Getting Dizzy: Let's Play Yoshi's Island

I prefer the boogie, myself.



Here's the very first appearance of the Spear Guy. They're similar in principle to the Stilt Guy, but a bit tougher to deal with. The spear makes any attempt to jump on them painful, while their shields defend both tongues and eggs from the front. Eating them from behind will cause them to drop their shield and spear, and if you spit them out, they'll be a normal Shy Guy (I guess their "tribal" makeup got washed off by Yoshi's saliva).




Here's another variant: the Dancing (and singing!) Spear Guy. They're nicely animated, and their sudden leaps to the left and right can make them difficult to approach. At least, I always felt they were, and the game's placement of these rarely seen block/platforms for safe passage encouraged my fear of them.



However, in order to lay down their sweet moves, they lack the shields of their more uptight brethren. If you can get down to their level, it's a simple matter of lapping one up and spitting it into its comrade. Then you have all the room you need to deal with any remaining ones.



A suspicious nook and some very standout vegetation.



It is filled with secrets. Enjoy!

That's what I've been saying! Hi Poochy!



Unfortunately, this particular secret means we need to backtrack to grab a flower (the yellow, collectible one) and we can get at a tulip if we want (though there's nothing to spit and it's a tricky shot from a moving platform).



We have to make use of several different platforms all moving at different paces to climb up the ruins.

Man, I was really enjoying this stage, too. This is really lame. Once you reach the top of the ruins, there are a couple red coins and an Egg Plant to the left, then you can proceed to the right to end the stage. But if you flail around in the canopy, you can reach this hidden area with several red coins. There is a Reznor-mobile that is possibly supposed to hint at something up in the canopy, but it can just as plausibly function as a stepping stone to reach the ledge to the right. Plus, the warp point is small and very specific. You can actually jump over it without getting transported to this room. I like the idea of obscuring red coins, but I don't think this room was very intuitive. I know we just got a message about the game being full of secrets, but you have to flail for this one without the most solid clue that it's even what you're supposed to be doing.



This does not improve my opinion.



We have to be quick with this set of Dancing Spear Guys, especially if we want that red coin.



Then it's just a ledge-guarding Tap Tap and we're done.

One questionably placed room aside, this is a fun one, if not quite as memorable as the stages surrounding it. We get new enemies that fit the jungle theme while being completely distinct from the monkeys. There's also quite a variety in the terrain we have to traverse, with a nice flow throughout

We're on a roll, so let's keep it going!



Well, that didn't take long.



This is really a nifty setpiece here, with monkeys scrambling around in terror of the aquatic beasts. Not only does it create a great "scene," but it's very useful, since we can use a single monkey to both open winged clouds and keep the Nep-Enuts at bay without burning through eggs.



We have to cross several Nep-Enut-infested waters of increasing length and difficulty. One thing that kills the pacing of this section is the presence of these posts. By this point, you'll probably be ready to check every single one, and with good reason. Just to save you the trouble: No posts in this area contain anything of value.



This is a fun stretch, asking us to do a "hanging jump" to grab the red coins beneath the trees. Of course, if we don't, the only consequence is falling in the water, which slows us down and limits mobility, but isn't lethal.



We get a chance to reload here.



More useless stumps, then one last sprint past the final Nep-Enut.




With the stage's selling point behind us, you may think things get less interesting. Never fear! We have a new mechanic. These birds are harmless, but Yoshi still opts to kidnap the babies and use them as ammo, just to be sure. They have a boomerang effect when thrown, allowing us to reuse them even after they hit enemies and trigger clouds (just don't let them hit a surface too many times). This is another point when being able to rotate your egg order comes in handy. These guys are a ton of fun to play around with.



So is this guy! The extra-tall Shy Guy will get squished if we jump on it, and spit seeds in the direction it's facing, taking out nearby enemies. It'll pop up unharmed as soon as we get off, allowing us to clear the area with it.

As in Bigger Boo's Fort, triggering a cloud platform actually cuts off our means of progression.



The "kill enemies for a prize" room resets things and lets us fly back to the left.



This is actually a bit trickier than it looks, since the chopper is slow to change direction. It can be all too easy to float up above that platform and not be able to make it back around in time.



Makin' a mess!




Here's another detail that I like. Most of the water we've seen and will come across in the future is too murky to actually see through. But this crystal-clear water actually lets us get a view of Yoshi's aquatic animations.




The real reason, of course, is so we can see our final transformation in action. The submarine is pretty fun. The segments that feature it are straightforward, with just enough room to keep things interesting. The control is a good compromise between the chopper's looseness and the mole tank's deliberate movement. Plus, it can fight back with homing torpedoes (though, like many homing weapons, you can't rely on them). If you can't quickly spot red coins, this is a good time to break out the Magnifying Glass and save some time.

We've seen dynamite-passing Shy Guys and spike bars before. The Cheep Cheeps will actively pursue us, but they tend to overshoot (plus we can just shoot them). The jellyfish stick to vertical paths. The puffer fish remains more or less stationary, but torpedoes only enrage it, causing it to inflate and give pursuit.

Froggies are the worst. Eggs, stomps, and ground pounds will only stun them momentarily (which is why the one in the fourth shot is bug-eyed). You can eat them and make eggs out of them, but they can also launch their tongue horizontally and upward, and they're extremely fast and have a longer reach. If they can snag Baby Mario, they'll go hopping away with him. If there's a variety of terrain, they can gain some distance very quickly. Plus, they're often wearing this smug expression. The best approach is to get beneath them if at all possible and devour them.



