Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island is a single-player side-scrolling platform game set in the early days of the Mario universe. The story begins when the evil Magikoopa Kamek attempts to kidnap the infant Mario twins. Luigi is successfully taken, but Mario escapes, falling onto Yoshi’s Island. The Yoshis, a community of friendly dinosaurs, decide to take turns carrying Baby Mario on their backs as they escort him safely across the island, working together to reunite him with his brother and defeat Kamek’s forces.

Gameplay revolves around controlling Yoshis of different colors, who pass Baby Mario between them at the end of each stage. Mario himself cannot fight, but if knocked from Yoshi’s back he floats in a bubble, and a countdown timer begins before Kamek’s minions arrive to capture him. To protect Mario, Yoshi can swallow enemies and transform them into eggs, which are stored in a trailing supply and can be thrown at enemies, obstacles, or switches to solve puzzles. Yoshi can also perform a flutter jump to extend airtime, ground pounds to smash through blocks or attack enemies, and butt-stomps to flip switches or uncover hidden areas.

Stages introduce transformations that temporarily change Yoshi into vehicles such as a helicopter, submarine, or train, each controlled differently and allowing access to otherwise unreachable areas. Collectibles play a major role: each level contains red coins, flowers, and star icons, which add to completion percentages and influence overall progress. Stars are particularly important as they replenish the countdown timer protecting Baby Mario.

The visual style is distinguished by hand-drawn, crayon-like graphics and bright colors, setting it apart from earlier Mario games. Levels vary widely in theme, ranging from grassy meadows to fortresses, caves, and castles. Boss battles punctuate each world, featuring large, exaggerated enemies often powered up by Kamek’s magic.

A later re-release, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island for the Game Boy Advance under the title Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3, introduced minor adjustments such as improved sound and added bonus levels. In 2019, the game was reissued digitally for the Nintendo Switch Online service.