GAME INFROMATION System: Wii
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Genre: 2D Platformer
STORY It’s another peaceful day on Yoshi’s Island. The Yoshis of the Meadow village are enjoying themselves, living their relaxing, everyday lives. So yeah, it’s inevitable that all this is about to be interrupted by Bowser’s goons, right? That’s just what happens; airships swarm around the village, blasting down trees and houses while the ground troops capture all of the Yoshis. Yoshi, who was out on a stroll, enters the village, shocked at the sight. We’re then shown that the airships are also kidnapping Yoshis from the other villages on the island! They seem to heading toward an area on the far side of the island; apparently, Bowser has set up a Koopa colony there. Why would the Koopas want to capture the island’s inhabitants?...
Just as Yoshi gets ready to head out on his quest to save the Yoshis, a bundle suddenly lands on his back. He looks up to see the Stork flying away. Yoshi opens up the sack, which contains... Baby Mario? Mario frantically explains (as best as he can in his baby language) that Baby Luigi has gone missing, and that Bowser must be behind it. He asked the Stork to bring him to Yoshi’s Island so that he could enlist Yoshi’s help. With both Mario and Yoshi having a motive to infiltrate Bowser’s Badlands, they set off to once again explore the island and rescue their friends.
CONTROLS Yoshi’s Island Wii uses the Wiimote on its side. This game’s controls deviate a bit from those of its predecessors, so they may take some getting used to.
D-Pad: Left and right to move, down to crouch. Crouch while preparing an egg to cancel your aim.
2: Jump. Hold it to Flutter Kick, which allows you to hover shortly.
1: Use Yoshi’s tongue. Tilt the Wii Remote to aim your tongue, and press 1 to shoot out your tongue. You also use some Power-Ups with 1.
1 (hold): Hold 1 for about half a second to prepare an egg. Tilt the Wiimote while holding an egg to aim where to toss it; release 1 to throw it. You can still move and jump in this state.
Plus (+): Pause the game.
Minus (-): Access your Cards.
Tilt: You tilt the Remote to aim your tongue and your eggs. It’s also used with certain special abilities.
GAMEPLAY AND OTHER STUFF Yoshi’s Island Wii would be the third installment in the Yoshi’s Island series. The game would be animated entirely in 2D, similarly to Wario Land: Shake It! or A Boy and His Blob; if you’re familiar with the style used in the official art used for the Yoshi’s Island games – particularly Yoshi’s Island DS – then imagine that being animated. It’d be a logical visual progression from YI’s scribbly crayon style and YIDS’s somewhat cleaner (but less charming) colored pencil graphics, as YIWii’s style would be inspired by watercolor paintings.
Like Donkey Kong Country Returns, a dynamic environment is used throughout the game world. Many seemingly mundane things found around the levels can actually be interacted with, and many times you’ll traverse different layers of the background.
Yoshi’s Island DS introduced the mechanic of having multiple characters; however, this game will not continue that. YIWii focuses on other gameplay aspects, namely environmental obstacles - similar to the first game - and controls that take advantage of the Wii’s motion capabilities.
When Yoshi takes damage, Baby Mario gets thrown off his back and becomes trapped in a bubble. When this happens, your Star Counter starts ticking down. If it reaches zero, Baby Mario will be taken by Toadies, and you’ll lose a life. Yoshi starts every stage with 10 Stars, and can collect more throughout the stage.
Each of the game’s eight worlds contains ten stages - eight normal stages, one Secret stage, and one Extra stage. All of the Secret stages are unlocked after beating the Boss in World 8-8. In order to unlock the Extra stages, you must earn 800 points in the stage’s corresponding world. For instance, earning 800 points in World 1 will unlock Extra 1. In each stage, 10 points are awarded for each of the five Flowers; 1 point is awarded for each of the 20 Red Coins; 1 point is awarded for each Star that Yoshi manages to keep, for a maximum of 30 points.
Each world also contains a village that was invaded by Bowser’s goons, leaving them devoid of most Yoshis. These village stages, marked as “World #-V”, are different in that they contain no collectibles like Flowers or Red Coins; you do not earn a score for them. The only objective is to clear away all the enemies that have swarmed around the village’s empty remains; doing so will convince the sole Yoshi who escaped the invasion to join you. After you beat World 8, the villages you saved will become repopulated with Yoshis again and will bustle with activity once more; you can visit them at any time and enjoy yourself.
If you manage to get 100% on every stage in the game, you’ll be rewarded with the Rainbow Crystal Egg as a symbol of your perseverance; also, you’ll be given the ultra-elusive Crystal Eggs Trophy if you have Super Smash Bros. Brawl data. And, of course, you’ll convince the amazing Rainbow Yoshi to join your team.
YOSHIS In past Yoshi’s Island games, each color Yoshi was assigned to a specific stage in every world. However, in this game, you can change to whatever color Yoshi you want on the map screen before entering a stage. The only Yoshi available at first is the main Green Yoshi. You’ll find other Yoshis who escaped the Koopa invasion as you enter the other villages. These Yoshis will then join you.
You start with Green Yoshi in the Meadow village (in World 1). Red is in the Forest village (in World 2); Cyan is in the Beach village (in World 3); Yellow is in the Cavern village (in World 4); Purple is in the Jungle village (in World 5); Orange is in the Valley village (in World 6); Pink is in the Summit village (in World 7); Blue is in the Badlands village (World 8); both Black and White Yoshis are located in the Celestial village (in World 9); and the SUPER-SECRET Rainbow Yoshi is located in the Rainbow Village (in World 10).
ITEMS Specials - These are occasionally found within stages, and give Yoshi temporary abilities. Watermelon: Eat this to be able to rapidly shoot watermelon seeds. You can spit 20 seeds.
Super Star: Grab this and Baby Mario will become Super Star Mario. In this form, you’re invincible and can use your cape to hover, but the transformation only lasts about 8 seconds.
Cards - These can be won in Bonus Challenges, and can be accessed via the Minus Button during gameplay. You can carry up to 16 Cards. +10 Star: Increases your Star Counter by 10.
+20 Star: Increases your Star Counter by 20.
Full Egg: Automatically makes you have six eggs.
Watermelon: Gives Yoshi the ability to spit 20 seeds.
Little POW Block: Turns all foes within a certain radius into Stars.
Winged Cloud: Turns all foes within a certain radius into Winged Clouds.
Magnifying Glass: Reveals Red Coins hidden among and disguised as regular Coins.
Collectables - The more of these you have, the better off you are. Coin: 100 of these will net you an extra life.
Flower: There are 5 scattered throughout each stage. Collecting all 5 yields a 1-Up. Each one adds 10 points to your score.
Red Coin: There are 20 in each stage. They are hidden among regular coins, so they may be tricky to find. Each one adds 1 point to your score.
Star: These serve as Yoshi’s health. You can have a max of 30. Each one you have adds 1 point to your score.
Crystal Eggs: There are eleven of these mysterious relics – one for each of the main Yoshi colors, plus one that displays all the other ten colors. Eight of them are hidden in the various villages of Yoshi’s Island. When you obtain a perfect score on a world’s Extra Stage, go back to that world’s village. The village leader will present you with a Crystal Egg, which you should then place within the Temple. Read more about the Temple in the below sections.
POWER-UPS Instead of transformations and Morph Bubbles from previous games, Yoshi can eat certain types of food to gain special abilities. These abilities don’t wear off after a time limit; you get to keep your ability until you die, take damage, or pass through a No Power Flag.
Sugar Cookie: Rush Yoshi gets a sugar rush and runs at super speeds. Press forward to speed up or back to slow down a bit. It’s impossible to stop or change direction on your own.