Here's another type of fish. These will either hop forward or swim along the surface, then leap straight up. Any attack will work on them; only the sudden nature of their leaps and mixing with other enemies make them notable. Oh, and even though they look like a substantial meal, they're instantly digested into nothing if you eat one.



Finally, there's one more enemy introduction. I always thought Clawdaddy was supposed to just be a crab with a cloud body...nothing unusual in a Mario game. But then I learned that certain crabs foam at the mouth, and realized that's probably what they're going for here. These guys are sturdy, taking three eggs to kill (a single ground pound will work, but they're usually defended from above, as they are here. They also move very quickly, so it can be easy to miss and be vulnerable). They can accelerate and change directions suddenly, and though you can safely stand on their eyes, their claws can grow to massive size, and they like to swing them around and bash the ground. Don't take them lightly.



There was one chilling on the ledge here (you're meant to kill it with bank shots from the ledge above, so you can drop into the water, retrieve the coins, then have a ledge to get out with. Also, killing things beneath you with bank shots will be important later). I used the puffin baby, which can one-shot them.




This last stretch is just utter chaos. Frogs, fish, monkeys, and lots of stumps. The short ones under the bridge are all useless, and basically just set you up to be smacked by a jumping fish. The last super-tall one is actually fairly interesting, since you get in a positioning battle with the frogs on the tiered platforms to the right (you want to lure them up and get beneath them, but that means crossing paths, which has to be done quickly, before they can react. Not easy when you can only pound the stump one little increment at a time). Losing a handful of stars right before the finish line is not what you want.

Wow, what a level! We're introduced to seed-spitting Shy Guys, Puffin projectiles (incidentally, they fly back to the left upon crossing the goal ring, presumably back to their terrified mother), the submarine and three enemy types exclusive to its sections, frogs, fish, and Clawdaddies. And while we have seen one Nep-Enut (and the Gargantua Blargg) before, this is the only extended experience with them. This stage easily feels like it could serve as a tropical world in a 3D Mario, with lots of room to explore, a couple action setpieces, and several very memorable, active enemies. Plus it never loses sight of the jungle shoreline theme.

Next Time: You have to be daft to build a castle on a swamp.

Great, the commoners were smug enough.



In terms of visuals, this is among my favorite stages in the game.



I don't know how I feel about this. I guess we saw in 2-8 that small patches of thorns can conceal things like doors, but it didn't occur to me to look for the missing red coins here for a long time.

The sub segment itself is quite easy, with the only obstacle being the spike bar guarding a pair of red coins.



We witness a flower crushing a monkey, then we enter the fortress proper.



Well, "enter" may be a strong term. The half-sunken, crumbling, misty fortress is still very much exposed to the air. As Mario castles go, this one really stands out nicely.



Okay, so we almost immediately come across a side room, and IT leads immediately into a "kill the Clawdaddies" room (demonstrating that it takes a full complement of eggs to clear out this pair, unless you dip into your items).



Looping our way back, we can get a glimpse of what lies ahead on the next floor. Also: monkeys in the mist!




Back on the main path, we come across three sets of collectibles guarded by spike bars. Not only do we have to move quickly to snag them while they're safe, but we can also have our escape cut off by Spray Fish. You can always retreat, though.




In our next side room, the buckets we first saw back in Burt's fort have a new purpose. This one serves as a makeshift boat, allowing us to reach the coins above.

It's actually faster and safer just to swim through this section, but that means expending a lot of eggs to reach all the collectibles.



We transition to the second floor via an eerie red room. Clawdaddies clog the tiny passages, but we're encouraged to lure them to the point where we get some head room (we're meant to use it to get past them, but with good timing, we can exploit a rare opportunity to simply flatten them).




Oh hey, the slimes actually show up as enemies. This is just a matter of being attentive and not getting smacked onto the spikes while lining up a shot. Also, don't rush to create the bridges or you'll seal off a flower.



Things get more intense as we have to take a weight-powered Reznor-mobile across a bed of thorns (the part we glimpsed earlier). We have to keep our eye on the ceiling and be careful each time we jump, because a slime could easily be spawning right there. There's enough of a visual tell that it's fair, you just have to be aware of both the ceiling and your position on the wheel.



The only time we actually see normal enemy Froggies in the fort is in this final sprint to the boss door, after we've collected everything. Just climb some stairs, get past some frogs and flowers, and we're there!

But how is he even going to grow? This room is so tiny...




...Oh. (That last shot is the Prince giving a hearty belch).



And here's our scientifically questionable battlefield. When other games use giant enemies as bosses, I usually think it's a little lazy. But YI finds ways to keep things fresh.



The primary threat of this fight comes in the form of drops of stomach acid. With no eggs, no surfaces to rebound them on (they do bounce off the stomach lining, but not a proper "turn yellow, then red" rebound) and items banned from boss fights, we can't take any hits if we want 100 percent.

The other "attack" (and our means of fighting back) is that the Prince opts to wash us down with a Shy Guy buffet. "Giant" Shy Guys come dropping down, and we can convert them into giant eggs, then throw them at Froggy's uvula. We can actually spit them at the uvula if we choose, but it's simplest to remain centered, snatch them with the vertical tongue as they fall, then fire straight up. Even a near miss will usually bounce off the lining into the target anyway.

I have to admire that they bothered to create different sprites for Giant Shy Guys and Fat Guys, even though they both basically just exist to give us giant eggs.



The frequency of the acid will really pick up as you pack on damage. This fight can appear to be significantly tougher than any we've had so far, but the trick is to just stay centered. You'll be in perfect position to lap up Shy Guys, throw eggs, and the acid never drops in the center. It does come really close sometimes, and sometimes the lining can ripple or Yoshi will stagger a bit under the weight of an egg (try to throw them immediately). Other than that, everything should go smoothly.




