Yoshi's Story

Yoshi's Story
North American cover art
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Hideki Konno
Producer(s)	Takashi Tezuka
Composer(s)	Kazumi Totaka
Series	Yoshi
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, iQue Player, Wii (Virtual Console)
Release date(s)	Nintendo 64 JP December 21, 1997 NA March 10, 1998 PAL May 10, 1998 Wii Virtual Console NA September 17, 2007 PAL October 26, 2007 JP October 30, 2007
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single-player

Yoshi's Story, released in Japan as Yoshi Story (ヨッシーストーリー, Yosshī Sutōrī), is a side-scrolling platform game, published and developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was first released on December 21, 1997, in Japan; March 10, 1998, in North America; and May 10, 1998, in PAL regions. It was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console service on September 17, 2007, in North America; October 26, 2007, in PAL regions; and October 30, 2007, in Japan. This was the last home console Yoshi game released until Yoshi's Woolly World in 2015.

Known as the sequel to the SNES title Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the game continues within the platform genre, presenting gameplay similar to its predecessor. However, Yoshi's Story turns in a more puzzle-oriented direction, with the aspect of challenge being foremost tied to the achievement of a high score by strategic means. Taking place within a pop-up storybook, the game features vivid pre-rendered 3D graphics, illustrating worlds that are crafted from different materials, such as cardboard, fabrics, plastic, and wood.

Gameplay

A swarm of Shy Guys roam across the patchwork denim skies of "Cloud Cruising".

The player may choose between two different game modes from the game's main menu: Story Mode and Trial Mode. Upon entering either mode, the player will be able to select a course, find out which fruit will be the Lucky Fruit, and choose a Yoshi of desired color to play as. However, Trial Mode will be void of courses to play at the start of the game, as these will have to be unlocked by completing them in Story Mode.

On each course, the goal is to fill the Fruit Frame by eating 30 pieces of fruit. These may be found in abundance throughout every course, lying around, floating in bubbles, and even carried by some enemies. The player can choose to eat everything they come across on their path. However, this approach may result in significant portions of the game being missed out, as the true depth of the gameplay lies in exploring every part of the courses. This is further supported by the puzzle element of the game, which encourages the player to apply strategy to achieve a high score. For instance, the player will gain more points from eating one kind of a fruit in a row, and even more so if the fruit is a Favourite Fruit or a Lucky Fruit (see Scoring points). In addition, valuable secrets are hidden throughout every course, that will contribute to summit the total score.

In order to manage their way about the courses, the Yoshis can walk, run, jump, swim, crouch, push boxes, stomp enemies, eat fruit, collect items with their tongue, lay eggs by swallowing edible enemies, throw eggs, pound the ground, sniff, and perform flutter jumps. If Yoshi runs into an enemy or a spiky obstacle along his path, petals are lost from the Smile Meter. The flower shaped meter has a total of eight petals, and indicates Yoshi's health, or mood. If petals are lost, they can easily be restored by swallowing enemies or eating fruit, keeping the player in a comfortable state of platforming.

If Yoshi eats six pieces of the same fruit in a row, a Heart Fruit will come parachuting across the screen. By eating this special item, Yoshi will become Super Happy for a limited time, giving him special powers, including invincibility, infinite eggs, longer tongue, and improved flutter jumps. In addition, if Yoshi performs a ground pound when Super Happy, he can smash all bubbles visible on the screen, while Shy Guys will turn into Lucky Fruit, and peppers will turn into coins. In contrast, should the Smile Meter be reduced to a frown, it will only take one hit before Yoshi collapses. If this happens, the Yoshi is captured by Toadies and brought to Baby Bowser's castle. However, if a Yoshi has been kidnapped, they can still be retrieved if the player succeeds at finding a white Shy Guy and completing the course with him. Notably, though, this character is only available in Story Mode, and can only be found if a Yoshi has been lost. The game will end if all the remaining Yoshis have been captured.

