# Yoshi's New Island

Yoshi's New Island is a 2014 platform video game developed by Arzest and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. First released in Europe and North America in March 2014 as the third installment in the Yoshi's Island series, Yoshi's New Island is a direct continuation of the events of the ending of the 1995 Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and is set prior to the events of the 2006 Nintendo DS title Yoshi's Island DS.
Much like that of the original Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's New Island's gameplay revolves around using Yoshi's abilities to safely transport Baby Mario through a series of levels while escorting the infant across the island to his brother, Luigi. In addition to returning mechanics such as hovering, as well as laying and throwing eggs, Yoshi is occasionally able to create massive eggs known as Eggdozers, which can be used to clear paths and explore underwater areas. Moreover, certain levels feature a segment in which Yoshi is briefly transformed into an object or vehicle controlled with the console's gyroscope.
According to one of Yoshi's New Island's producers, Takashi Tezuka, a sequel to Yoshi's Island was chosen rather than a follow-up to Yoshi's Story due to the former's simplicity in gameplay and construction, and the game shared some level design staff with Yoshi's Woolly World, which was developed concurrently. Like similar Yoshi games, Yoshi's New Island features a hand-drawn art style, with level designs and backgrounds stylized as oil paintings, watercolors, and crayon drawings.
Yoshi's New Island received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its gameplay and overall sense of charm and nostalgia, neutral opinions on its aesthetics and level design, and general criticism for its soundtrack. The game has sold more than two million copies worldwide and became a Nintendo Selects title in 2016.

## Gameplay

Yoshi's New Island is a platform video game with gameplay similar to that of the other Yoshi's Island games, revolving around one of multiple friendly Yoshis needing to reach the goal at the end of each level while protecting an infant Mario from enemies like Shy Guys and other obstacles. The game features six areas on the island known as worlds, each comprising eight mandatory levels and two optional levels, for a total of 60 courses. The fourth level of each world is a castle course that ends with a battle against the evil wizard Kamek, while the eighth level concludes with a battle against a unique enemy, known as a boss, enhanced and enlarged by Kamek's magic. Each boss is defeated in three hits.
Yoshi's returning abilities include hovering in midair briefly (known as "flutter jumping"), swallowing and spitting out enemies, and throwing eggs to attack foes and solve puzzles. If damage is taken, Yoshi has 10–30 seconds to retrieve Baby Mario from a moving bubble before the infant is taken away by Kamek's underlings, which results in the loss of a life. If all lives are lost, the player receives a game over and must start from the beginning of the level with five lives. Certain obstacles, such as spikes and bottomless pits, cause Yoshi to lose a life instantly. If the player loses several lives in a row while attempting to complete a level, Yoshi can obtain the Flutter Wings, a power-up item that enables indefinite hovering. Losing a life with the Flutter Wings unlocks a golden variant of the power-up, which provides both flight and invincibility.
Each level can be finished with several collectible items: up to five flowers, twenty red coins, and thirty stars. The lattermost collectible also adds to the amount of time Yoshi has to rescue Baby Mario upon taking damage. Unlike in the previous Yoshi's Island games, Yoshi does not need to collect every collectible in one attempt to 100% complete a level. One of the optional levels in each world is unlocked by obtaining every collectible and finishing with full health in each level of that world, while the other is opened up after 30 medals are collected by jumping through a roulette ring, which functions as the goal of most levels and replaces the post-level minigames from the previous Yoshi's Island installments. For each flower collected in a course, one is added to the ring; if the ring's meter lands on a flower, the player receives medals, which can also earn extra lives.
Certain levels feature a section in which Yoshi transforms into one of six objects: a bobsled, a helicopter, a hot air balloon, a jackhammer, a mine cart, or a submarine. All of Yoshi's transformations are controlled with the console's gyroscope. Other sections revolve around the use of a power-up known as the Yoshi Star, which briefly transforms Yoshi into Super Yoshi, providing temporary invincibility in addition to enabling Yoshi to travel at high speeds as well as run up walls and across ceilings for a short period of time.
Mega Eggdozers, a feature introduced in Yoshi's New Island, are massive eggs that can be thrown to destroy normally indestructible terrain and obstacles in the way, providing access to previously obstructed areas as well as potentially earning the player extra lives. Additionally, there is a metal variant of the Mega Eggdozer known as the Metal Eggdozer, which also clears paths in addition to weighing Yoshi down, diminishing jumps while allowing for exploration of underwater areas. Both Mega Eggdozers and Metal Eggdozers can be obtained by eating giant Shy Guys or hitting certain blocks.
In addition to the game's story mode, there are six cooperative two-player minigames centered around Yoshi's platforming skillset; for instance, one minigame tasks the player with using eggs to pop as many balloons as possible within a time limit, while another challenges the player to use Yoshi's hovering ability to travel as far as possible while collecting coins. A new minigame is unlocked every time a world is cleared. Yoshi's New Island supports local multiplayer via Download Play.