Hot Pepper: Fire Yoshi can breathe fireballs by pressing 1; aim by tilting the Wiimote. These fireballs can melt ice and stun (if not outright kill) most foes. They’re also good for lighting torches.
Ice Lolly: Ice Yoshi can breathe an icy mist by holding 1; again, aim by tilting the Wiimote. This mist can solidify water and freeze foes into stepping stones.
Bulb Berry: Bulb Yoshi can reveal hidden platforms and light up dark areas with the light he emits; you can aim this spotlight by tilting the Wiimote.
Sea Melon: Serpent Yoshi can swim underwater by moving the D-Pad in any direction, and can do a ram attack by pressing 1. Baby Mario dons a helmet while riding Serpent Yoshi.
Rock Candy: Rock Yoshi can drill into certain patches of soft ground, acting like the Mole Tank but with better control. Simply move the D-Pad where you want to dig and hold 1.
Super Feather: Wing Yoshi can fly by repeatedly pressing 2 to flap his wings. If you hold 2, you can glide. This isn’t really food, so Yoshi makes a yucky face after eating it.
Dragon Fruit: Dragon Yoshi is like a hybrid between Fire and Wing; he can fly by repeatedly pressing 2 to flap his wings, and can breathe fireballs by aiming with the Wiimote and pressing 1.
STAGE FEATURES Star Flag: Touch the flag to earn an additional 10 Stars. It also serves as a checkpoint; if you lose a life, you can restart from here.
Goal Flag: Touch the flag to stop the Flower Roulette and end the stage.
No Power Flag: Touch the flag and you’ll lose your Power-Up ability.
Flower Grapple: Use Yoshi's tongue on this to have him lasso onto it and swing to higher areas.
Chomp Rock: This Chomp-faced stone comes in handy. It can be rolled (push it or stand on top of it) and can hold down switches, squash foes, be used as a platform, and more.
Poochy: Yoshi’s faithful dog pal is invincible to spikes and lava, making him a great method of transportation. He’ll move in whatever direction Yoshi’s facing.
Boss Pipe: This black warp pipe, marked with a skull and crossbones, appears at the start of every boss stage after you’ve beaten the stage at least once. It’ll take you straight to the boss room.
WORLDS AND STAGES Yoshi’s Island is a pretty massive place; it boasts a huge variety of regions, including tranquil fields, thick jungles, and towering snowcapped mountains. You select stages you want to go to via a gigantic overhead map of Yoshi’s Island, similar to the map in Donkey Kong Country Returns. There are locations on Yoshi’s Island besides the main worlds of the game, such as the Temple and the Arcade. Also, Worlds 9 and 10 don’t even take place on the island; rather, they’ll take Yoshi to entirely new worlds.
World -: The Temple: An ancient temple located near the Meadow. It’s a place that’s revered by all Yoshis, and the site where the Crystal Eggs are supposed to be set.
World -: The Arcade: A small, cozy cave near the meadow. The island’s friendly inhabitants enjoy coming here to hang out and play games, particularly Bonus Challenges.
World 1: The Meadow: A serene field region situated in the foothills. Strong gusts tend to blow around the vibrant flowers, resulting in beautiful, colorful vistas.
World 2: The Forest: A rocky, forested region leading through winding mountain paths. The highlands are home to some tough enemies and platforming challenges.
World 3: The Beach: A sandy coastal region. Its sunny shores occasionally give way to some rougher environments, like ocean caverns and pirate hideaways.
World 4: The Cavern: A region located deep in a crystal quarry. It tends to be dark and eerie, but the sight when light reflects off the colorful crystals is unmatched.
World 5: The Jungle: A dense, foggy region full of marshy pits and dangling vines. It’s clear from all the ruins that an ancient civilization once thrived within temples.
World 6: The Valley: A dry, grassy region located within a canyon. The reddish landscape spans cloudy uplands and underground lava caves due to its volcanic nature.
World 7: The Summit: A snowy region consisting of the island’s tallest peaks. The aerial views are breathtaking, and the highest areas extend even beyond the clouds.
World 8: The Badlands: A dark, spooky region at the island’s farthest corners. Its dark forests and barren grasslands make it the perfect spot for a Koopa colony.
World 9: The Stars: A celestial region between the sky and the cosmos. It is composed of star-shaped peaks. Its Star inhabitants are fighting off an alien invasion…
World 10: The Rainbow: A region located in a different dimension entirely. Its color-splashed sky is the only thing shared by its extremely odd and disparate stages.
World -: The Temple This ancient stone temple lies near the Meadow. Inside is a huge circular pedestal with eleven holes engraved in it. Eight of these holes are around the circumference of the pedestal; two are closer to the center; and the last one is smack-dab in the middle. It is said that this pedestal is supposed to hold the ten legendary Crystal Eggs; read the above section for more information on the Crystal Eggs. Whenever you find a Crystal Egg, come to the Temple to put it in the pedestal. After the first eight are found, the ninth world, the Stars, will be opened. The “final” two Crystal Eggs are located in the Stars; put them in the pedestal, and the last world, the Rainbow, will be available. The Rainbow Crystal Egg is obtained there, and is a symbol of 100% completion.
World -: The Arcade: This “arcade” is really just a cool cave where the island’s friendly denizens like to hang out. Here, you can play Bonus Challenges earned from other worlds. Normally Bonus Challenges are only playable if you get lucky at the Flower Roulette at the end of a stage; however, if you get 700 points or higher in a world, its corresponding Bonus Challenge will be made available here.
Bonus 1: Pick!: There are six panels to choose from. Three hold Cards; the other three hold Kamek faces. You get what you pick. Kamek faces earn you nothing. It’s the simplest game.
Bonus 2: Scratch!: There are seven scratch spaces; three hide stars and four hide Toadies. Scratch all three stars to get a 10-Up, two stars for a 5-Up, and one star for a 1-Up.
Bonus 3: Flip!: There are eight panels; seven with Cards and one with Kamek. If you flip Kamek, the game ends, and you don’t keep the Cards you flipped; it’s up to you to quit the game with the items you’ve flipped.
Bonus 4: Trade!: You can trade up to five of your Cards for the same amount of new ones. You don’t know what Cards you’re getting in return.
Bonus 5: Spin!: Stop the slots on a slot machine. Get three 7’s for a 10-Up, three Baby Mario heads for a 5-Up, three Watermelons for a 3-Up, and three of anything else for a 1-Up.
Bonus 6: Match!: There are fourteen panels to flip over, each bearing a picture of a Card. For every match you flip, you earn one of that Card. Match all seven pairs for a 5-Up.
Bonus 7: Fire!: There are 10 balloons, each numbered 1 to 5. Yoshi prepares an egg nearby; whatever the egg passes through when you fire the egg is the number of lives you earn.
Bonus 8: Gamble!: Bet any amount of lives. You roll three dice; if you roll an 18 (the highest), you triple the lives you bet. 11-17 double, anything lower though and you lose all the lives you bet.
Bonus 9: Pinball!: Launch a pinball into a pinball table with any amount of force; on the way down, it bumps into Cards and 1-Ups, which you earn. If it hits a Kamek face, the game ends.
Bonus 10: Win!: You will receive a random Card, and then anywhere from 1 to 10 lives.
World 1: The Meadow: The game begins in a vast expanse of lush fields full of blooming flowers and sloping hills. This world also gives a taste of the different types of stages in the game.
W1-V: The Meadow Village: This is very similar to “Welcome to Yoshi’s Island” in the original game. It’s a very short intro stage that goes through the raided village.
W1-1: Here We Go!: This is the first real stage. Make eggs, throw eggs, and get used to the game’s odd control scheme as you make your way through the bright, flowery plain.
W1-2: Ready… Aim… Fire!: You can’t get through the game unless you know how to aim your eggs, so this stage will hone your egg-tossing skills by placing switches and such all around.
