Yoshi's Island DS

Screenshots

Notes

Phantom Hourglass, the previous game, is a game that really leans into the DS's hardware and as a result plays out very differently from the GBA Zelda titles (e.g. Minish Cap). Yoshi's Island DS represents the far opposite end of the spectrum, and plays out almost identically to Yoshi's Island on the GBA. This is interesting as it sets boundaries most DS sequels fall somewhere in between. Some of them are mostly the same with touch screen menus or minor enhancements, and some lean more towards changing it up (but few as drastically as PH).

Almost all the action takes place on one screen, with the other extending the field of view up or down (and you can switch which way you're looking at will). The graphics are upgraded a little from the GBA title but much in the same style, and the gameplay is basically identical.

The one major new mechanic is swapping babies. Different babies have different abilities which change up the gameplay a little bit, and you have to swap around occaisionally to solve puzzles. I mostly stuck with Mario when I had a choice as he's the most versatible.

A lot of stuff is returning from the previous game. Nothing is directly copied over I think, but the early game seems familiar and there are some things like a boss that's a remix of a boss from YIGBA. A few segments are very closely borrowed from the first game like one falling rock section. There's not much outside of the baby mechanic sections that couldn't have gone in the original game.

The sped up the transformation animation which is a minor thing but really annoyed me in the previous game because it was so slow.

Weird observation: in the original YI after beating a boss you get a big key and open an invisible door to the next world. In this one the key is gone but the door is now visible with a big keyhole.

I think the game gets kind of bullshit and frustrating towards the end. For some reason they decided the ice world was one that needed bringing back for round 2 as well.

Overall Yoshi's Island is solid but feels like it's mostly a rehash of the original with small tweaks and additions. My enjoyment of it definitely suffered because I've only recently played the GBA version.