## Plot

Yoshi's New Island serves as a direct sequel to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, taking place immediately following the events of the game, wherein a stork delivers twins Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to a couple in the Mushroom Kingdom presumed to be their parents. The opening of Yoshi's New Island reveals that the stork had delivered the babies to the wrong couple, much to the couple's confusion and the stork's horror. The stork reclaims the babies and sets off to locate their real parents, though is ambushed by the evil wizard Kamek mid-flight. Kamek captures the stork and Baby Luigi, though Baby Mario falls and reunites with the Yoshi clan on Egg Island, a floating island that was once "a peaceful second home" for the Yoshis until it was taken over by Baby Bowser, who decided that it would make "an epic vacation home". It is discovered that Baby Mario can telepathically sense Baby Luigi's location, and the Yoshi clan agrees to help him rescue his brother by taking turns escorting him across the island.
Once Baby Mario and Yoshi reach Baby Bowser's castle, Kamek unsuccessfully attempts to stop them, and Baby Bowser is woken up. Baby Bowser wants to ride Yoshi, though is defeated in battle. Kamek then uses his magic to greatly enlarge Baby Bowser, though he is defeated again and shrinks back to his original size. Yoshi proceeds to rescue the captured stork and save Baby Luigi.
After this point, if the player has used the Flutter Wings or the Golden Flutter Wings to finish a level, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi are delivered back home, only for the adult Bowser to abruptly tear apart the screen and challenge the player to complete every level without the power-ups in order to face him in battle.
If the player completes every level without using either of the aforementioned power-ups, adult Bowser suddenly appears after "warping through space and time" to avenge his younger self's defeat. After the adult Bowser is defeated, Kamek once again uses his magic to make Bowser huge. Once Bowser has been defeated yet again, Yoshi reunites with the stork and Baby Luigi, and both brothers are brought back to their true home. Moreover, it is revealed that "Mr. Pipe", a moving Warp Pipe who supplied the Yoshis with items over the course of their journey, is actually the adult Mario, who returns to his own timeline.

## Development and release

The third entry in the Yoshi's Island series, Yoshi's New Island was developed by Arzest, with some members having previously been involved in the development of the original Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island DS. Masahide Kobayashi directed the game, Naoto Ohshima and Takashi Tezuka served as producers, Masamichi Harada was the art director, and Masayoshi Ishi composed the game's soundtrack. Tezuka had previously directed both Super Mario World and the original Yoshi's Island. During an interview with Nintendo Life, Tezuka stated that a Yoshi's Island sequel was chosen over a Yoshi's Story successor due to being simpler in both gameplay and construction, as well as the former's hand-drawn art style being better suited for the Nintendo 3DS. The use of oil paintings, watercolors, and crayon drawings for the game's aesthetics helped its graphical style retain what Tezuka described as the "warm and friendly vibe" of the original Yoshi's Island as well as the "handicraft feel" the series had become known for.
During an interview with Nintendo World Report, Tezuka stated that Yoshi's New Island was developed in tandem with Yoshi's Woolly World, despite the latter title being developed by Good-Feel, and both games shared some level design staff. According to Tezuka, the concept of throwing giant eggs originated from the development team being interested in "creating something big and impactful". Moreover, in the Nintendo Life interview, Tezuka stated that the game's levels were made easier in comparison to those of its predecessor, though the collectibles would be difficult and time-consuming enough to provide "a nice challenge for more experienced players".
The game was first announced by Satoru Iwata during a Nintendo Direct presentation in April 2013. Its name was revealed at E3 2013, a video game trade show, where a trailer for the game was also featured, showing three level segments and a boss battle. The game's release date was announced in January 2014. In early March 2014, it was announced that a special edition Yoshi-themed Nintendo 3DS XL system would be made available for $200 on the game's earliest release date. On March 9, five days before Yoshi's New Island was first released, Nintendo promoted the game by having three young actors in California (Benjamin Stockham of About a Boy, Garrett Clayton of Teen Beach Movie, and Bella Thorne of Shake It Up) pose with the special edition 3DS XL system and throw balloons containing green paint at a large egg. A limited edition T-shirt with a Yoshi's New Island design was later made purchasable in the United States through Club Nintendo, a customer loyalty program that supplied items to members in Japan and other countries. Yoshi's New Island was published by Nintendo and released in both North America and Europe on March 14, 2014, in Australia on March 15, and in Japan on July 24, 2014.