W1-3: Koopa Troopa, Stop Picking on Me!: It’s our favorite turtle’s debut! Lots of Koopas and Paratroopas here. Their shells are quite useful in item-nabbing and puzzle-solving.
W1-4: Maizee Dayzee’s Flower Fort: Crazee Dayzees abound in this crumbling ruin in a flowery field. Here, you’ll learn that you’ll sometimes need to bounce eggs off walls to get stuff.
W1-5: Gusty Heights: The first auto-scrolling stage is a doozy. If you flutter where there are gusts of wind, you can travel to otherwise inaccessible areas. Lots of Gusties, too.
W1-6: Shy Guys Down Deep: You’ll learn the importance of Ground Pounding in his underground cavern, which is chock full o’ Shy Guys of all kinds.
W1-7: Take to the Skies: You’ll have your first run-in with a Power-Up here: the Super Feather! Use it to explore the vast environment.
W1-8: Perry the Paragoomba’s Tower: Wind is constantly blowing inside this decrepit tower. You’ll need to ride it to head up to the top. Ground Pounding is useful. Goombas abound.
Secret 1: Aren’t Items Fun?: You’d better think so, or you’ll hate this stage. Every single Power-Up is used here. At the end you'll need to make a mad dash for the goal with the Super Star.
Extra 1: Flower Flingin': The only way to cross these giant gaps is to use the Flower Grapples. Don't worry; there are plenty of flying foes trying to make you crash and fall.
World 2: The Forest: Platforms and enemies toughen up here, which is located in the mountainous, forested uplands of the island. Things get pretty freaky as you go deeper into the heart of the coniferous forest; there are a lot of ghosts and other mysterious goings-on in the denser, more wooded areas. As you ascend the lush mountainside, the platforming gets much trickier.
W2-1: TIMBER!: The platforming here is tough compared to World 1. It doesn't help that goons are sawing down the trees to try to crush you, although some fallen trees can be used as bridges.
W2-2: Blue Hedgehogs on Green Hill: Harry Hedgehogs swarm around the lakeside. Also, you’ll need the Sugar Cookie for supersonic speed on loop-de-loops. This all sounds quite familiar...
W2-V: The Forest Village: This lakeside village is overrun with goons! Defeat all of them to convince the lone survivor, Red Yoshi, to join you.
W2-3: Fun with Fuzzy: The white cotton ball-like Fuzzies are back, and their effects are more psychedelic than ever. To make things even more fun, there are tons of places to fall off.
W2-4: Biggest Boo’s Mansion: This haunted estate is made up of a number of houses and courtyards in an eerie forest. Naturally, there are loads of Boos, as well as other ghostly enemies.
W2-5: I.C.U.: Lantern Ghosts have made this cave their home. It’s almost pitch-black in here - good thing you’re introduced to Bulb Berries!
W2-6: Donut Lifts Fall: The fickle Donut Blocks are especially prominent here in the highlands. There are a lot of bottomless pits here; be careful of the tricky footings.
W2-7: Yoob-etter Watch Out!: Yoob has somehow reawakened! He lingers far in the background. If he sees you, you’d better duck behind trees or cliffs for cover, or he’ll swallow you whole.
W2-8: Dark Clark’s Fortress: Lantern Ghosts abound. They seem to have taken refuge in this old, crumbling castle, located high on a clifftop at night. Use Bulb Berries to light your way.
Secret 2: The Forest of Flux: Summer is normal, Fall is windy, Winter is icy and snowy, and Spring is rainy. Use the Season Blocks to toggle through time and solve the mystery of the wood.
Extra 2: Large and in Charge: Whoa... The foes here - along with the items and blocks and coins - are HUGE. That is, until you enter a magic door. Then, everything shrinks dramatically.
World 3: The Beach: From sandy shores to pirate ships to treasure troves to volcanic hot springs, this world takes you through a rocky oceanic area.
W3-1: Sun, Sand, and Sea: The beach is a lovely place... until you meet the Lungefish and Nep-Enuts trying to eat you. Also, beware of quicksand traps and the sand monsters hiding in them.
W3-2: Cold Treat on a Hot Summer Day: The Ice Lolly is used extensively here. You’ll need to use it to freeze the raging river rapids and create stepping stones out of enemies.
W3-V: The Beach Village: The pirate goons here are much nastier than in previous villages. Why don’t you use that tasty-looking Ice Lolly over there to help you out? Cyan Yoshi joins here.
W3-3: Cannonball Cove? Yikes!: The pirate ships looming on the horizon will bombard you with cannonballs. You’ll eventually board the ships and fight off Pirate Guys.
W3-4: Cap’n Guy’s Battleship: This huge ship is infested with pirates, naturally. Ice Lollies are essential. Halfway through, the ship sinks, and you’ll backtrack through the flooded corridors.
W3-5: The Loch Yoshi Monster: Yoshi will have his first taste of the Sea Melon. As you can probably guess, you’ll spend a lot of time underwater in this dusky lagoon.
W3-6: Stormy Seas!: This beach has some gnarly waves. If you’re in the water when lightning strikes, you’ll be fried. You won’t have to worry about the electrified water as a Serpent, though.
W3-7: A Cave of Two Elements: Water and lava are prominent components in this steamy, underground hot spring. Don’t stay in the hot water too long or you’ll die, unless you’re a Serpent.
W3-8: Lippy the Lungefish’s Steamy Sauna: All the steam in this sandy castle makes it hard to see in some places. There’s lots of boiling water and lava.
Secret 3: A Pirate’s Day: The stage happens on the tiny pirate ship you hop on at the start. You must survive from dawn to dusk as the ship is tossed about in the increasingly violent waters.
Extra 3: Quicksand Castle: This sinking building is flooding with sand, and fast. The rising sand forces you upward. Don’t get trapped under something, or you’ll be crushed.
World 4: The Cavern: Gigantic crystals and massive rock overhangs await you in this world. The stages here take place in a massive network of open-pit mines and bluish caverns. Views of the sky peak through the colossal stone walls and structures that form this subterranean region. Monty Moles are new enemies introduced here.
W4-1: Chomp Rock Roll: This cave requires you to use the eponymous Chomp Rock to progress. Chain Chomps also appear here in abundance.
W4-2: The Cave of Crashing Crystal: This cold cavern is quite unstable. Giant crystals will often fall and crash through the ground with little warning. Also, watch out for the icy, slippery ground.
W4-3: Spin! Dig! Shindig!: The Rock Candy is used extensively here. Its drilling abilities are necessary for trekking through this stage. There’s plenty of boiling lava, to boot.
W4-V: The Cavern Village: The way to the clay-and-mud houses of this village is blocked by a cave-in. Use the Rock Candy to drill through the blockade and beat the baddies. Yellow joins here.
W4-4: Chomp-a-Colossal’s Lair: Chomp Rocks are essential puzzle-solving elements in these Chomp-ridden ruins, as are Rock Candies.
W4-5: Beware the Bob-ombs: Explosions abound at this crazy construction site. You’ll need to eat Bob-ombs to make Egg Bombs and blow up obstructions.
W4-6: Monty Mole Mines: You’ll take wild mine cart rides here. At the end, you’ll have an epic battle with a group of Monty Moles by tossing Egg Bombs at them. Oh, and you’ll both ride carts.
W4-7: Warp Pipe Dreams?...: This sewer maze boasts a complex labyrinth of warp pipes. It’s overgrown with giant plants and fungi, and is infested with vicious Piranha Plants.
W4-8: Blackfang’s Dark Den: This cave is full of Fangs (bats). To make matters worse, many areas are pitch-black. Bulb Berries, Hot Peppers, and Rock Candies become very important here.