In addition to the six Yoshis that are available at the start of the game, the island is also the home of two additional Yoshis: black and white. In order to unlock them, the player must succeed at finding their eggs and carry them through the course. If the black or white egg is rescued, the respective Yoshi will become available on the Yoshi select screen. However, the black and white Yoshis are exclusive to Story Mode, and can't be found or used in Trial Mode. Unlike the other Yoshis, the black and white Yoshis have certain superior abilities. For starters, they consider all fruit their Favourite Fruit, which in turn will be in favour to the player's score. In addition, the black and white Yoshis like peppers, and may swallow enemies that the other Yoshis would consider bitter, including black Shy Guys. The black and white Yoshis also have more powerful eggs, that will set off a huge blast if the Yoshi is happy, and more powerful ground-pounds that shake the course a lot. If either black or white Yoshi is lost, they can only be retained by rescuing their egg again.

Story Mode

For the full single-player experience, Story Mode contains the substance of the game. The courses are spread across six pages, containing four courses each. Being numbered from 1 to 4, the courses are sorted by difficulty, and the choice of which course to play is made individually for each page. However, while the first page will always display four courses, the following pages will initially be limited to only one course. In order to unlock the remaining courses on the following pages, the player must seek out and collect Special Hearts (not to be confused with Heart Fruit). Each course thereby has three collectible hearts, and the number of hearts collected will determine the number of additional courses that will be unlocked on the following page. For example, if the player collects two hearts during a course, they will be allowed to choose from course 1, 2 and 3 on the next page.

After finishing a course, a short narration sequence will follow before the page turns. The game will automatically be saved after a course has been completed, allowing the player to resume from the most recent page, while preserving their current score. If all Yoshis are lost during play, the progress will reset as the game ends. Although, courses that were previously completed will still remain accessible in Trial Mode.

Trial Mode

Once a course has been cleared in Story Mode, it will become available for play in Trial Mode. This will also be signified in Story Mode by the color of the numbered boxes on each page. That is, the courses which have been unlocked will be marked by a red box on its respective page, while the courses that still remain locked will be blue. With a rank chart for each course, Trial Mode is the place for players to hone their skills in collecting points and get a high score. There are multiple ways to increase one's score, the most casual being a melon quest. With this goal in mind, the player seeks to find and eat the 30 melons that are scattered across every course. However, most of the melons are hidden and tied to various secrets. In addition, most of the courses also feature a mini game that will put seven melons at stake, further increasing the risk of failure, as the player must win every piece.

Scoring points

The player's score in the game is termed Yoshi's Mood (not to be confused with the Smile Meter), and can be viewed on the pause screen as a number associated with a heart symbol. When Yoshi performs an action that affects his mood, this will be indicated by a speech bubble above his head. Depending on the action, the speech bubble may show a number of red hearts, indicating the number of points rewarded (with exception of hollow hearts, which only replenish the Smile Meter). When the player starts a new game, whether in Story Mode or Trial Mode, Yoshi's Mood will always be a minimum of 600 points, corresponding to 100 points for each of the six Yoshis in the group. If a Yoshi is lost, Yoshi's Mood will also be decreased by 100 points.

As the player goes about the courses, points are yielded from eating fruit and defeating enemies. However, the amount of points a certain action will yield, will also depend on the Yoshi in play. For starters, each Yoshi has their own preferred Favourite Fruit, which will yield 3 points per piece. Remaining fruit will then yield 1 point per piece, with exception of the Lucky Fruit, which will always yield 8 points per piece. Melons, on the other hand, are favoured by all the Yoshis, and will yield 3 points per piece. Moreover, each melon collected will yield an additional 100 points, making it the most valuable fruit in the game. The Yoshis also have different preferences when it comes to enemies. For instance, the light blue Yoshi will be in favour of swallowing blue Shy Guys, which in turn will yield 3 points, while any other color variation of the enemy will only yield 1 point.

The player can also score bigger points by achieving multiplier bonuses. For instance, Yoshi will rather prefer to defeat his enemies by stomping or throwing eggs at them, which in turn will multiply the yielded score. In addition, the multiplier bonus can be further increased by defeating several enemies at once. For instance, if pink or red Yoshi hits two red Shy Guys in a row, either with an egg or by stomping them, the first Shy Guy will yield 3 points ×2, while the second Shy Guy will yield 3 points ×4. If the chain is longer, the third hit will multiply by ×8, while additional hits will summit at ×16.

