Yoshi's Island (series)

The Yoshi's Island series is a video-game sub-series of the Yoshi franchise. It is a series of 2D side-scrolling platformers starring Yoshi, who has the unique ability to throw eggs to defeat enemies. The games generally feature a colorful, story-book-like art style. Most of the games are set in the early childhood of Mario, where the Yoshis must work to save Baby Mario and others, including Baby Luigi, from the machinations of Kamek and Baby Bowser. Another common plot is Yoshi going on a journey to restore Yoshi's Island to its former state after it is turned into a storybook. The series is primarily developed by Nintendo EAD, with some games being developed by Arzest or other companies. The series began with console titles, but switched to a focus on handheld entries with Yoshi Topsy-Turvy.

Gameplay
The basic gameplay of the Yoshi's Island series is that of a 2D side-scrolling platformer. In addition to the basic run and jump actions, the Yoshi being played as is able to use their tongue to manipulate objects and to eat enemies in most of the games. Once an enemy is eaten, it can be ejected or swallowed. If swallowed, the Yoshi will be able to lay an egg which can be thrown at objects or at enemies. The Yoshi can obtain various power-ups to help complete the level, many of which involve transforming into various vehicles. The baby that the Yoshi carries on its back (usually Baby Mario) can also give the Yoshi various abilities to aid it.

The spin-offs in the series feature somewhat different gameplay. In Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, the main aspect of gameplay is that the player must tilt the Game Boy Advance to tilt the in-game world, allowing Yoshi to walk on walls in order to traverse the level. In this game, Yoshi is able to eat enemies, but he cannot lay eggs. In Yoshi Touch & Go, the player must draw lines of clouds with the Nintendo DS Touch Screen, guiding Yoshi and Baby Mario away from enemies as they float down. Enemies can be defeated by drawing bubbles around them or by throwing eggs obtained from eating fruit at them.