Secret 4: Mine Cart Madness!: You’ll need to use mine carts to maneuver through this underground gold mine. It’s... really tough.
Extra 4: Warp Pipe NIGHTMARES: The ground, walls, and ceiling are composed completely of pipes, many of which move sporadically or spawn foes. Oh, and a lot of it scrolls.
World 5: The Jungle: A dense, steamy jungle teems with wildlife. The first half of the world is dense, leafy, and healthy-green, whereas the second is a sticky, foggy marsh. You’ll also get to explore the crumbling ruins of an ancient civilization.
W5-1: Welcome to the Jungle: World 5 is much tougher than the last few worlds. Maybe it’s because of all the vine-jumping and nasty enemies, like Piranha Plants.
W5-2: Monkey See, Monkey Throw: Those dang monkeys - called Grinders - hang out on vines and throw painful things at you. You’ll ascend a rather large tree, with the goal being at the top.
W5-3: Spear Guys in the Village: There are lots of abandoned huts here; we must be close to the Jungle village! It’s been overrun with Spear Guys. Most huts have goodies hidden inside.
W5-V: The Jungle Village: The village proper is in the treetops. You’ll need to use Watermelon seeds to clear away the Spear Guys and Grinders; this will free Purple Yoshi.
W5-4: Gary the Grinder’s Canopy Keep: The Grinders have created a hangout at the highest point in the canopy. It’s really easy to fall - especially with monkeys throwing garbage at you.
W5-5: Rain, Rain, Go Away!: There’s a lot of heavy rainfall here, located in a swampy site of many ancient stone structures. Watch out for mudslides – they may cause you to slip to your doom.
W5-6: Tomb of Doom: This ancient, underground temple is full of nasty traps and wacky contraptions. It gets pretty dark the deeper you go; good thing there are Bulb Berries and Hot Peppers!
W5-7: The Toxic Mire: This withering glade features poisonous purple water that will kill you instantly – unless you’re Serpent Yoshi. Be wary of toxic gas plumes from the ground, as well.
W5-8: Temple of the Twin Piranhas: Vines entangle the ruined remains of this pyramid, which is partially submerged in marshy water. Predictably, it’s festooned with Piranha Plants.
Secret 5: Jungle Beat Jam: It’s good to have a sense of rhythm. Everything in this groovy grove acts to the beat of the music, be it foes, moving platforms, or environmental traps.
Extra 5: The Swing of Things: Lots of treetops, little solid ground. Unlike earlier stages, the vines here are mobile, so you’ll have to swing in addition to avoiding those pesky Grinders.
World 6: The Valley: Scrub grass and dirt mark the hot, dry valleys of this volcanic region. The mountainous terrain will provide interesting variety, boasting rocky caves, autumnal forest landscapes, and hilly highlands with tricky footholds. Much of it looks like the “autumn” section of the Yoshi’s Island SSBB stage, with the reddish vegetation and skies.
W6-1: Dodging Bullets: Bullet Bills and Bob-ombs fly everywhere in this reddish-colored landscape. Super Star Mario will also get a chance to shine.
W6-2: The Flammable Forest: This parched plain is super dry, and very prone to catching fire. Fiery foes will try to set the forest ablaze. Use Hot Peppers to burn foliage as needed.
W6-3: C’mere, Poochy!: Good thing Poochy has feet of steel; you have to ride him across dangers like spikes and lava, which litter the stage. He ain’t stupid, but he’s certainly hard to command.
W6-4: 24-Karat Koopa’s Crater: Lava and lava spouts are common hazards in the volcano. You'll need to eat Bob-ombs to make Egg Bombs and blow up obstructions. Lots of Koopas.
W6-V: The Valley Village: You’re at the bottom of a cliff, and the village proper is at the top. Use the newly found Dragon Fruit to make it to the top and meet up with Orange Yoshi.
W6-5: Yoshi’s Inner Dragon: Dragon Fruit thrives here. You’ll need to use it to fly and blast your way up the mountainside. Rexes are introduced here. Oh, and there’s a mine cart section.
W6-6: Hazy Days on Windmill Hill: Volcano smoke clouds up this windy upland. The windmills here usually blow the smoke away, but they’re out of order. Fix them and ride the wind currents.
W6-7: Flight of the Flatbed Ferry: Nothing fancy about this stage. It’s an old-school platforming challenge that requires you to leap between rambunctious Flatbed Ferries. The Rexes here can fly.
W6-8: Ricky the Rex’s Castle: This Rex-filled castle sits high on a mountainside, looking over the arid valley below. It’s chock-full of lava and traps.
Secret 6: The Giant Egg Roll: You’re inside a gigantic, runaway Yoshi Egg careening down the mountainside. You’ll have to constantly avoid falling through cracks in the egg as it rolls.
Extra 6: Hungry for More?: Yoob’s back, and ready to gobble you whole with a flick of his long, sticky tongue. There are significantly fewer hiding spots than there were in World 2-7.
World 7: The Summit: You’ll see a lot of snow and ice in the frosty forests and mountainous highlands of World 7, so slipping and sliding is a constant threat. Proceeding into the clouds from the mountain summit won’t be much better, what with all the Goonies and Lakitus.
W7-V: The Summit Village: This snowy forest houses yet another village. Use the Hot Cookies to blast your way to Pink Yoshi, who’s hiding in the village proper.
W7-1: Frostbites in the Heights: Watch out for the big snowflakes; they’ll freeze you on contact. You’ll need Hot Peppers to melt your way through the ice.
W7-2: Pushy Penguins: So many Bumpties! Their bouncy blubber can push you right off a platform, so try to avoid them. This stage is mostly inside a slippery ice cave.
W7-3: Ski for Two?: Riding the ski lifts can be pretty tricky, but actually skiing is a whole other deal. There’s quite a bit of tricky platforming in these snowy skies, as well.
W7-4: Barry the Bumpty’s Igloo: You’ll be slipping and sliding a lot in Barry’s icy abode. The annoying Bumpties don’t help, either. Hot Peppers are plentiful.
W7-5: Fungus Humungous!: Up, up, up you go. Skyscraping Mushrooms grow in abundance here. You’ll need to use their bouncy caps to progress through this vertically-oriented level.
W7-6: Unclear Skies Ahead: These stormy skies are very dangerous. Various black clouds may strike lightning at any point; don’t touch the lightning or the clouds. You use Super Feathers, too.
W7-7: Goonies and Balloon-ies: Solid ground is for wimps. Most of this snowy stage hovers above a large abyss; you’ll rely solely on icy teetering platforms, Goonies, and balloons to get across.
W7-8: Larry the Lakitu’s Lair: This stratospheric castle is home to many species of Lakitu. You’ll need to highjack Lakitu’s clouds to navigate bottomless corridors.
Secret 7: Chillin’ Villains: Foes and items lay frozen above the island’s skies. Use the Hot Peppers wisely – you don’t want to trap yourself by melting too much ice.
Extra 7: Like Fire and Ice: Hot and cold collide in this stage, which harbors numerous lava and ice obstacles. Use the Hot Peppers and Ice Lollies wisely.
World 8: The Badlands: The Star Road atop the Summit teleports you to the Koopa colony established on a tiny island near Yoshi’s Island. This island was also inhabited by Yoshis, as seen by the village here. Barren grasslands, spooky forests, and a sprawling network of underground caverns mark the final stretch of our quest. This conquered wasteland is chock full of unpleasant elements - lava, spikes, and some of the nastiest enemies you’ll see in the game.
W8-1: Dodging MORE Bullets: This dry, grassy plain is used as a testing area for the Koopas’ artillery and other weapons. Have fun with all the explosives and bullets!
W8-V: The Badlands Village: The final village is located in a barren, orange-colored plain. The baddies here are abundant and tough; once you best them, you’ll recruit Blue Yoshi.
