Yoshi's Island DS

Yoshi's Island DS is the sequel of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island; it is also a follow-up to Yoshi's Story. As it is the main sequel to the said SNES game, it is chronologically the second video game in the entire Mario series. This game has fewer levels, but has remastered graphics, new babies (in addition to Baby Mario), and a whole new adventure. The graphics still retain the trademark "pen and pencil" style of the original. Baby Donkey Kong and Baby Wario debut in this game.

One of its new features is a museum of enemies in the game accessible at any time. In this museum, all the enemies the Yoshis have defeated with Yoshi Eggs will appear.

Story
The game take place after events of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Kamek and his evil army of Toadies steal all of the babies in the Mushroom Kingdom, as well as other nearby areas. The Toadies are taking the babies to a mysterious floating castle by Kamek's lead, but the Stork suddenly comes in and attacks two Toadies, making them drop the babies they are carrying; the two babies then land on Yoshi's Island. It appears to the Yoshis that these two babies are Baby Mario and Baby Peach.

The Yoshis find the babies, and decide to help them. The Yoshis figure out that Baby Mario, once again, wants to save Baby Luigi and the other babies from Kamek and his Toadies. The Yoshis take the babies with them, and go on an adventure to rescue the kidnapped babies. Later on in the adventure, sometime after the defeat of the second boss, Gilbert the Gooey, a group of Grinders kidnap Baby Peach.

The Yoshis and Baby Mario find another baby, Baby Donkey Kong; the baby ape was somehow left behind when the Toadies were kidnapping all the other babies. With the help of Baby Donkey Kong, Yoshi is able to rescue Baby Peach from the Grinders. After his helpful act, Baby Donkey Kong joins the team for the rest of the game. Quite some time after that event, after they defeat Bessie Bass on a battleship, they are all swept away by a tidal wave in a storm. In the aftermath, the Yoshis find Baby Wario, who was also left behind (after he threw an enormous tantrum). Baby Wario then decides to join the party, and with the help of the stork they find the other babies.

After Priscilla the Peckish is defeated, Baby Wario decides to instead join a team of Bandits in hope of getting money. It is revealed after beating Six Face Sal that the future Bowser and future Kamek were the ones kidnapping the babies, and are looking for seven Star Children, young children that have magical stars in them. If someone collects all the stars, then he or she will rule the world. Kamek kidnaps Baby Bowser (while Kamek of the past tries to stop him), and Baby Bowser and Bowser get into a fight, ending with Bowser breathing fire at his younger self and sending him falling out the window. Baby Bowser lands on Yoshi's back, complains to them that his future self is stupid, and joins their team, although they are worried that he might suddenly attack them.

Baby Bowser does not stay for the whole adventure; after Big Guy the Stilted is defeated, he leaves with Kamek. After returning to Bowser's Castle, Kamek, using a Crystal Ball, checks every baby they have kidnapped (with the exception of Baby Luigi who was hiding) but finds out that none of them have the star inside of them. Bowser grows angry and sends the Toadies to keep looking for more babies.

At last, Yoshi and the babies arrive at Bowser's Castle where Baby Wario and Baby Bowser are arguing over who gets to keep some treasure. They then notice the Yoshis and help them travel through the castle. However, when they finally get to the top of the castle, Baby Bowser tells the Yoshis to leave. However, when they don't leave, Baby Bowser thinks Yoshi is there to steal his treasure. Baby Bowser fights Yoshi but Yoshi defeats him.

Bowser then comes in the room and is angry at what Yoshi did to his younger self and fights Yoshi but gets defeated, just like his younger self. However, Kamek helps Bowser to become Giant Bowser, growing even bigger than his castle itself. The four babies with four Yoshis fight against the Giant Bowser using Giant Eggs and are eventually able to defeat him. After Bowser is defeated, Kamek escapes, with four Toadies carrying the defeated body of Bowser right behind him. Baby Bowser decides to escape with Bowser and Kamek too, and holds on to his flying broomstick.

The Yoshis save all the kidnapped babies, and the storks take all the babies back to their home, except for Baby Wario who is homeless. Supposedly, the Stork adopts Baby Wario and takes him to a raft where Baby Bowser's treasure ended up. Meanwhile, a flying rock hits Kamek's broomstick, and Baby Bowser lets go and falls down right in his treasure where Baby Wario and Baby Bowser start arguing about who gets to keep the treasure again.

It is then revealed that the seven Star Children were Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Donkey Kong, Baby Wario, Baby Bowser, and a newborn Yoshi, who had just hatched from its Yoshi Egg at the end of the game.

Modes
For each of the three player files available, there are four modes to choose from; Adventure, Mini-games, Time Trial (unlockable), and Options.