Technicolor tummy! After nine or ten hits, we...take the escape route.



Froggy's sick, our heroes are traumatized, but a win is a win!

Both SMB3 and SMW had submerged castles, but the atmosphere here is just top-notch. The stage isn't so much about platforming as it is speed and precision, with breathers in between. The boss battle itself is one of the game's signature moments. Fun stuff all around.

Next Time: We be jammin'!

This is one of the most memorable and (IMO) difficult fights in the game. Great stage.

This game is so hip and cool what with dropping "g"s and such.



Remember, we lost all of our eggs when we got shrunk in the previous stage, so right off the bat, 3-5 kindly fills us up.

The first chunk of the stage is largely made up of dirt, and it is intriguing to have both the player and enemies capable of destroying it. The monkeys can actually clear a path for us.



The little cactus is called Spiked Fun Guy (for some reason). They're not too common, but their behavior is kind of interesting. While in a pot, it can bounce really high and fast. Separated from the pot, it will simply crawl along the ground, but it will immediately change direction to pursue you if you jump over it. It can also climb back into its pot.



Gusties return! We actually have to destroy dirt beneath us in order to collect stuff, so it takes a little more caution.



We change gears a bit now, crossing over some lethal spikes while monkeys drop dynamite. A couple of those coins can be risky to get.



This is fun. You CAN wedge an egg in there, but it's much more reliable to snag one of the many watermelons that monkeys are carrying around and collect the flower with a seed.



The next flower definitely needs a bank shot to pick up.



Trees! Let's jam through them!

Here we meet a new variant of Piranha. These will spit spiky, edible projectiles at us (either two at one angle, then a third at a slightly different angle before pausing, or one at a time with a pause in between). They take three hits to defeat, and their size and projectiles can make them tough to simply bypass. All in all, they're among the tougher enemies we've come across, though the watermelon we were handed means we can easily dispose of these first couple with a few seeds.




If we double back across the shorter trees, we can reach another shooting gallery.



There's a final, chaotic sprint through the trees. The platforms are small and populated by monkeys and Shy Guys. If we can stay on top of the trees, we're safe, but some coins are placed down in harm's way.



The last flower can be easy to overlook.

Once again, Purple has the toughest draw. This stage is pretty chaotic and messy, with mostly bottomless pits and insta-death spikes below. It does give us a lesson in the best way to get at collectibles that are out of direct reach in various positions. This one never stuck in my memory much, but it has some fun ideas and really throws a lot of enemy/terrain mixes at the player.

Are you guys ready to meet Harry?



Even the world's cave stage keeps the jungle theme fresh in our minds.



We quickly find ourselves missing out on some major items.



Oh hey, it's Harry Hedgehog, the blindingly fast blue hedgehog scurrying around this cave. How about that?



The trees outside aren't just about maintaining visual continuity with the previous stage, or providing the monkeys a vantage point to attack from. They also grant us access to the cave's other entrance, earning us four red coins, a flower, and a key. Very nice!



These mushrooms serve much more of a purpose here than in their earlier appearances, allowing us to keep our eggs out of Mouser clutches and our body away from Harry's spines. When tiny, he's edible, but when he grows (which he can do spontaneously), he can snag us on the smaller mushrooms, and is immune to Yoshi's eating abilities. There are a few fire melons scattered around the cave to help us deal with him.




We can rampage against the blue mammals with a Chomp Rock, which also lets us reach the series of yellow platforms. In the meantime, we get a preview of what's coming next (which is extra helpful, since it's a timed maze).

We again get a glimpse at what's ahead as we make our way toward the maze.



It can be easy to go straight for the mole tank and miss these coins (though we can loop back after doing what the mole needs to do).



Our first time through, the lower yellow egg block was functionally just part of the floor, and the tall stalks showed us there was something above, but we had no way to reach it. After navigating the mole tank maze, we can bounce our way there from below.



Again, the game's teaching us to be more daring with our flutter jumps (which I fail at in these shots).



The final red coins make up a trail leading us to the locked door we need to pass through to finish the level. I think this could be handled a little better, but it's not awful. We're still missing one flower, but for all we know this locked door leads to a side room that contains it, or to the remainder of the stage, which contains it. In reality, it leads to the remainder of the stage, which does NOT contain it, and we can't go back.



It's right here, in this pipe (which you can't see from the mushroom). Again, I don't think this is horrible or anything, but the stage really seems to be saying "check out this locked door, then finish up with the cave." Since the key's not even accessible via the main entrance, it's unclear until you've gone through once that it's actually required to beat the stage. Just a case of the game design's "language" appearing a bit misleading to me.



We have all the essential collectibles, but there's a big mess of coins that are very easy to miss. Only the telltale sound of the Egg Plant (or falling eggs, if you need them) are there to draw your attention upward.

I like the way the stage transitions from the previous one, and the way it offers glimpses of other parts of the cave. Harry Hedgehog is a bizarre...jab? Friendly acknowledgment? I don't really know what the deal is there, but it's a fun enemy.



Oh hey, it's our last bonus challenge! And the most lucrative one!



This is just unfair (in the player's favor). There are seven pairs of icons. Get a pair, you obtain that item. Like the SMB3 incarnation of this game, you're allowed one miss. Unlike SMB3, you get to see all of the cards before you go about matching. At the very least, this allows you to zero in on the important items (+20, +10) and any others you may want. Really, getting all seven pairs (especially with one miss allowed) isn't that demanding. If you do, try to make the last one something you don't really want, because it will be replaced with a 10Up. Even if you fail to match all of them, you get to keep any items you did match up.