W8-2: A Light in the Scary Prairie: This forest is drowned in shadow, with only a few beams of light peeking through the dense canopy. What’s that, you say? Use the Bulb Berry? Ingenious!
W8-3: Oh, Snap! It’s Tap-Tap!: Everyone’s favorite spiky ball of steel makes a starring appearance in this underground stage, which is littered with Tap-Taps of all kinds. There’s a lot of lava, too.
W8-4: King Bones’s Coliseum: Dry Bones, Boos, and other ghastly foes are galore in this spike-lined, lava-filled castle.
W8-5: A Really Big Cave Level: Very lengthy, very difficult, very annoying. Oh, and it scrolls on its own. Yay. Watch out for lava, thorns, and spikes.
W8-6: Land of the Dead: Every enemy here is either undead or a ghost. Most of these skeletal creatures are inedible and will reanimate if you stomp on them.
W8-7: The Airship Armada: We’ll need to hitch a ride on the airships to reach the castle. Most of the action is in the clouds, but when the fleet lands, you’ll get to explore the castle gardens.
W8-8: Prince Bowser’s Castle: At last! Numerous trials await in the Koopa prince’s castle; you’ll use every skill you’ve learned. You’ll also learn why the Koopas kidnapped all the Yoshis...
Secret 8: Kamek’s Wrath: The Magikoopa will vex you throughout the whole stage, whizzing by on his broom and trying to knock you into pits.
Extra 8: ARGH!: This unfair fortress will throw a lot of cheap tricks at you - collapsing platforms, fake items, coin trails that lead to doom, badly-placed invisible blocks, etc.
At the end of Bowser’s Castle, Yoshi will find himself in a grand playroom littered with toys. Baby Bowser suddenly leaps down from above, challenging Yoshi to a fight and claiming that he’ll never let his prisoners go, as he needs them for his world domination plot. Well, that doesn’t sound good! After beating the little tyrant on his new toy train, Kamek will enter the room and decide that it’s time to pull out the big guns. The ground shakes, the screen blacks out… and a MONSTROUS train-like vehicle is seen arising from beneath the castle. Yoshi sees that the train is being powered by people running on treadmills… and those people are actually the island’s Yoshis that Bowser and Kamek captured! The Yoshis were needed as a source of power for the mega-sized mechanism: the only way Yoshi can free them and stop the Koopas’ world-conquering device is to fight his way through the train and shut it down, all while avoiding attacks from the Kamek-powered Baby Bowser.
After you finally beat Baby Bowser, you’ll free all the Yoshis. However, Baby Luigi will still be missing! Bowser and Kamek apparently have no idea what you’re talking about; all they did was capture all the Yoshis. Baby Mario will be upset, but Yoshi cheers him up and assures him that they’ll find his brother. Mario wipes his tears and makes a determined face.
Staff roll time! The credits depict all the Yoshis walking back through all the worlds in backwards order, starting from the Badlands and ending at the Meadow. At each village the natives from that village will leave the group and bid farewell. Each of the eight Yoshis who traveled with you will be regarded as a hero in their respective village. Finally, back at the Meadow village, Yoshi and Baby Mario look up at the starry night sky, wishing to the stars in hopes of finding Mario’s lost brother...
As the screen blacks out, it seems as though Yoshi’s and Baby Mario’s wish has been granted. A mysterious voice will recall the legend of the ten Crystal Eggs, stating that eight of them are hidden throughout Yoshi’s Island and will reveal the way to Baby Luigi when gathered at the Temple. When the game starts up again, you’ll automatically be at the Meadow village with Yoshi. You’ll have to revisit each of the other villages again in order to rerecruit your seven Yoshi buddies. They’ll happily join you once they learn that you now know of Baby Luigi’s whereabouts. Well, then. The quest to find the Crystal Eggs is now on!
World 9: The Stars: Looks like our expedition isn’t quite over yet. Once you recover eight Crystal Eggs and place them in the Temple, it teleports you to the sky-high Star Realm, which introduces some new villains... none other than the Shroobs! And, as luck would have it, they have Baby Luigi! Don’t be fooled by the realm’s otherworldly beauty – nasty threats await you in both the dusky skies and the cosmos above. In this world, it isn’t Kamek who enlarges the bosses, but a Shroob saucer. Also, when you lose all your stars, Shroobs kidnap Baby Mario instead of Bowser’s Toadies.
W9-1: Shroobs!: These nasty little creeps seem to love misty, purple-hued places, don’t they? Shroobs are tricky; they’ll work in tandem to confuse you and shoot you down.
W9-2: All Aboard the Star Express: The only way to get into the Star Realm is by hitching a ride on this soaring train, which happens to be very long. Very. Long.
W9-3: Fun and Games: An atmospheric theme park? The Star people sure know how to have fun! Rides include mine cart-like roller coasters and towering Ferris wheels.
W9-4: Über Shroob’s Tower: This misty tower reaches far into outer space. You’ll have to use switches to flip gravity in order to progress. Eggs are affected by gravity in interesting ways…
W9-5: On the Flipside: Your mind will be thoroughly blown after exploring this cosmic labyrinth. Gravity will change on its own at certain points in the maze.
W9-6: Tick Tock City: This bustling city area features lots of clockwork and clanking gears and rotating platforms. You need to hit Time Switches to slow down time and pass certain obstacles.
W9-7: When the Sky Falls: You’re almost there. This long, difficult stage contains a barrage of deadly shooting stars - the only thing standing between you and the final castle.
W9-8: The Star King’s Palace: This is it. The final trial will throw extreme obstacles your way to prevent you from defeating the Shroobs, reclaiming the Star Realm, and saving Baby Luigi.
W9-V: The Celestial Village: The only inhabitants of this cosmic abode are Black Yoshi and White Yoshi. They won’t join you or give you the final two Crystal Eggs until you perfect Extra 9.
Secret 9: Blasts From the Past: Six bosses from the first game are back, and they’re mad. Every floor you ascend in the tower, there’s a new boss. Check the Bosses section to see who’s back.
Extra 9: A Trip Down Memory Lane: One super-long, super-difficult mega-level utilizing all environments and elements from every other stage in the game. Good luck getting 100%.
It’s clear as soon as Yoshi enters the Star King’s throne room that something’s horribly wrong. The Star King, the greatest of all Star Spirits, rests in his throne, staring at Yoshi with eyes like daggers. Above him is a Shroob Saucer, the gigantic beam of which is obviously controlling the celestial king. Baby Mario suddenly shouts out and points behind the Star King; it’s Baby Luigi! He’s finally found his brother! The Shroob won’t make it easy for the two to rescue Luigi and free the Star King, however; he’s bent on avenging his race, as most of the Shroobs were wiped out when Baby Mario and Baby Luigi defeated them not too long ago. With that, the Shroob proceeds to sic the Star King on you, and a grand battle erupts.
After a long, difficult struggle, Yoshi and Baby Mario manage to defeat the Shroob Saucer controlling the Star King. The King, who returns to his former self, releases a ray of light that expands over the whole Star Realm and cleanses it of all traces of Shroob interference. The Shroobs are forced to retreat for good, never to return to the Star Realm, Yoshi’s Island, or the Mushroom Kingdom. He thanks the Yoshis heartily for their assistance, and gently returns Baby Luigi to his brother. The two are reunited once again! The Star King sends the brothers and the eight Yoshis in your party down to the surface, granting them a gorgeous view of the Star Realm and the planet below as they slowly descend to their homeland.
Once you beat World 9 and rescue Baby Luigi, you’ll have the option to switch out Baby Mario for him if you’d like. Baby Luigi doesn’t present any gameplay differences, but the option’s there for all you diehard Luigi fans out there.
