Review: Yoshi
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:You can start on levels 1 to 5, but after that, there's no way to resume where you left off. To pause the game, press START on your controller. Time needed per session:Most games will conclude before the ten minute mark, so it's safe to say that you can fit in several rounds in fifteen to twenty minutes.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians Simple puzzle games like this leave little to be concerned about |
Screenshots
These screenshots were captured using video from an actual console.
Game Overview
In 1990, Mario broke out in the puzzle game scene with his huge vitamins, and two years later, his buddy Yoshi would get his first try at becoming a puzzle game legend. This first attempt wasn't bad, but it didn't have the staying power needed to dethrone champs like Tetris or Dr. Mario.
Yoshi's gameplay continues the traditional "objects falling down a playfield" mechanic that dominated puzzle games on the NES, but this time you don't control the falling objects. Instead, you control Mario, who is standing below the six trays. You can position him by pressing left or right, and tell him to swap the positions of the trays above him by pressing A or B. This rotating system allows you to control what the falling objects land on.
If an object (usually an enemy from Mario's adventures) lands on a space occupied by the same sort of object, it'll disappear. If the objects are different, the new one will be encased in a box and left on the towering stack. The game ends when there's no more room for things to drop down.
The exception to the above system are egg pieces. The bottom half of the egg acts like any other object, but the top egg piece has some unique behaviors. If the top half lands on a stack containing a bottom egg piece, the top piece will burrow down, scoring you bonus points as it tries to reach the other half and form an egg. The more enemies the eggs consume, the larger the Yoshi that'll hatch from them, and the more points you'll get.
On the other hand, if there aren't any bottom pieces in the stack the top piece lands on, it'll just clear itself. How polite!
As you can see, Yoshi doesn't offer much - you just clear enemies, hatch more Yoshis, and try to score more points. It’s simple enough for a few rounds, but it’s not the sort of game that can really capture a player’s attention for very long. Fortunately for the title character, Nintendo would keep bringing him back for more puzzle games over the years - some of which did end up carving out a niche of their own.
Yoshi's gameplay continues the traditional "objects falling down a playfield" mechanic that dominated puzzle games on the NES, but this time you don't control the falling objects. Instead, you control Mario, who is standing below the six trays. You can position him by pressing left or right, and tell him to swap the positions of the trays above him by pressing A or B. This rotating system allows you to control what the falling objects land on.
If an object (usually an enemy from Mario's adventures) lands on a space occupied by the same sort of object, it'll disappear. If the objects are different, the new one will be encased in a box and left on the towering stack. The game ends when there's no more room for things to drop down.
The exception to the above system are egg pieces. The bottom half of the egg acts like any other object, but the top egg piece has some unique behaviors. If the top half lands on a stack containing a bottom egg piece, the top piece will burrow down, scoring you bonus points as it tries to reach the other half and form an egg. The more enemies the eggs consume, the larger the Yoshi that'll hatch from them, and the more points you'll get.
On the other hand, if there aren't any bottom pieces in the stack the top piece lands on, it'll just clear itself. How polite!
As you can see, Yoshi doesn't offer much - you just clear enemies, hatch more Yoshis, and try to score more points. It’s simple enough for a few rounds, but it’s not the sort of game that can really capture a player’s attention for very long. Fortunately for the title character, Nintendo would keep bringing him back for more puzzle games over the years - some of which did end up carving out a niche of their own.
Points of Interest
Three game modes
When playing alone, you have the option of an A-type or B-type game. Both involve endless waves of enemies and hatching baby Yoshis, but in the B-type games, you'll start each round with several stacks already in the way, and you'll get a bonus if you can empty the playfield.
The other game mode is the two player option, which requires two NES controllers at minimum.
The other game mode is the two player option, which requires two NES controllers at minimum.
Dancing Yoshi
If you manage to hatch 100 Yoshis during a game, the Yoshi in the lower right corner will start dancing! There are no special sprites for this, so he'll simply alternate between the normal and "Yay!" pose to the beat of the music you selected. Even if it's not a perfect dance move, it still looks cool!
Concerns and Issues
Nothing really
There's less going on here than in the Super Mario Bros games, and there isn't much to complain about in those either.