What's the story?
An offshoot of the Mario series, the first Yoshi's Island game came out for the SNES in 1995. A follow-up appeared on the DS in 2006, and this third game is exclusively for the 3DS. Like the Mario games, these are platformers, but rather than the plumber it's several of the colourful dinosaur Yoshis who must run and jump through the levels.
Gameplay
In this prequel story, a baby Mario wants to find his brother Luigi but is helpless to do so without the help of the Yoshis. Taking turns, each carries Mario on its back through one level. On top of the usual platforming skills, the Yoshis can also swallow enemies and turn them into eggs which can then be used as projectiles.
Highs and lows
The hand-drawn aesthetic suggests sweet simplicity, which is backed up by the cute Yoshi sounds and the pleasure of watching them trail a line of eggs. Unfortunately, the platforming takes simplicity too far, and the only difficulty comes from enemies that are more annoying than challenging, that frustration emphasised by the screams Mario lets loose any time he is dislodged.
The verdict
Looking like a cartoon for toddlers along with its opportunity for slow exploration, suggests this would have been better aimed at the very young as a "My First Mario". Those old enough to remember the original will likely be disappointed.