World 10: The Rainbow: After collecting ten Crystal Eggs and placing them within the Temple, a second portal appears; it will take you to an alternate dimension that highly resembles Super Mario Galaxy 2’s colorful World S. World 10 is a mishmash of the craziest, weirdest, most insane stages in the game. There are no bosses here - only ten crazy-hard stages with no Star Flags. Each stage only becomes accessible once you get 1000 points (i.e. 100%) in its corresponding world. For instance, W10-1 only becomes available once you get 1000 points in World 1. In order to unlock W10-10, you’ll need to get 100 points in each of the previous nine World 10 stages. Once you completely perfect World 10 (and therefore the whole game), the Rainbow Village opens...
W10-1: Pie in the Sky!: This psychedelic region seems to be composed almost entirely of gigantic, floating foods. Giant fruits, candies, and the like will serve as your platforms.
W10-2: Pixel Perfect!: When you hit a Bit Block, the environment – including Yoshi – will change between modern graphics and stylized 8-bit graphics, which are needed for certain puzzles.
W10-3: Wacky Walls!: Yoshi has the ability to walk on walls and ceilings here simply by touching them.
W10-4: Lovely Terror!: A serene grassland! What’s so bad abo- DID THAT BUTTERFLY JUST TRY TO EAT YOU. This stage has terrifying surprises in the least expected places.
W10-5: Flipping Out!: This stage takes place in a narrow corridor. Every time Yoshi jumps, he’ll switch from the floor to the ceiling. If you’ve ever played VVVVVV, it’s like that.
W10-6: Journey to the Center of Yoshi!: Yoshi will get to explore the insides of a giant... replica of himself? Whatever happens to the Yoshi on the outside will affect the stage on the inside.
W10-7: Reverse Curse!: It’s a pretty normal stage. Y’know, except for the whole “your controls are backwards” thing. Oh, and it’s auto-scrolling.
W10-8: Tel-Egg-Porting!: Yoshi will suddenly teleport to wherever his egg hits a surface. You’ll need to use this weird mechanic to warp... uh, “tel-egg-port” around the
stage.
W10-9: Paper Perspective!: Everything is perfectly flat like a drawing; things seemingly in the background are interactive. You can touch the Sun, step on distant mountains, eat clouds...
W10-10: Level 100!: You start on a platform shaped like a “1”, and your goal is on the “100.” Each number platform has a weird obstacle or behaves in a really strange way.
W10-V: The Rainbow Village: Rainbow Yoshi congratulates you for your courage. He’ll grant you both the Rainbow Crystal Egg and the Crystal Eggs Trophy and then join your team. Woo!
Rainbow Yoshi is different from the others in that he can willfully access any Power-Up item he wishes at any given time. When you access your Cards with the Minus Button while using Rainbow Yoshi, there will also be a grid showing you the eight Power-Ups. You can choose whichever you wish whenever you wish, even if that particular Power-Up doesn’t belong in that stage. This allows for endless possibilities, and will allow you to reveal cool (although ultimately meaningless) little Easter Eggs in some stages. Maybe you could use the Bulb Berry in a stage to reveal some previously inaccessible platforms, or maybe you can you the Rock Candy to drill through places you couldn’t before. What about using the Super Feather or Dragon Fruit to fly to areas you couldn’t before? Like I said, the possibilities are essentially endless!
BOSSES
W1-4: Maizee Dayzee:
"So, Yoshi, I see you're still at your bothersome shenanigans. And that meddlesome baby, too! Maizee, my beautiful blossom! Wipe that smile off Yoshi's face! Just be sure to protect your own..."
Kamek enlarges an ordinary Crazee Dayzee. Maizee’s only real attack is prancing around the room; you can avoid her by ducking into the little nooks in the ground. To beat her, you’ll have to egg her face and cause her petals to gradually fall off. Unfortunately, the flowery collar around her neck is so big that you’ll have to rebound your eggs off the wall to reach her face. Throwing an egg anywhere else at her will only cause it to harmlessly bounce off. After three hits, the Egg Plant in the room will wither, and you’ll have to rely solely on Crazee Dayzees for eggs. Egg her face five times total to remove all the petals around her head, causing her to run out of the room in embarrassment.
W1-8: Perry the Paragoomba:
"Perry's no ordinary Goomba, Yoshi; unlike his brothers, he won't be fazed by your silly little stomps. No, siree, he'll crush you before you can crush him! Oh, the irony!"
Kamek transforms a Paragoomba into a huge, hideous beast. Perry flies up to the top of the room and attacks you from there. He attacks by spitting fireballs, summoning other Goombas, swooping at you, or diving at you. If you can jump out of the way when he dives, he’ll crash into the floor and activate the air vents under the floor. As he recovers, use the wind gusts from the vents to quickly hover above him and land a nasty Ground-Pound on his noggin. The wind will shut off every time you attack him, so you’ll need to repeat the dive-avoid process each time. Three wind-powered Ground Pounds to the head and Perry’s a goner.
W2-4: Biggest Boo:
"Grr... You're really determined to save your friends, aren't you? Yeah, well, you're a real fool if you think you can beat a ghost. Biggest Boo! About-face!"
Kamek enlarges a Boo. He acts like Bigger Boo - he becomes invisible when you look at him - but this time around, there are no walls to bounce eggs off of, as the battle is on the roof of the mansion. Biggest attacks by spitting Shy Guys and occasionally Fat Guys at you. Eat the Fat Guys to make Giant Eggs, which are heavy, slow, and don’t fly in straight lines. To hurt Biggest, you’ll need to toss a Giant Egg in his direction, then quickly turn around to trick him into turning tangible, allowing the egg to hit him. Six Giant Eggs to the face and he’s a goner. He’ll summon other Boos as the fight goes on, making things much trickier.
W2-8: Dark Clark:
"Are you afraid of the dark, Yoshi? Well, my friend Clark here loves it; in fact, he loves darkness so much that he's absolutely invincible in it! Now, Clark, go knock Yoshi's lights out! Mwehehehe!”
Kamek enlarges a Lantern Ghost. This outdoor arena is rather dim, with the only lights being moonlight and Clark’s lantern. Clark attacks by shooting beams from his lantern and jumping at you. He’s invincible at night; the only way to weaken him is to use his own lantern against him. If you can egg Clark five times, he drops his lantern, which cracks and reveals the Bulb Berry inside. While Clark takes out another lantern, eat the Berry. Stay near Clark to keep the light on him for about five consecutive seconds as you avoid his jumps and beam attacks; doing so negates his invincibility and opens up an opportunity to Ground Pound his head. You need to negate his invincibility each time you attack. If you lose your Bulb power, you have to break the lantern again. Eat the Lantern Ghosts that spawn out of the pipes on the sides of the room if you need eggs to keep Clark at bay. Three GPs and Clark’s lights are out.
W3-4: Cap’n Guy:
“I couldn’t find the captain of this blasted battleship, so I had to settle for this puny minion. It’s okay, though; I’ve trained him to be ready against anything – including your pesky Ground Pounds! You’ll be blasted to bits and keelhauled!”
Kamek enlarges a Pirate Guy, who looks meaner and sports an eyepatch. You sank the ship previously in the stage, so the captain’s cabin is now flooded; the shallow water slows down Yoshi a bit. Cap’n Guy floats around in his rubber float ring. His attacks include ramming, slashing with his sword, and shooting cannonballs. To damage Cap’n Guy, you must Ground Pound his head; however, if he isn’t stunned, he’ll simply counterattack with his sword. To stun him, wait for an Ice Lolly to come out of one of the two pipes on the ceiling that normally spawn Pirate Guys. After eating the Ice Lolly, you must, while avoiding his attacks, freeze the water around Cap’n Guy to prevent him from moving around; then, hover above him to trick him into shooting a cannonball upwards at you. The cannonball will, of course, fall straight back down and bruise his head (if you don’t freeze him in place, he simply avoids the cannonball). While he is stunned, GP his head. Five GPs sink the captain for good.
