii in 2007, the Nintendo 3DS in 2011-2012, and the Wii U in 2013. It was also made available as one of the 20 NES titles at the Nintendo Switch Online's service launch in September 2018.

Game modes[edit]

1-Player Mode[edit]

Game Boy version.

In this mode, only one player who controls Mario plays the game. There are two "types" of game to play, the A Type, and B Type. Before each game, the player sets the type of game, level of difficulty, speed of falling enemies, and in-game music for the game ahead. A board is made out of four "plates" which enemies fall onto. Mario uses left and right on the D-Pad to move about, and the A Button (Two Button on Wii Virtual Console) and B Button (One Button on Wii Virtual Console) Buttons to make two plates switch places. In the NES version, each plate can hold up to 8 characters, while in the Game Boy version, the max is 7.

Mario must match the enemy icons to earn points and, hopefully, make a high score. Any two enemies placed together vertically make a match, earning Mario five points. A very handy way of clearing excess enemies from the board are egg halves. There are two halves that stack together to make a full egg, thus hatching a Little Yoshi and getting fifty points for Mario. When a top half is placed by itself on the board, it will dissipate. But if a bottom piece is placed, there it will stay until another falls on top of it for an ordinary match, or a top piece stacks onto it.

A handy little tip is that no matter how many enemies are on top of the bottom egg piece, if the top piece is placed on the same stack as the bottom, it will plow through the entire stack until it reaches its other half. This is also a big point boost, as any enemy inside the stack equals fifty points. It will also result in a larger Yoshi hatching from the egg. The levels of Yoshis are as follows:

Yoshi Enemies (NES) Enemies (GB) Points
Sprite of a Baby Yoshi, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Little Yoshi
0-1 0 50
Sprite of a regular Yoshi, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Yoshi
2-4 1-3 100
Sprite of a Winged Yoshi, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Winged Yoshi
5-6 4-5 200
Sprite of a Star Yoshi, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Star Yoshi
7 6 500

A Type[edit]

In-game
A screenshot of A Type.

As the game progresses, more and more enemies come down, faster and faster. The game never ends, though. The only point is to make a high score. If the player has hatched at least 10 Yoshi's eggs before Game Over, a bonus chance will occur. Four eggs will appear on screen and hatch in succession. The player must press the A button as the eggs hatch, for a chance to earn some extra points. The better timed the press is, the better the Yoshi that is awarded. Besides Yoshi, the content in the eggs will change depending on how many were hatched before the game ended. If 100 eggs are hatched, Yoshi will continously dance under the egg counter, and upon reaching Game Over, the game will congratulate the player as a "super player".

Eggs Item (NES) Item (GB)
10 Sprite of a Little Goomba, when the player collects 10-19 Yoshi Eggs in the A-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Little Goomba
Mushroom
20 Sprite of a Piranha Plant, when the player collects 20-29 Yoshi Eggs in Game A, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Piranha Plant
Fire Flower
30 Boo Buddy
Boo Buddy
Super Star
40 Sprite of a Bloober, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Bloober
Boo Buddy
50 Sprite of a Bob-omb, from the NES version of Yoshi, reused from Parabomb's Super Mario World sprite.
Bob-omb
60 Sprite of a Cheep Cheep, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Cheep Cheep
Bob-omb
70+ Sprite of a Super Star, when the player collects 70 Yoshi Eggs or more in Game A, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Super Star
Cheep Cheep

B Type[edit]

Exactly like the A Type, but now games are timed. When the board is completed, both the score and the amount of time spent on that game are recorded. Between levels, a short cutscene will play. Mario will ride Yoshi from the background to the foreground where he swallows an enemy or item, awarding bonus points.

Level Reward Bonus Points
1 Sprite of Super Mushroom, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Mushroom
50
2 Sprite of a Fire Flower, when the player clears Level 2 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Fire Flower
100
3 Sprite of a Piranha Plant, when the player clears Level 3 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Piranha Plant
150
4 Sprite of a Red Shell, when the player clears Level 4 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Red Shell
200
5 Sprite of a Super Star, when the player clears Level 5 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Super Star
250
6-7 Sprite of an Apple, when the player clears Level 6 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Apple
300
8-9 Sprite of a Strawberry, when the player clears Level 8 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Strawberry
400
10-11 Sprite of a Melon, when the player clears Level 10 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Melon
500
12-13 Sprite of a Peach, when the player clears Level 12 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Peach
600
14-15 Sprite of Grapes, when the player clears Level 14 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Grapes
700
16-18 Sprite of a Pineapple, when the player clears Level 16 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Pineapple
800
19-21 Sprite of Cherries, when the player clears Level 19 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Cherry
900
22-24 Sprite of a Key, when the player clears Level 22 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Key
1000
25-27 Sprite of a Coin, when the player clears Level 25 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
Coin
1200
28+ Sprite of a P Switch, when the player clears Level 28 of B-Type game, from the NES version of Yoshi.
P Switch
1500

