When I noticed such a unique and unparalleled game as Yoshi’s Story had gone unreviewed in Lemmy’s Land, I rushed out to my local game rental store and took the game out for a week. Yoshi’s Story has always been a game I respected, even if I didn’t really like it per se. With the limited following such an interesting game has amassed, I thought I’d review it to give a bit of insight on the true authorship of Yoshi’s Story.
Storyline: 4.5
Let’s face it- Yoshi’s Story is a bit high on Yoshis and a bit low on story. The opening scene shows that the “Super Happy Tree” has been stolen by Baby Bowser, rendering the Yoshis unhappy. Predictably, they’ll have to rescue the tree from the young Koopa King’s clutches by journeying over various worlds referred to as “pages”. Although there’s no princess rescuing in this game, the plot really has little oomph in it, as one can’t really get all too excited about the loss of one tree. Since when did happiness grow on trees, anyway? Although I personally found it humorously cute, the story behind the Story really offers nothing new to the Mario universe, and may even be below the usual low par of other Mario games.
Characters: 8
Come on, who doesn’t like Yoshi? The agile little dinosaur has only grown in popularity over the years, and now boasts a huge following. Fortunately, the star of the Story doesn’t disappoint this time around, with the same entrancing squeaks and whistles. Yoshi even waves his arms, cries, and jumps for joy. As far as the protagonist, Yoshi’s Story is well cast. The antagonist, however, the aforementioned Baby Bowser, is barely mentioned at all during the game, and although he has some excellent lines near the end, really plays little to no role whatsoever in the story. That scenario almost suits the game, however, and it’s the hilarious minions that really take the cake this time around. Although there aren’t many of them, the enemies Yoshi will have to face are often quite well done and funny. From the squishy Neurons that lift Yoshi to the skies, to the bees that form large hands in the air, to Pack E. Derm, the polka-dot wearing elephant holding up a large stop sign, virtually every baddie in the game has a unique quirk, earning it such a high rating on the characters front.
Game play/Interface: 6
This could possibly be the hardest game I’ve ever had to review under this category, as Yoshi’s Story takes many risks in developing a new type of game play, which works… occasionally. To pass through a stage in Yoshi’s Story, you must collect 30 fruit scattered across the course. There are far more than 30 of the tasty snacks in each stage, however, meaning that the game is easy to complete by collecting every fruit in sight. However, with the incentive of collecting Yoshi’s favorite fruit, the randomly chosen lucky fruit, or the point-giving melons, the game becomes a lot more complex. I thought the game really worked well for a while, until I discovered how tough it really was to try and eat every melon in a stage. Some will love the new, unique game play in Yoshi’s Story. It may possibly be the game’s strongest point. However, most will find it pointless and aggravating- there simply isn’t any motivation to race after each and ever melon or lucky fruit. Controlling Yoshi, however, is another matter. Yoshi’s repertoire of moves has only grown over the years, and he now has the ability to sniff out fruit as well as the traditional ground pound and extra effort jump. The sniffing ability is one of my favorite additions to the game, and can be quite funny, in watching Yoshi race around, frantically searching the ground for that last melon. The interface front, while well done, is ridiculously number-heavy, and most will be scratching their head after their score has been added up. With hit-and-miss game play and an utterly complex interface, I simply couldn’t award more than a 6 to the game in this category.
Graphics: 9.5
I don’t know if I’ve seen better graphics from the Nintendo 64, certainly in the originality category. Yoshi’s Story is ultimately a 2-dimensional platformer, but it has a few nifty 3D effects, such as in the first level, Treasure Hunt, where there are two paths for Yoshi to choose from. I found the setup to work extremely well, with beautiful textures and well-rendered sprites. The backgrounds, however, are what really take the cake. Look closely and you’ll notice the sky is really denim, with the words ”made in Japan” and the classic “Nintendo” monogrammed onto it. Other backgrounds, such as those underground, look as if they were made from plasticine. There are many other hidden “Easter eggs” inside the game, which I’ll leave the budding gamer to discover. My one complaint with the graphics here is that occasionally, Yoshi can look a tad out of place, almost fuzzy. All in all, however, the ol’ Island is still in tiptop aesthetic shape from its earlier, SNES showcasing.