W3-8: Lippy the Lungefish:
"Why don't you take a dip in that relaxing spring for a while, Yoshi? I'll even introduce you to Lippy. He's got quite an appetite, just like you - the two of you should make fast friends! Might wanna watch your back, though..."
Kamek turns a Lungefish into a fearsome beast, who smashes the bridge you’re standing on and makes you fall into the pool of hot water. Avoid Lippy’s attacks as best as you can. If you lure him into a wall, the quake will drop a Sea Melon into the water. Eat it. Then, dive underwater and use your ram attack on Lippy’s weak spot on his backside. Be careful not to let him hit you, though, or you’ll lose your power. Every time you hit him, the water will boil, causing you to lose your power and forcing you to obtain another Sea Melon. Four hits and Lippy’s toast.
W4-4: Chomp-a-Colossal:
"Ah, Chain Chomps... don't cha love 'em? Vicious, vile, and virtually invulnerable... yep, they're just about perfect. Little Chomp, come through for me now! Go forth and ROCK Yoshi's world! Er, wait..."
Kamek enchants a Chain Chomp, which becomes bigger and fiercer-looking. C-a-C mostly tries to lunge out at you and bite you. When he slams into the ground, he’ll create a wave that you must jump over. When he charges at you, jump out of the way and try to get him to ram into the wall. This will cause rocks and debris to rain down from the ceiling. Avoid getting hit by these. The last of these rocks will be a Chomp Rock. Ground-Pound the floor to make your own wave; this will fling the Chomp Rock into the air. Try to hit C-a-C with the Chomp Rock this way. Four hits should do the trick. C-a-C’s waves don’t fling the Chomp Rock into the air; instead, they shatter it. Needless to say, you should use it before he does this.
W4-8: Blackfang:
“You’re in for it now, Yoshi; I’ve given Blackfang incredible strength that you can’t possibly hope to match! …uh, I couldn’t do anything about his pea-sized brain, though, so he’s not very bright. I guess that’s what happens when you lurk in dark caves all the time…”
Kamek enchants a Fang into a fearsome bat creature. The arena is set in a cavern that’s extremely tall; Blackfang attacks Yoshi from a height that you simply cannot reach him from. The flying beast primarily attacks by unleashing a blitz of bombs onto Yoshi that you must avoid by finding gaps in the bomb wave. He also attempts to crush you by breaking the stalactites on the cave ceiling and sending them crashing down; one of these stalactites will break open to reveal a Rock Candy. Quickly eat the Rock Candy and dig underground, for Blackfang’s next attack will have him dropping a massive bomb that’s impossible to avoid if you’re aboveground. If you successfully escape, Blackfang will swoop down and scout the area in confusion, wondering where you went. Pop up from behind him (if he sees you, he’ll immediately retaliate and attack) and deliver a Ground Pound to his noggin. Trick and GP the unintelligent bat four times to defeat him.
W5-4: Gary the Grinder:
"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, do no evil... such are the ways of the wise monkeys. Gary here isn't too wise, though; he'll gladly watch and relish your screams as you're shot down by melon seeds. ...that sounded much more threatening in my head."
Kamek super-sizes a Grinder. The arena is high in the treetops; the only platform is the tiny one supporting the entrance door, with nothing but bottomless pit below. To fight Gary, you have to hop across vines. There are six vines in the room, all of them to the left of the tiny platform (which, by the way, vanishes at the start of the battle, so there’s nothing but vines). These vines, like those found in previous Jungle stages, are mostly immobile, and won’t swing much. To damage Gary, you need engage in melon-to-melon combat. Watermelons periodically sprout on the vines; it takes 25 watermelon seeds to best the beast. Gary won’t make it easy, though. His swift movements climbing on the vines make it difficult to land shots, and he’s able to spit melon seeds at you, as well. He also occasionally throws bombs at you, setting your vine ablaze and forcing you to jump to a new one. Most annoyingly, he can call on other Grinders.
W5-8: Twin Piranhas:
“You’re still alive? Bah! You’ve been such a thorn in my side! I’ve had it; these two brothers are so hungry that they’ll eat anything. ANYTHING, I tell you! And it looks like YOU’RE the next item on their menu… Mwehehehe!”
Kamek enchants two Piranha Plants, who start on opposite sides of the tall, wide room. Both of the gigantic plants can move freely along the ground. Yoshi himself stands on a long platform above the water. The Twin Piranhas each attack by head-butting, lunging out to eat you (if you get caught, shake the Wiimote to get free!), and spitting Spores, which will grow into Nippers if they touch the ground. The Nippers serve as your source of eggs. When a Piranha is about to eat you, quickly toss three eggs into his open maw while avoiding the other’s attacks; as he munches on the eggs, he’ll just sit there in satisfaction, distracted. Now, lure the other plant near the paralyzed one, and quickly hop out of the way as he lunges to eat you but crunches on his brother instead. Since they’re connected at the roots, both of the Twins will take damage from the assault. After five of these traitorous chomps, you’ll have successfully whacked the wicked weeds.
W6-4: 24-Karat Koopa:
"They say that all that glitters is not gold. Well, I say that's nonsense! This Koopa is even fiercer than he looks; nothing can pierce his golden hide! Well, not from the outside, anyway..."
Kamek enlarges a normal Koopa, giving him an invincible Gold Shell. The arena is a simple, flat floor. 24K runs and dives at you, slides around in his shell, and spits fireballs. If you need eggs, hop onto his back and he’ll cough some up. You need a different strategy to hit him each time. First, wait for him to open his mouth to shoot fireballs. As he spits fire, lodge an egg down his throat; if you do, he coughs up a Bob-omb. Eat it to make an Egg Bomb, and throw it back into his mouth. It explodes in his belly and flips him over. GP his belly. Second, he opens up a lava pit on each side of the room, and coats his belly in invincible gold as well. Repeat the process, but nudge him toward the edge with Egg Bombs to the head to make sure he falls into the lava when he flips. Third, he retreats into his shell completely and slides around the room, spitting fire. If he stops, it means he's about to shell-dive at you. Hover over the lava pit (don't fall in) to lure him and make him dive to his fiery demise.
W6-8: Ricky the Rex:
"You know, Yoshi, I've always thought that you looked like a dragon. A dumb, chubby, weak dragon, but a dragon nonetheless. Ricky here? He'll show you what it means to be a REAL dragon!"
Kamek’s magic turns a normal Rex into a big, snarling monster. The fearsome dragon will attack you, hurling you high into the clouds. Fortunately, you’ll come into contact with a Dragon Fruit on your way. Ricky will fly up to meet you, and an epic dragon-to-dragon battle ensues. The goal is simple: shoot fireballs at Ricky to gradually whittle down his health. This will be somewhat difficult, however, as you’ll need to dodge floating debris as well as Ricky’s fire and ram attacks at the same time. It’s a tough fight, but 30 fireballs will slay the beast. Ricky's most dangerous attack is the ram; if it's a direct hit, you'll lose your Dragon Fruit, which is essentially an instant KO.
W7-4: Barry the Bumpty:
"Brrr... G-goodness, it's f-freezing in here! At least it d-doesn't b-bother B-Barry... Aside f-from his h-heartburn p-problems, h-he's r-ready as ever! M-might as well g-give up now, Y-Yoshi. Nothing can p-pierce his hard h-head! (Geez, would it kill him to have a little heat in this forsaken place?)”