## Reception
### Critical response

Aggregate scores :
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 65.80% |
| Metacritic | 64/100 |
Review scores :
| Publication | Score |
| Destructoid | 7/10 |
| Edge | 4/10 |
| Eurogamer | 4/10 |
| Famitsu | 8.0/10 |
| Game Informer | 7/10 |
| GameSpot | 5/10 |
| GamesRadar+ | 3/5 |
| IGN | 7.9/10 |
| Nintendo Life | 5/10 |
| Nintendo World Report | 6/10 7.5/10 |
Yoshi's New Island received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu praised the game's art style and new Eggdozer mechanic. Yoshi's New Island was later inducted into Famitsu's Gold Hall of Fame in the magazine's July 31, 2014, issue.
Destructoid's Chris Carter praised the game's sense of charm, which GameSpot's Tom Mc Shea and The Observer's Chris Dring attributed to its aesthetics. Additionally, Alex Culafi of Nintendo World Report and Kathryn Bailey of GamesRadar+ noted nostalgia in the game's sound effects and level design, though Edge magazine attributed this sense of nostalgia to the game's storyline being nearly identical to that of the original Yoshi's Island. Mc Shea wrote that "every element of this game panders to nostalgic memories rather than forging new paths", noting that whereas Yoshi's Island DS established an identity via its unique system of swapping babies with different abilities, Yoshi's New Island recycled most of its best elements from the original game, making it forgettable.
The game's art style proved controversial. Alex Culafi of Nintendo World Report wrote that the 3D visuals were "among the best 3DS has to offer", with GameSpot's Tom Mc Shea adding that the game had an "enchanting artistic design". Conversely, Giant Bomb's Patrick Klepek stated that the aesthetic style felt half-hearted, Slant Magazine's Mike LeChevallier described the visuals as "mostly vapid and stiff", PCMag's Will Greenwald panned the watercolor effect as generic, odd, and "jarringly artificial", and Kyle Orland of Ars Technica noted that the art style and animation appeared "a little overdone and lifeless". All four reviewers agreed that the visual style lacked the flair or charm of the original Yoshi's Island, with Jose Otero of IGN and Chris Schilling of Eurogamer adding that the art style was inconsistent.
Critics were also divided on the game's level design. IGN's Jose Otera, Ars Technica's Kyle Orland, and Giant Bomb's Patrick Klepek praised this aspect, particularly enjoying the variety and placement of collectibles; Klepek stated that "[w]hat [Yoshi's New Island] does nail is the satisfaction of exploration". However, Nintendo Life's Dave Letcavage wrote that the level design "overall evokes little wonder and is often average at best", Eurogamer's Chris Schilling stated that it had "sedative qualities", and Kathryn Bailey of GamesRadar+ criticized some of the levels for their perceived linearity, simplicity, and repetitiveness. All three critics felt that the platforming was rarely difficult. Furthermore, Edge described the courses as bland and characterless, while The Observer's Chris Dring deemed the level design sloppy.
The game's soundtrack received heavy criticism, with the music being described as clunky, lackluster, and "bewilderingly poor". Both of Nintendo World Report's reviewers noted that many songs were variations of the same theme, while Ars Technica's Kyle Orland criticized the use of kazoos in several songs. Multiple reviewers also criticized the game for a perceived lack of difficulty in its boss fights, pointing out that most battles relied on simply striking the boss three times; Nintendo World Report's Alex Culafi considered these encounters to be "[o]ne of the game's biggest weaknesses", while Nintendo Life's Dave Letcavage summarized the fights as "shallow, simple, and uninspired, often ending before they really begin". The use of gyroscope controls in the transformation sections also received criticism, being referred to as imprecise as well as "clunky and awkward"; Polygon's Danielle Riendeau and Nintendo World Report's Dan Koopman singled out the submarine segments as being tedious. Although Kyle Orland referred to the Eggdozer mechanic as a promising idea, he noted that it was "used exclusively in extremely contrived situations"; similarly, Eurogamer's Chris Schilling wrote that it was "used prescriptively and predictably", while IGN's Jose Otero felt that the "level designs never really commit to the idea". A handful of critics also noted a brief delay with throwing eggs, particularly while stationary.
Retrospectively, Nintendo Life placed Yoshi's New Island eighth in its ranking of 13 Yoshi titles, criticizing its failure to introduce new elements and enhance the mechanics established in its predecessors. Destructoid listed Yoshi's New Island eighth in its ranking of the "10 best Yoshi Games of all time", stating that the game offered "some genuinely fun new levels, particularly near the end", though ultimately "played it too safe for its own good". TheGamer placed Yoshi's New Island second to last in its ranking of eight mainline Yoshi games, heavily criticizing its art style and writing that "while it contains some fun and creative levels, it failed to innovate or move the franchise forward in any meaningful ways".

### Sales

Yoshi's New Island debuted at #2 on the Japanese sales charts, selling 58,000 copies. By October 2014, the game had sold 197,000 copies in Japan. As of December 31, 2020, worldwide sales had reached 2.06 million copies, making Yoshi's New Island the 33rd-best-selling game for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was added to the Nintendo Selects label in Europe on October 16, 2015, and in North America on March 11, 2016.