In short, Match Cards is just ridiculous and once you unlock the privilege to play it infinitely, you can basically have anything you want in the game.

Next Time: The closest thing to a water level we're going to get.

One of the advantages YI has over many other platformers that I don't think about too much is that there aren't really water levels. There are three submarine segments in the game (with a fourth, GBA-exclusive one), and then there are several stages that involve surface swimming, occasionally manipulating Yoshi's buoyancy. I mean, the helicopter segments tend to feature many of the frustrations of a typical water stage (loose controls, very vulnerable, struggling against time limits), but even including those, it's a very low percentage of the game.



Like 3-5, this stage is pretty chaotic, with waves of enemies and water and mud slowing us down. Unlike 3-5, there's very little actual platforming to speak of. Being observant of where collectibles may be stashed is more important here. Also, I like the atmosphere here a lot more, with a thick canopy, sun rays breaking through and shining on the water, and cattails.



The final sub segment (of the SNES version) is hidden, though it's more intuitive to find than 3-4's.



One benefit of facing such a variety of enemies is that we can use them against each other. One monkey makes a very efficient projectile to take down a Clawdaddy with.



Again, the landmasses visible beneath the water's surface provide some visual cues of what to do. I mean, in this case the winged cloud is floating right in our face and there's a visible flower out of reach beyond it, so it'd be really unlikely not to shoot it, but the consistency is appreciated. In the latter shot, the parts where the land just breaks the surface give us more mobility for avoiding dynamite. If you're too busy watching the monkeys, this section will probably be tougher than it needs to be.



Now this cloud is much easier to overlook if you're taking the lower route (again, there's solid ground visible in the water below). It takes us upward to a side area.



We're given ample melons and tons of coins (with some reds among them). This is just a nice, satisfying moment, seeing seeds collect screen-long rows of coins.



There's not a lot of safe ground to stand on for the next couple screens.



Things slow down a bit here, but this is an interesting bit, where we need to be mindful of our position, the post, and how Spear Guys work.



We get another bubble-producing enemy! This stretch is much less hectic than the last time we had bubbles to play with in 2-5, so we can enjoy ourselves and send monkeys, Shy Guys, and this guy flying.

We get out of the thickest portions of the jungle for the homestretch and meet a new enemy, the Lunge Fish. They're not as persistent as other "eat you instantly" fish from SMB3, SM64, Yoshi's Story, or New SMB, but they are on the short list of things that can kill you instantly. They manage to stand out with their ugly look and the harsh, cacophonous sound they make when...lunging. Still, they only lunge once at a time, then peek before lunging again, so if you give them a wide berth, you should be good. Those little orange platforms will bob under your weight and tip if you approach one of the sides, making them pretty scary to traverse around one of these guys.




You have to brave a Lunge Fish to reach this flower and mini-game hut (wait until right after it's lunged).



Finally, there are a few tiny, slippery islands with the final red coins guarded by fishes in between. Since hopping into the water is so dangerous, it's only natural to try to pick them up with eggs and...look! If an egg hits the water (at a shallow enough angle), it will skip across (at different speeds and lengths, depending on the exact angle. It's pretty neat). That probably won't come up again...



Once you make it to the opposite shoreline, you can create a bridge. It seals off any red coins you haven't collected, but makes grabbing the clouds (including a 1Up wedged between the rocks) much easier.

This stage feels very representative of the jungle theme World 3 has been running with. It does a good job of creating a location as much as a level. The lake's simply a place the inhabitants hang out, not the site of an enemy ambush.

Next Time: She's mean and green, and she is bad! I'm going to guess that most interested readers have been waiting for this one.

That's one of the reasons I like YI so much, too. Few of the levels inhibit / slow down Yoshi's movements. I usually find segments that do that more frustrating than anything else.

Time to wrap up the jungle.



Fitting for a Piranha Plant, this castle is basically a big network of pipes and waterways.



This thing will spit Shy Guys at us until we're maxed out on eggs. We can repay the favor by shooting it until it retracts enough for us to get by (it will eventually start extending again if left alone).



The purple things can be pretty annoying. They move slowly around their designated pieces of terrain, but their lack of speed is typically a hindrance, blocking your path. You can stun them with eggs, but they still hurt to touch, so this only slows them down more. They'll eat Yoshi if given the chance, causing you to drop your eggs and lose Mario. They're best just to wait out.

Oh, and the little black things are ravens. They crawl along surfaces at high speeds (just like real ravens!) and don't give you anything for eating them.



The branching waterways help guide us to side paths with some red coins (and the rare Aqua Lakitu, complete with snorkel!).



Going with the flow leads us into a few Piranha Plants, and it takes quick reflexes to weave through them.



Then we come to this room. It contains virtually half of the stage's collectibles, the only enemies are the Piranhas in the third shot, and we have a whopping three message blocks explaining the wonders of ricocheting eggs and skipping them across the water's surface. This is WAY more blunt than the game has been about anything up to this point. The stage basically comes to a stop to teach us this technique. I'll have more to say about this later.

We get swept right toward one of these guys, so get ready to move.



Here's a sample of their "eating" palette.



The castle opens up a bit as we enter a room with two projectile-spewing Piranhas. We can either pick them off safely and methodically, or try to sprint past them and their projectiles and wipe them out with the checkpoint. It's a fun little choice offering appropriate risk and reward.



This room branches off in a few directions. The upper right one is a dead end, but contains some collectibles.



The one to the lower left can be easy to overlook. We're crowded by enemies (a pair of Aqua Lakitus, Nippers, and Piranhas), with flowing water limiting our mobility and the Piranhas on the ceiling dissuading us from jumping (an Aqua Lakitu's snorkel is visible just to the right of the left waterfall).