Kamek super-sizes a Bumpty. Barry can’t actually hurt you himself; however, it’s very easy for him to bump you into the pits on either side of the platform. As the fight progresses, he’ll call in more Bumpties to make it harder. When Barry’s mouth opens, he’ll shoot out an icy breath that’ll freeze you in place. Before he does this, try to throw an egg into his open mouth (there’s an Egg Plant in the room) while avoiding his massive girth. After egging his mouth three times, he’ll spit out a Hot Pepper. Eat it. If you spit a fireball at one of the giant icicles on the ceiling, it’ll fall. Try to hit Barry with the icicle, but don’t hit yourself with it! Every time you impale Barry with an icicle, he chills the room, which gets rid of your Fire power and forces you to get another Hot Pepper. Five icicles should do him in.
W7-8: Larry the Lakitu:
"Hm... You're getting dangerously close to the Koopa colony, Yoshi. I'm not sure how you made it this far, but I can assure you that Larry here will give you a real headache. "
Kamek uses his magic to enlarge a Thunder Lakitu and give him other weather-based powers. Larry can shoot lightning to set the ground on fire, cause blizzards to freeze you and make the floor slippery, create wind to blow you off the platform, and make rain to wash you away. This battle has two phases; in the first, Larry summons other Lakitus to throw Spinies at you. Jump on or egg a Lakitu to knock it off its cloud. Then, while avoiding Larry’s attacks, ride the cloud up and Ground Pound his head. After two GPs, he collapses the floor and you fight him free-fall style. After avoiding more of his attacks (fluttering lets you move faster), a Super Feather eventually appears. Use this to fly up to Larry and deliver another GP. After two GPs in this phase, Larry’s finally done for.
W8-4: King Bones:
"Wh-what?! How... how did you make it all the way here alive?! Bowser's Castle is just up ahead! Ugh, no matter. No more Mr. Nice Magikoopa; the king of death may be all bones, but it'll take extreme power to topple him. He'll end you, here and now."
Kamek casts a spell on a Dry Bones, transforming him into an enormous skeletal T-Rex. The outdoor arena is immensely vast; it extends far to both the right and left. You'll need all this room if you're to defeat King Bones. The giant beast has some nasty attacks - he bites, stomps, and dashes at you. The latter attack is the most dangerous; try to duck in one of the little spaces in the ground so he doesn't trample and instantly kill you. After this attack, he crashes into the wall, causing a Sugar Cookie to drop from the ceiling. As he recovers, nab the Sugar Cookie and dash to the other side of the arena to gain speed. Then, turn around and dash straight at the King, who's running at you as well. While speeding towards him, toss an egg at the X on his belly, which will stun him. Right after the egg hits, jump into the X to crash into it. The force of both your super-speed egg and your body slam topples the King before he can trample you, and his belly cracks. Unfortunately, you also lose your Rush power as soon as you touch him, meaning you have to get another Sugar Cookie. Three of these mega-slams shatter the King into a pile of boney remains.
W8-8: Part 1: Baby Bowser:
This battle takes place in Bowser’s colorful, toy-filled room. The prince will make his dramatic entrance, and will tell Yoshi that he won’t release the island’s Yoshi population. He makes a loud whistle, and a huge toy train come bursting through the wall! Bowser hops on and takes off on his flying rocket train, commencing the battle. It’s sort of like the Baby Bowser battle in Yoshi’s Story, except he rides his train instead of his green ghost. Bowser himself attacks by spitting various fireballs at you – red fireballs fan out in groups of 3; blue fireballs home in on you; yellow fireballs move incredibly fast; green fireballs bounce off walls; and purple fireballs spawn enemies when they hit a surface. To beat him, hit him with expertly-aimed eggs as he soars about. After three eggs, he’ll get angry and attempt to ram you with his train. When he gets low enough, simply jump on his head to do damage. Three jumps and Bowser will come crashing to the ground, his dastardly plans thwarted… right?
W8-8: Part 2: Big Baby Bowser and the Koopa Tank Train
Wrong. Kamek, furious that you’ve beaten up his prince, enchants Bowser with a spell. He grows to an enormous size, and the screen blacks out. When Yoshi comes to, he’s in the barren grassland near Bowser’s Castle, and he sees an impossibly huge train with Bowser’s likeness on it zoom past. So that’s why they kidnapped all the Yoshis! The hypnotized dinosaurs are being used to power the Koopas’ gigantic Tank Train by means of hundreds of treadmills. Yoshi hops on the train at the last moment; your job is to reach the front of the train and bring it down. The gigantic Baby Bowser won’t make it easy, however; he’ll be stomping along the train from behind, smashing its cars in an attempt to reach you. Keep him at bay by tossing Giant Eggs into his face while scaling the mad machine as it races across the savannah.
When you reach the front of the train, Yoshi realizes that it’ll be impossible to stop the train because of a force field Kamek has around its most sensitive parts, and Bowser finally catches up to you. Just as everything seems hopeless, the train suddenly stops moving, infuriating Bowser. He looks behind him to see what’s wrong… looks like all the damage he did while chasing Yoshi destroyed the train’s functionality. Whoops… Now, while Prince Bowser is baffled and enraged, toss one last Giant Egg at the back of his head, toppling him and ending Kamek’s terrible spell.
W9-4: Über Shroob:
A Shroob saucer comes in and zaps a lifeless Shroob machine with a beam; its eyes begin to glow, and it animates! It mainly attacks by scuttling left to right on its tracks in an attempt to trample you; it also shoots spiked bombs out of its head, fires homing lasers from its eyes, and summons Shroobs to attack you; these are your source of eggs. To beat the robot, you need to Ground Pound its glass cockpit on its head, which is too tall to reach. On the ceiling is a switch that will reverse gravity if you can aim your egg at it. After you hit the switch, stand above Über Shroob (his gravity is unaffected since he’s attached to the ground) and aim for the other switch on the ground – the real ground – that will change the gravity back to normal while avoiding its bombs, which are now falling up. When the gravity’s normal, deliver a GP to his head. Five GPs will defeat it. After hitting him once, the switches on the floor and ceiling begin to move back and forth, making them even tougher targets.
W9-8: The Star King:
The Star King, a giant Star Spirit, has a mindless look of malice in his eyes; a Shroob Saucer hangs above him as the source of his hypnosis. Behind them, floating in a bubble and crying… it’s Baby Luigi! The Shroobs are furious that Mario and Luigi nearly wiped out their race, and they want to reap the benefits of revenge. In the first phase, the Star King primarily attacks by launching shooting stars at you. Quickly toss eggs at the stars to knock them back; your target is the Shroob Saucer. After five hits, the second, true phase begins. The throne room falls away to reveal the setting of the battlefield – a stone altar high in the sky. To free the King, you must damage the Shroob Saucer once with each of the eight Power Ups. The terrain changes depending on what Power Up you currently need to use; for instance, it floods with water if you need Serpent Yoshi, and it greatly expands in length if you need to use a Sugar Rush ram. After eight Powered-Up hits, the Shroob’s influence on the King breaks.
Secret 9: Boss Medley:
Bigger Boo, Prince Froggy, Naval Piranha, Hookbill the Koopa, Sluggy the Unshaven, and Raphael the Raven are back - and with glorious 3D designs! You fight them pretty much the same way you did back in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Every boss has a designated floor in the tower except for Raphael, who is found on the roof. He quickly sends you into the sky, however, where you fight him on his mini planetoid for a truly grand finale.
*****
Well, that pretty much concludes my idea for a Yoshi’s Island game on the Wii. It’s taken a lot of willpower and time to finish this project – and I mean a lot – so if you managed to get this far, I really, truly appreciate it. Feedback and constructive criticism are both welcome, so please; feel free to contact me if you’d like to say anything about my idea. So, uh… yeah. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!
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