Yoshi (franchise)
The Yoshi franchise is a series of games that star Yoshi, who was introduced to the Mario games in Super Mario World. Though he has his own franchise, Yoshi still appears quite frequently in the Mario franchise. The Yoshi franchise includes characters from the Mario franchise (usually in their baby forms) as well.
The Yoshi franchise's plot has varied greatly over the years. The main titles generally revolve around the kidnapping of Baby Luigi. Baby Mario must then be escorted and protected by Yoshis as he traverses through several worlds to rescue his younger brother. Yoshi's Story was the first main game that did not feature the Mario Bros. in any way other than a brief mention.
The other titles have varied somewhat in plot as well. While Yoshi and Yoshi's Cookie were Tetris-like puzzle games with no actual plot, Yoshi Topsy-Turvy had an entirely different story from both the main and puzzle titles. This game revolved around Yoshi having to rescue his island which had been turned into a storybook. In Yoshi Touch & Go, no concrete plot was revealed, similar to the puzzle games.
According to Takashi Tezuka, the games in the Yoshi franchise do not take place in the Mushroom Kingdom.[1]
Games
Main series
| Series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Artwork | Summary | List of Games |
| Yoshi's Island series | ||
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The Yoshi's Island series is a video game sub-series of the Yoshi franchise. It is a series of 2D side-scrolling platformers, with the unique feature of the ability to throw eggs to defeat enemies. Most of the installments take place in Mario's past, featuring Yoshi and Baby Mario setting out on a journey to rescue Baby Luigi from Kamek and Baby Bowser. Another common story line has Yoshi going on a quest to restore Yoshi's Island to its original form after it is turned into a storybook. Most of the series' titles were developed by Nintendo EAD. However, Yoshi's Island DS and Yoshi Topsy-Turvy were developed by Arzest; Yoshi's New Island, while still being developed by Nintendo EAD, was additionally developed by other companies. The series began with a focus on console titles but later switched to handheld installments. |
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| Yoshi platform series | ||
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The series of platform games featuring Yoshi is a video game sub-series of the Yoshi franchise that includes the Yoshi's Island series. It is a series of 2D side-scrolling platformers starring Yoshi, who has the unique ability to throw eggs to defeat enemies. Like the Yoshi's Island games, the Yoshi platform games generally feature a colorful, storybook-like art style. Unlike the Yoshi's Island games, however, the Yoshis in the games uniquely in this series are Baby Yoshis and do not carry babies. As a side note, all of these games, along with Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, feature a hand-crafted aesthetic. |
N.b.: since the series include the Yoshi's Island series, these are the games uniquely in this series:
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| Yoshi puzzle series | ||
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The Yoshi puzzle series is a video game sub-series of the Yoshi franchise. It is a series of Tetris-like puzzle games in which players must direct objects to match them with other objects and clear them from the screen. The objects being directed vary from game to game, some examples being Yoshi Cookies, enemies from the Mario series, and multi-colored blocks. The games have very little story, focusing primarily on gameplay. Some of the games feature characters from the Mario series while others adopt a style inspired by the Yoshi's Island series. The series has not had a new game released in over a decade. |
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Other games
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Cover, original release, and system | Synopsis |
| Yoshi's Safari | |
 Template:Released SNES |
Yoshi's Safari has Mario and Yoshi on a quest to save King Fret and his son, Prince Pine, of Jewelry Land from King Bowser and his Koopalings. Unlike most Mario/Yoshi games, it is a Rail Shooter. This game also utilized the Super Scope for the first time. The game itself is from Mario's point of view, while he is mounted on Yoshi. |
Canceled game
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Image and system | Synopsis |
| Yoshi Racing | |
Nintendo 64 |
Yoshi Racing was a planned game for the Nintendo 64. Following their successful collaboration with Nintendo on Star Fox, British game developer Argonaut Games pitched a 3D platformer starring Yoshi and made a prototype for it. However, Nintendo didn't follow on the offer, with one Argonaut employee speculating this was because the company didn't want to let third-parties use its characters. Following this setback, Argonaut decided to retool the prototype as an original IP, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. |
Species and characters
Yoshi
Yoshi is the star of the entire Yoshi franchise, thus each game revolves around him and his friends. He is a friendly dinosaur who lives on and protects Yoshi's Island from the evil forces that bring chaos there. Yoshi is notable for carrying the babies on his back, escorting it while on a mission. His powers are fairly widespread in the Mario series, but are somewhat limited in the Yoshi franchise. He can throw Yoshi Eggs after swallowing enemies, flutter through the air, and can Ground Pound various objects. Yoshi goes to far lengths to protect his island and its inhabitants.