Adventure
A large amount of gameplay comes from adventure mode, similarly played out like the original. Throughout the five unique worlds, a different colored Yoshi takes on one out of eight levels, with a mini-boss in Level 4 and a boss in Level 8 of each world. Enemies, items, and coins litter the levels, as well as collectibles. When a Yoshi is hit by an enemy, the baby is knocked loose from his or her back crying, and the star power - the source of the protective bubble that keeps the Toadies from taking the baby - goes down by one star per second. If that number goes down to zero, Toadies take the baby and a life is lost. However, Yoshi still has a small amount of time to recover the baby even after the Toadies take him. The star power starts at ten in each level, and if a baby is recovered with less than ten stars, the star power automatically goes back to ten again at a slow recovery rate; the star power maxes out at 30. Groups of five stars often come in Winged Clouds and crates.

Minigames
There are several Minigames to be unlocked in Adventure Mode:


 * Tulip Shooter - A minigame where Yoshi must eat enemies and instead of swallowing them, Yoshi must spit them out into a tulip.
 * Flutter Challenge - A minigame in which Yoshi must try to flutter-jump as far as possible.
 * Bouncy Maze - A minigame where Yoshi must maneuver his way through a simple maze of Bouncies.
 * Speed-Eater - A minigame where Yoshi must try to swallow as many enemies as possible.
 * Egg Toss - A minigame where Yoshi must hit targets with eggs.

All minigames have a set time limit. Achieving a high score in any minigame will award the player with an Extra Life. Harder versions of all the minigames can be unlocked by collecting all the Character Coins in a world.

Time Trial
Unlockable once Adventure mode has been beaten, Time Trial is just like Adventure mode, however the player is timed. The player has one hundred minutes to finish each level - even when the player presses the Start Button, the time keeps going. If the player collects Red Coins, Flowers, and Stars, time is added to the time taken to finish the level.

Controls
From the Options menu, players can change the controls of the game. Hasty and Patient are the two different control schemes the player can choose from. Below are the controls of the game and the differences between Hasty and Patient.


 * Used to move the Yoshis.
 * Pauses the game and opens the "Options" menu.
 * Using the button, Yoshi throws a Yoshi Egg. Holding the  button, makes Yoshi aim at his target. Letting go of the button makes Yoshi throw the egg in Hasty mode; in Patient mode the player has to press  again to make Yoshi throw the egg.
 * While Yoshi is aiming up and down, pressing the button makes Yoshi lock on a specific location.
 * Used to jump in Patient Mode, meanwhile in Hasty, it is used to run.
 * Used to run in Patient, however in Hasty, used to jump.

The and  buttons can be used instead as the  and  buttons; the same goes for  and  - they can be changed to be the new other  and  buttons.

Yoshi's Moves
Yoshi and his friends have many different moves on their adventure. Here's a list of them:

Jumping and Fluttering
The player can press (or  according to the player's options) to jump; by pressing  again and holding it, the player can make a Yoshi Flutter Jump. This helps the player get to higher places; this move was also in the original game, and has been in all Yoshi games.

Swallowing and Making Eggs
To make eggs, a Yoshi has to swallow an enemy and then squat to turn it into an egg or, hit an Egg Block. Not all enemies can be made into eggs as some may just be eaten or are inedible for Yoshi.

Ground Pound
To make this move a Yoshi must jump and quickly press down on the control pad. The Yoshi will pound the ground and is useful for defeating enemies and bosses and it will also let Yoshis make pillars go down and soft stone disappear.

Throwing Eggs
When a Yoshi eats an enemy, it can turn into an egg. By pressing Yoshi can aim the egg he made at various things, and throw it. If the player pressed by accident, he can cancel Yoshi from throwing an egg by pressing down on the  (or pressing ).

Babies
New to the sequel at certain spots are Stork Stops, which let Yoshis change babies, providing different unique abilities:
 *  - M Blocks become tangible, providing stepping stones. A Yoshi can also dash at a great speed, allowing the Yoshi to escape from certain enemies. Yoshi can flutter far and normally. His eggs bounce off walls.
 *  - With Baby Peach's parasol, Yoshi is able to flutter further and a bit higher. Baby Peach's parasol can also be used to catch wind currents. Her eggs don't bounce off walls.
 *  - He can climb vines and chains, carrying Yoshi with him. He can also do a DK Dash Attack, defeating most enemies. His eggs don't bounce, but they go faster and create a miniature explosion that can grab more coins and even defeat enemies or activate winged clouds just blocked off by solid wall.
 *  - He is accompanied by a magnet that attracts coins facing it (even through solid walls) and can move Magnet Blocks and Magnet Platforms. His eggs will bounce off of walls.
 * - He can breathe fire, but Yoshi cannot swallow any enemies, meaning he cannot make eggs (although Yoshi can collect eggs). Often, though, a fire blast is the equivalent of an egg, being able to break winged clouds and destroy dirt walls as well as melting ice, but the blasts don't bounce off walls.

