"Difficult at times, but a ultimately satisfying platformer that a DS owner shouldn't be without."

Yoshi's Island DS is the sequel to Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2, which was easily one of the greatest SNES platformers. Yoshi's Island DS is my vote for the best DS platformer I've yet to have played,alongside New Super Mario Bros

.Graphics: 10
Yoshi's Island DS sports the same graphic style as seen in the original masterpiece. That in no way is a bad thing. The hand-drawn graphics are pleasing to the eye. All of the enemies and bosses look great, and have good designs. Each level is pleasantly detailed. The backgrounds look great too.

Sound/Sound Effects; 8.5
Unfortunately, the music in Yoshi's Island DS simply does not match up to the original. Even as I write this review, I can still remember the music from the original Yoshi's Island. The same is not true for this game. The tunes are barely memorable. They are not terrible, they are just average. :(
On the other hand, the sound effects are right on. Each sound is perfect, fitting the bill for whatever you are doing. The only beef I have with the sound effects was also in the original Yoshi's Island, the babies. I thought that they'd learn and not make each baby cry incessantly the second you lose them. Baby Bowser's and Baby Wario's cries are especially irksome. Fortunately, Baby DK doesn't have an annoying cry.

Control: !0
Not surprisingly, the control is spot-on. You throw eggs with R, jump with B, and lash out your tongue with B. Baby Mario and Baby DK also have a special ability that can be used by holding B while running (Baby Mario) or pressing down and B simultaneously (Baby DK). There is simply no problem whatsoever with the controls. Just like all Mario games, they work perfectly.

Gameplay: 9.7
The gameplay is very reminiscent of the original title. The extra four babies (Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Baby DK, Baby Wario, and Baby Bowser) really add to the already wonderful level design. If you've played the first Yoshi's Island, you should be able to jump right into Yoshi's island DS. Many of the obstacles are taken straight from the original game, like the Chomp rock for instance. A handful of the levels are nostalgic for people who've played the first game, which is good. However, this is NOT a retread of the original game, though the game does have almost the same handful of areas in it - sky levels, plain land levels, cave levels, fortress levels...the game really changes it up with the babies.

Each baby has their own set of abilities. Baby Mario can dash, become Super Baby Mario, and even see invisible ''M'' blocks. Baby Peach can float high into the sky using wind currents, and she can flutter-jump longer than the other babies. Baby DK has a Dash Attack that can kill normal enemies and plow through dirt walls, plus he can climb vines and throw explosive eggs, making him especially handy. Baby Wario and Baby Bowser don't stick around, unfortunatly, but they have their own abilities also. Baby Wario can suck up nearby coins with his magnet, throe ricocheting eggs like Baby Bowser and Baby Mario, plus can pull metal blocks to solve puzzles. Yoshi can't eat enemies when riding Baby Bowser, but Baby Bowser can spit out unlimited amounts if fireballs that are powerful, you just have to wait a while between attacks.

Like the original, Yoshi's Island DS follows the same ways of death. You can lose all your stars then watch in horror as Magikoopas swoop in and steal your baby, or you can simply fall down a pit, which is nearly always the case, since your stars slowly regenerate back up to 10 after they dip below that. Enemies make you lose stars when you touch them, or they hit you with something. Then your baby floats around ina bubble and you must touch it to get it back- that's when the annoying cries start. Speaking of enemies, they are in no short supply in Yoshi's Island DS. Many enemies from the original return, along with new ones, like the Flightless Goonies. Enemies can be killed by several ways: thrown eggs, Chomp Rocks, jumps, fireballs, or by being eaten. Eggs are gained by eating foes or by using Eggo-Dils/Egg Blocks. Not all enemies are susceptible to all ways of enemy death though- some can't be eaten, some can't be jumped on, and some just won't die no matter what.

There are 5 worlds in Yoshi's Island DS, (1 less than the original), but the levels are longer. There are also minigame huts in each level, which can be gone into when you discover a key needed to open it. The minigames will net you much-needed extra lives. The bosses are easy compared to the actual levels though, which is weird. They are fun to battle though, so it's all good. The gameplay really is a joy.

Difficulty: 9
HOLY CRAP. I've played a lot of platformers, and this ranks as one of the most difficult. The game starts out fine from worlds 1 to 3, but by the time you reach the other half of World 4 and beyond, the game is constantly throwing crap your way. This is good and bad. Platformers shouldn't be easy, but sometimes this game is too much. Level 5-1 is particularly frustrating, especially if you're trying to get a good score. However, the steep difficulty doesn't really hurt the game all that much.

Replay Value: 10
The replay value is great here. There is a character coin in each level, and it is either for Baby Mario, Baby Peach, or Baby Donkey Kong. Finding these often requires a lot of exploration, :) You may also feel obliged to get high scores. At the end of each level, you get a score calculated from x out of 30 stars, x out of 20 red coins (which are disguised regular coins) and x out of 5 flowers. The maximum score is 100 points. You can also play through the secret and extra levels too, though some are brutally difficult.

!0- Graphics
8.5 -sound/Sound effects
10-controls
10- gameplay
9 - difficulty
10- replay value

Well, this is my first review, and I hope it's good. Yoshi's Island DS is really a must-buy, especially for platforming fans. It's a worthy sequel to Yoshi's Island, and you MUST give it a try. Go out and buy it today!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/06