It really is an outstanding platformer. A spectacular achievement of the video game medium. It may truly be the best game in the entire SNES catalog.
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Why Yoshi's Island (SNES and GBA version) is so good?
- Thread starter Kylo Rey
- Start date
One of the reasons why the graphics are very good, it's because the cartridge is using an FX chip.
It was experimental. It was wild.
The artstyle reflects this. Yes, faux-crayon can be associated with childishness if that's the only time in your life you've held a crayon, but practically it ended up producing wild edgy brush lines and uneven outlines that gave it a rough and wild aspect. Different from the much rounder and bubblier pastel style used later.
(Yoshi's Island DS reuses sprites from the first one, and yet you can easily tell the difference between the two generations of sprites when comparing them side to side)
They got the theme (arts and craft) but not the reason (experimentation, trying to compete with pre-rendered 3D).
They tried to compete against tech with manual technique (they tried to get the "hand drawn" effect from scanning drawings, but couldn't, so the artists had to do pixel-art to add details that would look like a hand-drawn image)
The gameplay is also wild and unpredictable. So many weird ideas, some that only appear in one level or two.
Experimentation again with the Super FX chip, so the devs went wild with gameplay ideas using stretching (deformable blocks, false 3D effects with false 3D physics), rotating (floating arrow barrel platforms, pushable boulders, seesaw).
They weren't using the classic Mario universe, so they introduced lots of weird enemies, some with unique gameplay applications and ways to interact with Yoshi rather than just being an "obstacle" (egg reflectors and catchers, various thiefs, bouncy enemies) some appearing only once or twice (reusable bubbles spewing pink blob, rideable squishy walking brain). Even "basic" one-stomp enemies had many variations, showing that they had leeway in development time, giving variety and fun in discovering them even in late game... Some being just visual (shy guys, lamp guys, ghost guys, blobs), some bringing gameplay variations (popping white kirbies, running wingless birds, object-using baby-stealing monkeys, egg-stealing mouses...).
I'll say it again: it felt experimental and new. It being "creative" and "wacky" was a side-effect of the sharp experimentation, the variety of the ideas implemented and the wildness of those ideas. But unfortunately, "wacky" and "creative" were the keyword kept and used for the sequels, not "wild" or "experimental".
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Not false 3D. The game uses real polygons for some objects. In the first middle-boss castle, there are some large wooden walls that fall when you run in front of them. Those are 3D objects, I believe.
The sounds yoshi makes are much, much worse. Especially since it doesn't match the animation. SNES version all day. I very much prefer mute yoshi. Or rather, not annoyingly-cute-sounding yoshi of the SNES era.
A 3D effect is just a set of deformations applied to an image/point. If you follow that, there is no "real" or "fake" 3D as long as the formulas are correct. But also in this specific case there's no triangles or 3D model - just a serie of flat rectangles that are being scaled and colored the right way like a 3D object would be. There are no multi-polygon objects like in Star Fox. And they don't interact in 3D space either (2D game), so they aren't really 3D "physical objects". For me it looks like a 2D transformations on rectangles that are cleverly made to give an impression of 3D. Hence my difficulty in calling it "true 3D". Granted, at the state of early 3D, it doesn't matter, since there are no separate 3D rendering engines or 3D model collision engines, and the same tricks are used for both purposes. I guess it's all the same.
Small selection of the 3D effects in the game (all rotating on a single axis):
Falling wall at 0:29
Vertically rotating rolls at 0:29
Horizontally rotating platforms at 5:08
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Edit: After re-watching the effects, you might be right, I was mainly thinking of the third case video where they just scale a rectangle for an orthographic projection. But in the first and second cases, it's not the same projection type, since the further part becomes narrower, they are using more transformations that are more in line with 3D effects.
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For all this and more this is why Yoshi's Island is the best EAD ever did.
Nothing ever came close to this wild ride.
One day Yoshi will go into the 3rd dimension while going back to its roots and it's gonna be glorious.