Again, we're tight for space, needing to whittle this guy down before the fish-plant laps around and eats us.



A little more platforming among fish-plants, and we finally come across the end of this branch and our collectibles.



Heading right from the checkpoint, we again have to deal with the obstruction quickly while under duress. It's best to build up a full supply of eggs, then go to work as soon as you're clear.



Hmm, using a single enemy to encourage the "rebound/water skip" technique? How will it ever sink in without multiple message blocks?



The next one presents a much smaller window, but it also extends above the platform, so we can just cheat and bash it directly.



We feed a plant to plants, then it's boss time!



I like how we get flushed downward for a while before being deposited in a body of water deep within the castle. It instills a sense of foreboding in a stage that's used light, non-threatening colors.



Well, that was easy. Who's ready for World 4?

Yes, Naval Piranha is the one boss in the game that we can finish off before Kamek even applies any magic. See how the platform is made up of a row of tiny segments? Stick to the first one (the second may be okay too), and if you can hit her with an egg without alerting her, you win! Kamek has a special message for this very occasion, so the designers obviously realized this was possible. I imagine it was something they realized in playtesting and opted to leave in because it was funny/to reward clever players rather than something they set out to do, but that's pure speculation on my part.

But let's do the fight for real, shall we?



What? I think you're trying to force something here.

Maybe it's the kaiju fan in me excited that we're basically fighting Biollante, but Naval's design has always struck me as a cut above what we've seen so far. This is the first boss to use the full intro of the boss theme, with a prolonged, dramatic entrance (initially vanishing from sight like Salvo, but only appearing a bit at a time, before the gigantic mouth comes out of the water). Seeing lengthy vines curve, swirl, and bend (the two tendrils seem to sway to the beat of the music) without looking like they're made up of a bunch of sprite segments is hypnotic in itself. Even the sound is notable, with Naval making a louder "snapping" sound distinct from normal Piranhas.




Impressive as she looks, Naval can't do a whole lot to threaten us. Most frequently, she'll lower her "head," (protecting the clearly bandaged "navel"), trying to ram us. Each time she connects with the wall, it shakes the room, further lending to her imposing nature. She'll occasionally try for a fake out, coming to an abrupt halt partway through the charge (sending the vines splaying forward...I can just watch those things all day).

With a snapping "tell", Naval can spew a trio of Nipper spores into the air. This is basically just for us to refill on eggs (though it's best to eat one up before it lands just to have room to operate).




Finally, there's this rarely used attack. Naval will use the two smaller buds (which otherwise are just window dressing) to track us from below, popping up suddenly to strike. This one only seems to come out with any kind of frequency if you haven't landed any hits, and it seems to be encouraging you to attack (since, unlike the ram, Naval's completely vulnerable during this. You do have to be quick about it, though).

So let's talk about fighting back. As I'm sure you know, we have to rebound an egg off the wall, underneath the platform, and across the water into Naval's...navel.



Like so. (Naval really writhes after taking a hit. Just a beautifully animated creation all around).

Now, it seems like the designers had little faith that kids would be able to figure this out, what with the massive tutorial room early in the castle. Normally I'd argue that was going overboard, since there are subtle lessons peppered throughout the entire world (hitting a Clawdaddy on a ledge beneath you, skipping eggs to collect coins in Lunge Fish territory, a couple enemies in this castle). But, at least from personal experience, they were absolutely right. This is the one point in the game where I was completely stuck when playing for the first time. Talking to people on the Internet about it, I'm not alone in this either (not like it's an infamously baffling mystery or anything, but it seems a common tripping point for kids).

Initially, the bandaged navel weak point made me think of King Hippo, and the more I think about it, the more apt the comparison becomes. Both bosses basically serve as tests to get players in the correct mindset for the rest of the game. Neither are particularly hard. In fact, Hippo only requires one knockdown and Naval just takes three hits in a game where most bosses pay no mind to that rule. The challenge isn't about outlasting them in some battle of endurance, it's about approaching combat differently than you have up to that point.

So yeah, I'm a fan of Naval Piranha. From helping players think outside the box to a really cool design, she makes a strong impression. Piranha bosses in Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, and Yoshi's Island DS are basically cut from the same cloth. Of course, then they decided that a flower wearing a diaper was a cooler representative of the Piranha race. Whatever...

Maybe I'm overselling this boss and this stage, but it really feels like the designers spent a lot of time here. They devote a TON of text and real estate to teaching this one trick to you, there's the bypass method that they clearly knew about, and there's a boss with more "moving parts" than the others.

To recap a bit on the stage itself: the waterworks theme isn't quite as fun as the swamp ruins, but it does make for some intriguing challenges, with cramped quarters clogged by enemies, flowing water working with and against you, and branching paths.

Oh yeah, Naval Piranha's not dead yet. Let's take care of that.




Man, even her death is cool.




World 3's embrace of a clear-cut theme really helps it convey the sensation that we're exploring a location. It serves the gameplay well too, with frogs, monkeys, natives, fish, and sea monsters all fitting together wonderfully. Even if all of these stages fall under the "jungle" banner, you'd never mistake one stage for another. There are really no glaring weaknesses to be found here.

Next Time: The strength of World 3 makes it all the more impressive to consider that World 4 is an improvement!

I never knew about the quick kill. That is awesome.

It is!



There isn't a very concrete theme to World 4. Visually, it calls an autumn forest to mind, with trees, red backgrounds, and rolling hills. Otherwise, this is sort of Koopa Troopa world, with the little guys appearing in almost every stage (I believe 4-4 and Extra 4 are the only ones they miss out on, while their only appearances outside of this world are their 2-1 debut and one other appearance later on). It also has a tendency to break trends that the other five worlds uphold, but we'll talk about those when they arrive.



