"A very solid platformer, despite some flaws."

Yoshi's Island DS is the successor of the 1995 SNES-classic Yoshi's Island, which also got ported to the GBA in 2002.

Gameplay
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Yoshi's Island DS is a 2D side-scrolling platformer. You play as Yoshi while carrying a baby-version of Mario or another Nintendo-icon on your back. Whenever you get hit, the baby flies of and you have to get it back. If you fail to do so in time, you lose a life. I personally like this system a lot, because it makes for some pretty frantic jumping around whenever baby Mario sets off.

As you progress through the game, you will get other babies. Each one has a unique ability. This adds quite a bit to the game, because you will have to switch babies at set points in order to progress. Throw in a puzzle here and there and you get some variation.

The levels are really large, you can easily spend some 15 minutes in each one as you try to find the exit. Most levels aren't at all linear meaning you will have to do some searching in order to reach the finish, not to mention doing a level a few times to get all the items in order to get a 100%.

The boss fights are good too, stretching themselves on both screens. Some use the DS's second screen quite well. It is here that one of this game's biggest flaws is most noticeable: the dead zone between both screens. Seeing as you use both screens, the little blind spot between them can get very annoying, especially during the boss fights.

Graphics
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A bit disappointing. It doesn't look better than the first game. Nothing was done with the DS's extra power, so you won't get nice 3D graphics like in New Super Mario Bros. It's also quite sad that the characteristic hand-drawn style of the series is a bit less outspoken here than in the SNES-game, which I personally think is a shame. But enough complaining, all in all Yoshi's Island DS looks good, the characters animate nicely and the levels all look colorful.

Sound
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Again, I must complain a bit. I found the music to be a bit minimalistic and repetitive. Especially in the underground parts, you hear the same, monotonous tune over and over again. A little variation in the score would have helped. On the plus side, some other tunes are really cheerful and catchy. The soundeffects are nothing special but they get the job done.

Lasting Value

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Yoshi's Island DS is surprisingly big and it gets quite hard near the end as well, so don't expect to finish this game on a rainy afternoon. You can also unlock some extras but nothing that will expand this game's life a lot. No multiplayer is supported.

Overall
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I enjoyed Yoshi's Island DS a lot. It's fun, lengthy and challenging. The original SNES-game is still better but that shouldn't be any reason not too get this game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/08/07