2-Player Mode[edit]

Before a player face-off, each one picks their own level and speed. The game is played with B Type rules. On the NES, the board is now split in half, left half for Player 1, Mario, right half for Player 2, Luigi. On the Game Boy, a counter is present comparing the number of enemies left on screen for both players. Enemies that become sandwiched between two egg shells will be sent to the other player's side as garbage blocks. If a player loses, they gain an "X", while the winning player (whoever was still alive when his opponent lost) gains an "O". An "X" simply signifies a lost game, and "O", one won. Won games are recorded on the upper part of each player board by Yoshi's eggs. If a player has three eggs, they win.

Characters[edit]

Appearances in other media[edit]

Yoshi was the subject of the Yoshi no Tamago volume of the Super Mario manga serie by KC Deluxe, written and drawn by Kazuki Motoyama.

It has two different stories. The first story involves Yoshi opening a restaurant called Yossy's Pizza (note that the Yossy in the name was how Yoshi's name was anglicized in Japan at the time), and the second story (divided into three separate parts) involves Yoshi, Mario, Luigi, and Peach embarking on a journey to find his mother.

Reception[edit]

Yoshi received mixed to negative reviews for its repetitive and luck-based gameplay. Brett Alan Weiss of Allgame said that Yoshi was a "surprisingly dull game" and he noted that the controls were unique, but he also added; "the novelty wears off after a while."

N-Force gave the game a positive review saying that in a preview for the game that it was "basically the game is great. The fun of Tetris, but with color and sound effects. Just as hard, maybe harder - definitely just as addictive." They later rated the game 4/5 stars in the Buyer's Guide for the Jan. 1993 issue saying that "Yoshi is great fun. Gameplay's nothing new - Tetris all over again! Graphics are a treat. Lots of fun - in short bursts."

Despite the negative reviews, the game sold well and helped Game Freak create the first Pokémon games.

The Virtual Console re-release also received negative reviews. GameSpot's Frank Provo and IGN's Lucas M. Thomas both gave the game 5 of 10 stars, with Thomas commenting the game's "slow" gameplay and the "cumbersome" controls.

Several video game websites said that players should refrain from buying Yoshi on the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo World Report said; "There was too much luck and chance in the game to make playing it satisfying." Joystiq said; "While [the gameplay is] admittedly a pretty interesting way to spend an afternoon, it still feels kind of a ripoff."

1UP.com's Jeremy Parish stated that the gameplay was "not enough to justify the asking price" (500 points), but he later stated that, compared to Yoshi's Cookie, it was "decent and actually had some relationship to the Mario series."

References to other games[edit]

  • Super Mario Bros. 3: Mario's sprite from this game appears on the high score board. All of the enemies look identical to their sprites from Super Mario Bros. 3 (with the exception of Piranha Plants and Boos)
  • Super Mario World: Yoshi's many forms and the Piranha Plants' design are from this game.

References in later games[edit]

Pre-release and unused content[edit]

An unused title screen graphic of Yoshi from the game Yoshi
Sprite of a Bullet Bill from the Game Boy version of Yoshi (unused).

An unused title screen graphic (pictured at the left) depicting a Little Yoshi is found in the game files. In the Game Boy version, an unused Bullet Bill can also be found (pictured at the right).

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Yoshi (game).

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ヨッシーのたまご
Yosshī no Tamago
Yoshi's Egg

Dutch Mario en Yoshi
Mario and Yoshi
French Mario et Yoshi
Mario and Yoshi
German Mario und Yoshi
Mario and Yoshi
Italian Mario & Yoshi
-
Korean 요시의 알
Yosi ui al
Yoshi's Egg

Portuguese Mario e Yoshi
Mario and Yoshi
Russian Марио и Йоши
Mario i Yoshi
Mario and Yoshi

Spanish Mario y Yoshi
Mario and Yoshi

Trivia[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Shogakukan. 2015. Super Mario Bros. Hyakka: Nintendo Kōshiki Guidebook, appearances section, page 240.
  2. ^ Super Smash Bros. Brawl Chronicle
  3. ^ Nintendo NES Games release chart. Archived September 21, 2008.
  4. ^ Date info of the NES version from TMK
  5. ^ Date info of the GB version from TMK
  6. ^ Mario & Yoshi. Nintendo UK. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  7. ^ Korean Virtual Console game list, www.nintendo.co.kr