Koopa Troopas waste no time asserting this as their domain. More surprising is the appearance of Goombas! This stage is the only place they show up in YI.




They're still the basic cannon fodder that we're used to, but this brief appearance goes a long way toward giving them some life. For one, when they come to a ledge, they'll pause, waggle their eyebrows as if sizing up the drop, then hop down and continue on their way.

Second, eating, egging, or ground pounding them will defeat them as easily as you'd expect. Simply jumping on a Goomba will flatten it, which is also no surprise...but then it starts moving again, even carrying you if you're standing on it. If left undisturbed for a few seconds, it will revert to its normal shape.

As perhaps the most recognizable of Mario enemies, their appearance is sure to grab players' attention, and they really get maximum mileage out of a very limited creature now that everyone's looking. It helps reaffirm the illusion that the island is teeming with life. These aren't mindless hitboxes crawling across the ground; they're creatures. Their ability to resist a basic "Goomba stomp" also gives them a bit more character and makes players do a double take.

It also helps highlight Yoshi's own abilities. It's not that Yoshi's moveset is complex; in fact, it's extremely simple. But the versatility you get out of a few moves that are easy to pull off and don't require power-ups is incredible. Goombas help remind the player that an ordinary jump is for mobility as much as combat, and if you're "aiming to kill," that's what the ground pound is for. It's like putting an exclamation point on your jumps.

Man, I love this game, guys.




This stage is Classic Mario Central, with Shy Guys and Piranhas joining the fray. We even get the opportunity to use a Koopa shell for some 1Ups (I like how this is retained even though there is no score in the traditional, enemy-slaying sense).



The shooting Piranha has a pretty good vantage point, but rather than fight, we can slip into the pipe in front of it to visit a secret area.



There are several red coins down here to make it worth our while, but this is surprisingly tricky. Bandits hide behind some of the crystals, waiting to swap Mario with a Shy Guy. The platforms are small, and the presence of Bandits can make you hesitate on the jumps.




Bullet Bills join the SMB party, and we can use a semi-hidden ice melon to make the red coins in this very crowded area easier to get.

They may not be retro, but Fuzzies are happy to help an already strong stage. They're actually dangerous here, since we have small platforms over bottomless pits to contend with. I still never pass up a chance to take a Fuzzy hit, though.



We initially seem stymied here, but a path downward reveals...



A Super Star! Wow, we haven't seen one since 2-5!



We get to steamroll some Goombas and Koopas. Apparently this is where Mario got his bloodlust. We eventually run up a ramp, jump through a pair of flippers and...



Fly straight into a swarm of Flying Wigglers! This is a great climax for the stage. You're set up to take a flying leap into the air, with a trail of coins (and clearly indicated red coins at points in the trail), encouraging us to float along, and suddenly these guys come at us. They fly in leisurely wave patterns, but bounce on them and they drop the flower, turn red and angry, and fly straight at you.

(Sidenote: Even when invincible, jumping on things as Baby Mario is functionally equivalent to an ordinary jump as Yoshi. So he can't actually kill anything here by jumping on it. Smacking into them will pop them on the spot as Mario invincibility normally does).

So Mario's invincibility is wearing off as you enter the swarm, you can use a combination of the Wigglers' heads and your cape to collect the coins, and you get a preview of what you're in for when you revert to normal right in the middle of them. You can also use a combination of their heads and eggs to get any remaining red coins.



Flying Wigglers really aren't nearly as troublesome as their larval brethren, even in large numbers like this. Eggs or jumps will provoke them, but they really just launch at you in a straight line, so once you get out of their way, they're harmless (you can also still eat them or bounce harmlessly off their heads). They're perfectly edible, and spitting them out will simply cause them to fall off the screen (though amusingly, if there's another one in its path, it will upset that one).

The whole thing is more of a little cinematic climax than a threat, although there is still gameplay at work here. It's also a more abstract nod to a classic enemy in a stage full of classic enemies.

This is a great start to a new world. We get a wide variety of enemies, and the stage alternates between wide open areas for us to maneuver around them/manipulate them, and two tight platforming sections. It also flows very quickly, even though there's a lot of content packed into it.

AKA: Lakitu's Wall Part 2.



We have yet another cave stage where we start above ground. This time, however, our choice of entrance actually has a small impact.



If we enter the leftmost pipe, we get a chance at a 1Up. There are no essential items here, so it's okay if we skip it; it's just a little reward. The cloud arrows from World 2 return. This time, the arrows rotate, so we have to have good timing to get the prizes.



We jump past a couple Koopas that are apparently washing off in the waterfall.



The POW Block has been available as an item, but this is the only stage where one actually appears. Like the Mario Bros. version, we can use it a few times before it expires (though there really isn't much point after the first time).



We get a peek at what's above as we shove this crate into a position so we can open it.



There's another POW Block out of sight above the screen that helps us take care of this second wave of Lakitus.



Launching from a spring below, it takes some skillful hovering to get over these Piranhas (or you could just shoot them, I suppose).




World 4 really begins testing our jumping abilities more strenuously than before. Here, we follow a winding trail of coins for a drop that's a few screens long.



More fun with Koopa shells! We get the choice between a cloud and a flower. Who knows what's in the cloud, but the flower is essential to 100 percent, so that has to be what we go for. Hold Up while aiming and hit the Koopa on the left so it launches right.



Another tight squeeze through Piranhas, and we're off to the next section.

This section looks like it could be tricky, but the solution is "run into Koopa shell" (I believe the red shell bursts when it hits the Lantern Ghost, but sends it tumbling into a green Koopa, which gets knocked forward, so that's why we have a green shell at the end).



