Mini Battle

A Mini Battle, also referred to as a Mini Battle Game or Mini-Battle (alternatively mini-battle or Minibattle ), is a battle with a Bandit in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and its reissue, Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3. A Yoshi fights a Bandit in one of four battles: Throwing Balloons, Popping Balloons, Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest, or Gather Coins. Mini Battles are fought in certain levels after a Yoshi gets a key to the Bonus Game shack. Later, they can be played on the Level Selection screen.

In Sluggy The Unshaven's Fort, if the player goes to the left door and defeats the Chain Chomp inside it, they will find a secret door. A Message Block in this room says the following:

This is Top Secret so LISTEN UP! On the Level Selection screen, hold and press, , ,  and !! (This code is changed to, , , and  in Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3.)

If the player does so, a screen will pop up, listing all the Mini Battles, along with a two-player version of Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest and a four-button Throwing Balloons mode. In single-player mode, Throwing Balloons can be played in either four-button mode or the harder six-button mode.

In Super Mario Advance 3, the two-player Mini Battles were removed, and a five-button version of Throwing Balloons was included instead.

In Yoshi's New Island, the minigame Ground-Pound Pop is based on the Mini Battle called Popping Balloons.