Forms
A Yoshi can morph into several different types of vehicle with the help of a Morph Bubble. Morph Bubbles appear many times in the game. There are three forms:


 * Helicopter: The helicopter is able to make a Yoshi fly for a short time.
 * Submarine: The submarine can make a Yoshi swim underwater.
 * Mole Tank: This tank makes a Yoshi able to dig through small openings and dirt.

To turn back into a Yoshi, the Yoshi must either touch a Yoshi Block or wait until a little while and time runs out, as the forms only last for a few seconds. However, when the Yoshi is turned back into a dinosaur, he will also return back to the Morph Bubble if he fails to reach the Yoshi block in time. Additional forms from the original game like the train and the car forms were cut out from this sequel.

Vehicles
Yoshis can also hop into or onto various vehicles. There are five vehicles:


 * Kangaroo: The Kangaroo hops on its own, but pressing and holding left or right tells which way the Kangaroo should go, and how far it should go. Also, holding the button will make the Kangaroo float.
 * Stilts: Hopping on stilts allows the Yoshi to walk around in the same manner as the enemy Stilt Guy does.
 * Carts: Hopping in a cart makes it roll along a track on its own. Players cannot change the direction or the speed. Yoshi can jump out of the cart, but cannot Flutter Jump; he will always land back in the cart or on a higher track.
 * Skis: Found in some ice-and-snow levels, players cannot change the direction of skis; however jumping is possible.
 * Rocket: Some huts lead to space launch pads, allowing Yoshi to hop into a rocket and blast into space. Pressing left and right turns the rocket and and  gives extra thrust.

Items and Objects
As the Yoshis progress through their adventure, there are many items and objects they need to collect, though not all items are necessary, such as the Character Coins.
 * Yoshi Eggs are the center of the game and Yoshi's main weapon.
 * Coins are scattered throughout the game. Every hundred coins collected gives Yoshi an extra life. There are also Red Coins which look the same as normal coins until touched.
 * Winged Clouds give items, such as keys and stars.
 * Keys unlock certain doors.
 * Hint Blocks give hints when hit to help the player past a certain point.
 * Character Coins are hidden with one in each level. Collecting them all unlocks harder version of the mini-games.
 * Super Stars are rare - only four appear in the game, on 1-7, 4-8, 5-7 and Secret 5. Grabbing one gives Baby Mario a cape and invincibility.
 * Stork Stops allow Yoshi to switch between babies. They're easy to find and usually placed where the player needs them.

Bonus Challenges
Any Flowers the player collects in a level will appear in the GOAL! Ring at the end of a level. After a Yoshi passes through the ring, the spinning will get slower. If it stops on a flower, the player will be able to play a mini-game and probably earn 1-Ups. There are five different flowers in each level-here is a list of the Mini-games that may pop up if the player is able to get a flower in the Goal Roulette. They can also be played via the World Map screen if the player obtains a total of at least 700 points in a world.


 * Flip Cards
 * Scratch and Match
 * Match Cards
 * Roulette
 * Slot Machine

Worlds and Levels
There is a total of five worlds, with each one having eight normal levels, one secret level, and one extra level. The secret levels are unlocked when all the normal levels are cleared. The extra levels are unlocked by scoring a total of 800 points for each world.

World 1
This world is a peaceful plain and serves as an introductory world.
 * Normal Levels
 * Ba-dum BUM!
 * Hit the M Blocks!
 * Mario's Fleet Feet
 * Castle of the Big Burt Bros.
 * Catch the Breeze
 * Glide Guys Take to the Skies
 * Baby Mario and Baby Peach: Dynamic Duo
 * Gilbert the Gooey's Castle
 * Secret Level
 * Welcome to Yoshi Tower!
 * Extra Level
 * Return of the Moving Chomp Rock!