I love this game. It is my personal "favorite" of all games ever made, forever and ever. Half of that is the basic calculus of its game design—its mix of aesthetics, mechanics, temporary transforms, and level variety. Half of that is the time in which I discovered the game, when I needed something engaging, cheerful, and satisfying that answered what video games could do that no other art forms could do, while making sense of the world as a troubled teen. (Kirby's Pinball Land, Link to the Past, Doom, Chrono Trigger, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, and Mario 64 rounded out that list for me as a kid/teen. Picross 3D Round 2 occupies the most recent "legendary favorite" slot in my list.)
I found out at PAX West this year that Jeff Gerstmann *vehemently* disagrees with my Yoshi's Island stance. He really, really doesn't like it. The only way we could course-correct this conversation is by agreeing that by sheer science and data, Tetris is the "best" game. With that established, we built a bridge to agree-to-disagree. (I don't remember his choice for "favorite." I assume it was on the Neo-Geo.)
edit: forgot Chrono, i ded now
I found out at PAX West this year that Jeff Gerstmann *vehemently* disagrees with my Yoshi's Island stance. He really, really doesn't like it. The only way we could course-correct this conversation is by agreeing that by sheer science and data, Tetris is the "best" game. With that established, we built a bridge to agree-to-disagree. (I don't remember his choice for "favorite." I assume it was on the Neo-Geo.)
edit: forgot Chrono, i ded now
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oh and if we're all hanging out on the good-feelings train (clearly shaped like a morphed Yoshi), then you need this live-band version of this song, from a 2003 Mario & Zelda Big Band CD released by Nintendo of Japan. I well up every time I hear the fiddle fly into the refrain. every time. multiple times in the song.
People who only played the GBA version are in for a treat when the SNES version hits the Switch. The GBA port smaller screen, washed-out colors, altered 3D effect and downgraded sound quality brings it down so far not even extra levels can save it. It's a tie for me between SMB3 and it for the greatest platformer of all time.
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Wikipedia said:
Long and short: Miyamoto completely revamped the game's artstyle to be as cartoony as possible to spite the marketing department who wanted a Donkey Kong Country-esque graphic style.
Whether you agree with his statement on DKC or not, it's actions like this why so many people view him as one of the greatest game designers of all time. He completely bucked all trends of the time to create a game that's absolutely timeless.
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This dude has made a point to shit on the Retro Studios DKC games in any given thread. It's weird.
I'll be completely honest. While I do like the game and think it's objectively very good, I am a little bit mystified by the hyperbolic levels of praise it garners. It's true that it is absolutely chock full of gimmicks, but it never really makes you feel like you're learning or becoming more competent at the game, which is one of my main draws for platformers. The plodding pace is maintained from start to finish- then you have to do it all over again many multiple times if you want to see everything. I had a much better time with Woolly World.
That's a great avatar.. I immediately got dizzy.
A technical achievement on the SNES. Bursting with creativity in every corner. Every stage brought something fun , something cool , something new. The music is amazing. The gameplay is sublime. Without a doubt in my mind, the greatest 2d platformer ever made.
Because you have a dev team at the peak of their powers creatively, technically and artistically. This is basically the culmination project from the team who made SMB3 and World
Oh sorry I wasn't clear, I meant yoshis island ds and yoshis story. Yoshis story is definitely for a younger age group and maybe doesn't scratch the challenge itch but I loved its aesthetics and theming.
They've never actually tried. All the follow up games are developed by other companies.
Add another one to the pile of why that dude has the most overrated takes in gaming.
It's pretty much perfect, and IMHO the finest 2d platformer Nintendo ever made. Music, art, controls, challenge, it just nails everything.
This right here is why it's so good. The level design is simply the best, even today. Nothing comes close.
Thanks, and of course I agree with your post. Yoshi's Island is such a gem.
Still my favourite 'Mario' game.
Amazing how well it holds it graphically after nearly 25 years.
Amazing how well it holds it graphically after nearly 25 years.