It takes a bit of finesse to get under the stairs but safely over the pit.



Boooooo!




This is just fun. We plummet through more Lakitu's Wall territory, using platforms and Lakitu heads to help us collect the coins scattered throughout this area.



At the bottom, we need to pull off another "hanging jump" to get to the flower unscathed.



Our final collectibles require us to think one step ahead before acting.



Then it's just a sprint for the finish line.

This stage gives us precision free falling, timing with cloud arrows, and manipulation of Koopa shells (sometimes combining the above). We have some nice open spaces to work with, and it tends to flow pretty quickly. Not bad at all.

Next Time: BALLOONS!

Don't worry, it's not an autoscroller. And we will be looking back.



We begin with a long series of these "step off them once and they evaporate" platforms. It can be easy to destroy your route back if you're not careful. That and the coins scattered out of reach are the first clues that something is up.



Just when it seems we've hit a dead end, a group of very friendly, colorful balloons arrives to save us (not to be confused with the very friendly, colorful enemies, Baron von Zeppelin). I like the little details, such as how they sway back and forth as they ascend, or how riding on one slows its ascent (I prefer leaping back and forth between a couple of them).

In addition to the flower, there are a few red coins to be gathered in this opening area (found in diagonal pairs as opposed to the horizontal strings of normal coins, an appreciated distinction in a wide-open sky). Unfortunately, there's also a Fly Guy that will bring a red coin to a platform tucked into the upper left corner of this area, and it's the kind that will depart after a while. It may not even occur to you to check out that chunk of the map, and you may unknowingly trigger the enemy early, so by the time you get there, there's nothing to be found.




After working our way up some seesawing platforms, we get to a side area with the chopper. This chopper section is fine, since there's a clearly defined set of coins for us to grab, and one enemy that, while having fast and ranged attacks, has a clear pattern. We can also peek at what's ahead.



Things really start to get heated here. The Bullet Bills are only minor threats, but those fireballs (who fly back and forth or up and down over a set range) are indestructible save for screen-wiping items/checkpoints. Also, we have to look back to grab that flower we saw earlier.



Again, the classic "bowling for Koopas" scenarios is combined with timing egg-tossing.



This can be tough. We have to drop that Piranha (who takes three hits) fast if we want the red coin. It's a moment where you're rewarded if you've been in the habit of occasionally spitting enemies rather than always turning them to eggs, since you can take care of things much faster.



Next, we scramble up some temporary platforms and get a star break.



Another durable Piranha to defeat, this time on moving platforms above a bottomless pit, but there's no time crunch here.



Here's a simple scenario that we haven't seen in a while: bouncing off basic enemies to reach high collectibles.

At this point, we come to what I believe is the only case of a YI stage with multiple exits (there could be others I'm forgetting about, though). They still lead to 4-4, but only one can get us 100 percent. Let's look at the non-completionist one first.



If we go straight ahead, we're bombarded by airlifted Shy Guys and dynamite (that's two different types of balloons in this stage).



Going further, we get the second appearance of Boo Balloons (that's three)! A secret (but necessary for 100 percent) room in the ghost house and the wrong choice in a forked path...that's certainly a rare enemy. We can get a load of ordinary coins from them if we manage to turn them into switches.



Now here's a weird gimmick. These things are called Mockups (four). Left to their own devices, they'll inflate, then pop, and a Fly Guy will take off, laughing. If you can manage to eat it before it pops, Yoshi will crap out an egg that will hatch and give you a 1Up. There was one of these at the end of 1-6 or 1-7, but you're more likely to turn it into a coin by hitting the goal ring than actually see what it does.

Anyway, we plow through that last tunnel of dirt and we're at the exit.

Meanwhile, if we should use an egg to knock down that spring ball we saw earlier and launch upward:




That's five! Five different kinds of balloon in this level! Ah ah ah!

We inflate this one ourselves, by stomping on the pump (ground pounding will inflate it faster). Then it comes loose and we're off, trying to collect coins and stay on top as it sways up and down and gradually deflates. Should we slip and fall, we're condemned to the lame exit.



This flower is the first essential thing we see, and the balloon will be on the low end of its wave as we come to it, so it takes a well-timed jump or egg to collect.



As we approach the end, we get the last of our red coins and several extra lives.

We're starting to see more demand for quick actions in both our jumps and our egg-tossing. But even with the increasing challenge, there's just an overpowering happy feeling in this stage. I guess soaring on brightly-colored balloons will do that.

Another entry in the "big, round, light-colored" category of boss.



As with many of the castles, we start on the outside. This sequence is a little more elaborate and dangerous than most, though. Since you readers don't have to worry about Chomps killing you, check out the background. I love how we can see some of the game's common elements from a distance: stumps, Shy Guys, tunnels, one-way ledges.



Holy crap! You'll likely be moving at full speed, getting clear of the falling Chomps, when a noise fills the air. Suddenly, we find ourselves running for our lives! There are some red coins to grab, but luckily they're right in our path.



This is a little tricky, though. Yoshi doesn't bounce off the Mildes; he "pops" them, which takes a moment and totally nullifies your momentum. The low ceiling makes it tricky to simply jump past them, and they move slowly, so you don't have much room for error if you're going to wait for them to give you some room. It's a very quick, but well-constructed hurdle.



Oh no, we're cornered!



Nope, we're saved! Looks like the Chomp has no problem eating through dirt, but solid stone is too much for it. This is such a fun sequence...almost too memorable to be the intro of a castle.



But now we've finally gotten inside. Let's see if it lives up to the hype.