Other Yoshis
Yoshis are the main species of the Yoshi series. They mainly inhabit Yoshi's Island. Yoshis have very long tongues and are able to grab food from some distance away. Their mostly eat fruit and their favourite fruits often depend on their color. Yoshis also come in a variety of different colours, including Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, Pink, Light Blue, Purple, Brown, Black, White and Orange.
Colors of Yoshis
The following table lists each color of Yoshi in the Yoshi franchise, and in which games they appear.
| Color | Appearances |
|---|---|
| Blue | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island · Yoshi's Story · Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi's New Island · Yoshi's Woolly World |
| Black | Yoshi's Story · Yoshi Touch & Go · Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi's Woolly World |
| Brown | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island · Yoshi Touch & Go |
| Green | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island · Yoshi's Story · Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi · Yoshi's Cookie · Yoshi Topsy-Turvy · Yoshi Touch & Go · Yoshi's New Island · Yoshi's Woolly World |
| Light Blue | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island · Yoshi's Story · Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi's New Island · Yoshi's Woolly World |
| Orange | Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi's New Island · Yoshi's Woolly World |
| Pink | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island · Yoshi's Story · Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi's New Island · Yoshi's Woolly World |
| Purple | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island · Yoshi's Story ·Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi's New Island · Yoshi's Woolly World |
| Red | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island · Yoshi's Story · Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi's New Island · Yoshi's Woolly World |
| White | Yoshi's Story · Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi's Woolly World |
| Yellow | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island · Yoshi's Story · Yoshi's Island DS · Yoshi's New Island · Yoshi's Woolly World |
Bowser
Bowser has appeared in three Yoshi's Island games: Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, Yoshi's Island DS and Yoshi's New Island. In Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, Bowser served as the main antagonist. When Bowser terrorizes Yoshi's Island, the Spirits turn the island into a pop-up book. Yoshi must collect a certain amount of happiness medals in order to earn the chance to fight Bowser. During the events of Yoshi's Island DS, He serves as the main antagonist. Bowser travels back in time to find the seven star children, in hopes of receiving their power; if he were to receive their power, he could conquer the universe. Bowser kidnapped as many children as he possibly could, (including his infant self), in order to get the seven star children. However, the star children eventually foil Bowser's plan, forcing him to return to his original time. He also appears in Yoshi's New Island as the final boss; however, he can only be fought after the player has completed all of the main levels but doesn't use the Flutter Wings power-up. Bowser also appears in Yoshi's Safari, where he attacks Jewelry Land, imprisoning its rulers. He also steals twelve gems that keep the land stable, splitting the land into two halves in the process. These actions force Yoshi and Mario to stop him. In Tetris Attack, Bowser appears as the final opponent Yoshi must battle in VS. Mode. Bowser also appears as one of four playable characters in Yoshi's Cookie.
Shy Guy
Shy Guys are the most common enemies of the Yoshi franchise. They are usually the first enemy in the franchise to be encountered in a game. Normal Shy Guys have no unique abilities that they can use to attack the Yoshis; their numerous sub-species, however, each have different abilities, from flying and walking on stilts, to using a baseball bat to ricochet incoming Yoshi Eggs. Shy Guys come in many different colors, and some of their sub-species do as well. Shy Guys are never the main antagonists in a Yoshi game, but there have been a few bosses based on Shy Guys.