Sound: 9
If you haven’t yet discovered during my other Reviews, I’m a real sucker for great music. Many might argue I’m being a tad generous in this category, but I found Yoshi’s Story’s ear candy to be right on the mark. Yoshi’s main theme is very well executed, with a flavor that’s pure dino. In addition, many of the other themes, such as that of Neuron Jungle, are great- the tune is actually squished out in what sounds like musical goop. The story theme and world clear themes, albeit slightly annoying, are also very distinguishable as Yoshi songs, and provide a few smiles here and there. Although the main theme is reused fairly often, it is so well remixed that it’s difficult to recognize, and original tunes thrown in here and there really help to spice up the game. If the excellent music is eclipsed by anything in Yoshi’s Island, the blame goes the above-par sound effects. Watching Yoshi sniff out fruit is hilariously funny with his various squeals and cries, while the sound of everyone’s favorite dino pouncing on a bubble is just as comical. A high-quality all-around sound atmosphere scores Yoshi’s Story huge points in this category.
Value/Replayability: 3.5
Here’s the downfall, folks. Yoshi’s Story, while adequate in most categories, and even above average in some, simply is far, Far, FAR too short. It’s easily quite possible to beat the game through in a three-hour sitting, and have little left to complete. There’s the challenge of collecting all thirty melons in each level, of course, and to try and score as high as possible. However, neither are much fun, and will rapidly bore most gamers. Finding all 30 melons is nearly impossible in all but four levels, while the scoring system is so complex that it’s not really worth playing around with. Although there is the option to replay the game taking a different 6-level path through the 24-level game, that experience may run out of gas before even the expected four sittings. All in all, Yoshi’s Story doesn’t have enough meat to keep virtually anyone interested for all that long. Forcing the player to complete all 24 levels to win, and placing a boss at the end of each 4-level world would really add to the value of the game, but I suppose Nintendo was too busy with Paper Mario to bother giving a more deserving game much attention (sorry, I needed to get my required Paper Mario insult somewhere in the Review).
Fun Factor!: 5.5
Perhaps a valiant shot is made at stirring up some excitement- Yoshi’s Story does contain some rousing music and excellent graphics. However, after the first enjoyable play, the game’s fun factor drops faster than Poochy off a cliff. I felt I enjoyed the game more than most, so if you’re not a fan of the sort of game described above, knock the rating down a few points. Any game with Yoshi should be fun, and Yoshi’s Story is, to an extent. Just take the game in small doses, and soak in a bit of the ambience. As a video game adventure, the game is considerably lacking. As a Yoshi experience, however, it may just be on par.
Final Score: 6
The Positives:
· Another Yoshi adventure! Yippee!
· A platformer? On the Nintendo 64?
· New, unique game play that occasionally
succeeds
· Excellent ambiance (graphics and sound)
The Negatives:
· Weak, uninspiring storyline
· New, unique game play that often fails
· A number-heavy, difficult to follow
interface/scoring system
· Extremely short and straightforward
· Lack of fun for many gamers
Yoshi’s Story is the sad, heartbreaking tale of a game that came oh so close. With an excellent ambience, strong level design, and Yoshi himself, the game should be very good, and could have been. With just 24 more levels, a wider appeal, and refined game play, Yoshi’s Story could have been up there with the best Mario games. As it is, it’s way down at the bottom of the pile. I actually liked the game, but I fear it may accomplish more bad than good during its lifetime, as the possibility of continuing the Yoshi’s Island legacy seems to be slowly dissipating.
The Bottom Line:
I’d definitely recommend Yoshi’s Story as a rental
for younger, less experienced gamers, as well as for the die-hard Yoshi
fan. Mario fans, such as the frequenters of Lemmy’s Land, might also want
to play it, just to keep up with the Mario Universe. In fact, Yoshi’s Island
is a good pick-me-up for those long, drawn-out winter nights, or at a party,
where a group of people can work as a tag-team to beat all six levels.
Ultimately, however, stay away from this game if you’re one of those people
who can’t handle more than a small dose of “cuteness”. Those smiley flowers
just may bite if aggravated, you know.