We're confronted with a locked door and four spokes leading to different challenge rooms. Each one leads to a key, which we'll need to proceed down the main path.

So...we're in a castle, we need something to open the doors to get deeper into said castle, and there are different themed areas containing those somethings. It could be fun.

Our first challenge is the ever-popular "bullets and obstacles to break through with eggs" theme! And look, Snifits! They're much like their classic selves, which isn't nearly as dangerous when you can take all the hits you want. But they do look adorable!



It looks like you're meant to make a break past the Snifits and Bullet Bills after their shots sail past, except we can just eat them.



Things get a little hectic here.



This is an interesting type of Bandit that isn't used enough. They carry red coins and try to keep them away from you. This one can't really run anywhere, but it's a fun idea to have a collectible that can escape you (and not permanently, like Fly Guys). We also pick up the key.



The next room has a lava theme. We get a lava-proof bucket to ride through the superheated seas.



Then we switch to an Arrow Lift. Even an ordinary hit likely means getting knocked into the lava, so this can be pretty tense. Making it far worse is the much more lethal counterpart of the Spray Fish. Fortunately, they're pretty slow to start shooting, so you should have ample time to get out of the way.



A short distance further, and we have our second key.



Door #3 promises a Spiked Fun Guy, and quickly delivers. It also gives us the spooooooooky ghost Arrow Lift, which...moves more slowly and will vanish after several seconds. Fortunately, we have more than enough time to get up to the ledge above.

The left side just has a Piranha and a star-filled crate.



The right side contains the way forward. We have to ascend without destroying too much of our footing (well, if we keep the arrow lift, we can destroy all we want, but it's easiest just to bash holes in the ceiling and jump upward), and we also can't take too long or the plants will be able to shoot us.



Wreak havoc on some dirt, then all that's left is a spitting Piranha guarding the key.




This room has a fun new enemy. Obviously, jumping is out. It's easiest just to eat them, but if you want to play around a bit, they have some unique animations. Spitting them out causes them to roll into a ball. Shooting them will knock off their spiked helmet and knock them to the ground. They're now vulnerable to jumps (but there's really no point in wasting an egg on them when they're edible even with the spikes on), but they freak out and start running and turning unpredictably.



Be careful not to let the polygons drop you.



We need some steady shooting here, while on a moving platform.



More ghoooooostly riding.



Finally, we reach our key, but we need to be quick about it.



Or we'll be slightly inconvenienced. Up until preparing for the LP, I thought this was a bottomless pit.



With all four keys obtained, we can plunge into the heart of the fortress.

We're confronted with...a row of Mildes, a checkpoint, and a second locked door. Behind that is...



Another hallway, this time with enemies confined to separate areas (you can still eat the Mildes with well-timed upward tonguing if you feel the need to), and a third locked door. Behind THAT is...



Another locked door, and our last red coin. Polygons make me nervous, so I usually opt to collect this with an egg.



Finally, another hallway of Mildes, and a checkpoint.

Really, it's safest to open each door as you get the key, since that gives you an additional checkpoint (with the lava and thorns, that can be helpful) and lets you carry at least five eggs at any time, but I tend to seize the one moment in the game when you can have four keys trailing behind you.



And now it's time for our boss. They've really been awesome lately, so let's see what Kamek's cooking up now.



Unfortunately, Marching Milde only possesses the ability to walk back and forth.



It's kind of cool that you can get lots of height off of it, I guess.



Eggs only make M.M. pause for an instant. What we need here...



is a ground pound. At least M.M. bursts in half in dramatic fashion.



The half-Mildes behave just like their larger self, and pounding them results in two quarter-Mildes each. Here's where things get more interesting, but only because of a completely counter-productive practice.



While the quarter-Mildes still can't be harmed with eggs, they are small enough to knock around with them. Blasting them will send them sliding across the floor, and if they run into another Milde, it will transfer momentum, sending THAT one off (even a half-Milde if done right). If you fire the egg at their feet, you can launch them into the air. I have a vivid childhood memory of causing one of the half-Mildes to burst into quarters by launching another one into it, but I have never been able to repeat the feat, so it was probably just youthful imagination.

Anyway, smacking them around like this is the only way to make this fight interesting, but it's also the only way to put yourself in danger of being hit, so when you're ready to actually finish the stage with 100 percent, I would not recommend it.



Anyway, each of the quarter-Mildes produces four ordinary Mildes, which can be disposed of however you see fit.

This is a really cool fortress, with a dynamic intro with a great view and a nice variant on an enemy (we already had a dramatic overhaul of the Chomp, and now we get another one!). After a few castles that were anchored around specific themes, the unique format of this one lets them play around with a few unrelated ideas while not feeling out of place. The challenge is continuing to slowly creep upward, with more threats of instant death, shots that take precise aim, and jumps we need to put a little thought into.

Unfortunately, it kind of putters out at the end. The fort is basically done once you get through the first locked door. That's okay; there's plenty of content before it, but then we get arguably the lamest boss yet. Looking ahead, I can sort of see what they were going for: Four of the final six bosses require the ground pound (while five of the initial six required egg shooting; the Potted Ghost, of course, required walking to the right). So maybe this is meant to be to ground pounding what Burt was to egg shooting.

I just feel like the placement in the game is wrong. We're more than halfway through; we've used ground pounding enough that we don't need a "tutorial" boss this toothless to teach it to us.

Heck, if they even just changed M.M.'s behavior a bit...maybe speed it up with each division. That way, we'd get a lesson in carefully timing our ground pounds that would actually be teaching us something new. As it stands, Marching Milde is probably my least favorite boss, and the low point of an otherwise great stage.

Next Time: Purple Yoshi gets a break.