World 2
This world is a wet and wild jungle. It is also, more notably, the first introduction of Baby Donkey Kong.
 * Normal Levels
 * Baby DK, the Jungle King!
 * Underground Mysteries
 * Windblown Wilderness
 * Hector the Reflector's Haunted House
 * Boing!
 * Donuts and Eggs
 * Yoshi on Stilts
 * Big Bungee Piranha's Lair
 * Secret Level
 * Yikes! Boiling Hot!
 * Extra Level
 * Moving Statues, Standing Statues

World 3
This world takes place in a tropical beach, then in a cavern-filled desert area.
 * Normal Levels
 * Up the Creek
 * The Goonie Coast Isn't Clear!
 * Island of Peril
 * Bessie Bass's Battleship
 * Heeeeeeere's Wario!
 * Use the Magnet to Get Rich Quick!
 * Tap-Tap's Sunken Cave
 * Castle of Priscilla the Peckish
 * Secret Level
 * A Light in the Dark
 * Extra Level
 * Number Ball Special

World 4
This world is located high in the sky. The first half is the sky; the second half is an icy mountain.
 * Normal Levels
 * Rock 'n' Fall
 * High-Speed Cart Race
 * In the Clouds
 * Six Face Sal's Fort
 * Friend or Foe?
 * Slip Slidin' Away
 * Teeth-Chattering Chill Zone
 * Castle of Big Guy the Stilted
 * Secret Level
 * Hurry and Throw!
 * Extra Level
 * Let There Be Light!

World 5
The last world is located on the gloomy island floating above Yoshi's Island. It has lots of lava and dying forests.
 * Normal Levels
 * Rompin', Stompin' Chomps
 * Goonie Heights
 * Spear Guys' Village Found!
 * The Fort of Moltz the Very Goonie
 * The Cave That Never Ends
 * Find the Number Ball!
 * Superhard Acrobatics
 * At Last, Bowser's Castle!
 * Secret Level
 * Yoshi's Island Easter Eggs
 * Extra Level
 * Quit it Already, Tap-Tap!

Enemies
These enemies can also be seen in the Island Museum after they are encountered in the actual levels. Enemies marked with an asterisk are returning enemies from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.

Bosses
Like in the original game, each world has two castles, with a boss battle taking place in each. Kamek once again uses his magic to enlarge common enemies.


 * World 1
 * Big Burt Bros.
 * Gilbert the Gooey
 * World 2
 * Hector the Reflector and the Invisighouls
 * Big Bungee Piranha
 * World 3
 * Bessie Bass
 * Priscilla the Peckish
 * World 4
 * Six-Face Sal
 * Big Guy the Stilted
 * World 5
 * Moltz the Very Goonie
 * Baby Bowser (saved)
 * Bowser

Beta Elements

 * Yoshi's Island DS (which was initially titled Yoshi's Island 2) was originally going to be compatible with Nintendo Wi-Fi.
 * Early screenshots showcasing a battle with Big Guy the Stilted seemed to suggest that Big Guy was once going to be organic, as he had no patches on him in that picture (although one patch was visible near his right foot, which may merely mean his graphics were slightly incomplete).

Similarities with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Because Yoshi's Island DS is a sequel to the original Yoshi's Island, it has many similarities to it. Here is a list of them:


 * The first piece of the first level of World 1 is same as the one from its prequel.
 * The first mid-boss battle contains a Burt.
 * The first world boss is a blob-like creature.
 * The second mid-boss is a ghost whose size changes throughout the battle.
 * The third mid-boss is an aquatic enemy.
 * A world boss is a Piranha Plant and Nipper Plants are present during the battle.
 * The fourth mid-boss is round (but there are six of them).
 * The fourth World Boss is a sub-species of an enemy that appeared in earlier games and appeared very much.
 * In the fifth world, there's a boss that is a bird enemy.
 * There is a giant golden Tap-Tap in a possible path in Bowser's Castle.
 * The first final battle is against Baby Bowser and the last is against a supersized Bowser.
 * The final normal level is not explored by a Blue Yoshi but Green Yoshi.

References to Other Games

 * Donkey Kong Country: Donkey Kong's treehouse appears as it does in that game.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: The game is the sequel to this game, and also takes place on the same titular island.
 * Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time: M Blocks appear again. Baby Peach originates from this game, too.

References in Later Games

 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl: The game's "above ground" theme has been remastered and included in this game, and has been given the title "Wildlands". The Yoshi's Island stage is based on Yoshi's Island DS's graphics.
 * Mario Super Sluggers: Baby Donkey Kong returns.

Trivia

 * When it was released in Japan, the game was number one on the charts for a full two weeks.
 * All the music in the levels are the same as the main theme except with different speeds and sounds.
 * Despite some of them being babies, this is the first time Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Bowser appear in a main adventure together as opposed to spin-off games.
 * The box art shows Baby Bowser riding Yellow Yoshi, and Baby Wario riding Light Blue Yoshi; however, they do not ride these Yoshis in the game (excluding when Baby Wario is in the final boss fight). This is because the babies are only playable in the last four levels on the world map, as opposed to the Yoshis they ride, which are in the first four.
 * The final boss music in the game was changed from the original version in the international release. The French Horns are an octave lower than in the Japanese version, and the international version completely lacks half of the song, simply looping the original intro. The reason for the change is unknown. The Japanese version of the song can be heard here.