Multiplier bonuses can also be applied to fruit. By eating two or more fruit of one kind in a row, the point(s) yielded per piece will be multiplied by the number of times the piece has been eaten in a row. For instance, when Yoshi eats 10 Lucky Fruit in a row, the 10th fruit will yield a score of 8 points ×10, making a total score of 80 points for the piece.

Aside from bonuses, Poochy the dog will frequently be of assistance to the player, giving hints about secrets and hot spots along the courses. By sniffing out the right spots and performing a ground pound, Yoshi may uncover hidden melons and coins that will aid in boosting the player's score. Poochy may also signify patterns that the player ought to look for across the course, or within a specific area.

Synopsis

Living together in harmony at Yoshi's Island, the Yoshis are able to maintain a perpetual state of joy through the fruit-bearing Super Happy Tree. However, Baby Bowser becomes envious of this happiness and casts a spell to transform the entire island into a pop-up storybook. In addition he also steals the Super Happy Tree, further weakening the Yoshis and making them fall to gloom.

While successful with his wicked deed, six eggs were yet able to survive the trial and hatch. Confused about the dismal state of their world, the baby Yoshis knew that something was amiss. And so, deciding to fight the gloom with cheer, they set out to retrieve the Super Happy Tree and restore happiness to the island.

On their way to Baby Bowser's castle, the Yoshis must progress through the six pages of the storybook, encountering six different areas of the island. While each page consists of four courses each, the path to Baby Bowser's castle will only consist of one course per page. After progressing to the castle and completing one of the final courses, the Yoshi in play will face Baby Bowser in a final showdown. Following his defeat, a final narration will convey the story from each of the six pages and courses the Yoshis went through, ending with the Yoshis standing together in joy, encircling the Super Happy Tree.

Development

Originally titled Yoshi's Island 64, the game was developed by the Yoshi's Island team, directed by Hideki Konno and produced by Takashi Tezuka. With the first promotional video clip from the game being revealed at Shoshinkai in November 1996, Yoshi's Island 64 presented lush, colorful worlds of pre-rendered 3D graphics and polygonal animations, also demonstrating the Nintendo 64's ability to run 2D games. The game's title was eventually changed to Yoshi's Story, being announced in August 1997, with a release of promotional screenshots from upcoming games. Shortly after, the game was also noted to be getting a memory expansion, extending from 96 to 128 megabits.

With the game's initial release hitting Japan on December 21, 1997, the international release was slightly delayed. With mixed reviews from the press, the game was noted to be too easy and little rewarding. Nintendo of America would thus demand the difficulty bar of the game to be raised. With extra time to polish the title, several changes were made to the international release, including graphical cleanup; the addition of white fences on cardboard courses; Egg Blocks with colors matching the Yoshi in play; new locations for some items; a slightly different ending when the player finishes a course with only melons; and additional secrets, including hidden coin formations that spell out letters. Furthermore, the updated version also added a save feature to Story Mode, allowing the player to continue the game from the last page reached.

Yoshi's voice

While the game's overall sound effects were designed by Hajime Wakai, the palette of vocal expressions for Yoshi were recorded by Kazumi Totaka, making Yoshi's Story the first game to feature a voice for the character. The recorded samples have since been constituting the official voice for Yoshi, making a second appearance in the 1999 title Super Smash Bros., to further be recycled in succeeding games that Yoshi appeared in. This trend was eventually interrupted in 2009 with the release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which used the original Yoshi cry from Super Mario World in homage to that game. Also, for the 2010 Wii title Super Mario Galaxy 2, Yoshi's voice was re-recorded for the first time, ten years after the original samples were made.

Music

Aside from providing the voice for Yoshi, Kazumi Totaka is also the composer of the music in Yoshi's Story. The game features an interactive soundtrack, where the music will change according to the high and low ends of Yoshi's mood. That is, if Yoshi is harmed to the point where the Smile Meter has no remaining petals, the music will sweep down to a lower pitch and tempo, reflecting his dreary mood. But if Yoshi eats a Heart Fruit and becomes Super Happy, the music will instantly switch to a rock version of the currently playing theme. Totaka has also hidden his 19-note signature melody in the game, which may be heard on the Trial Mode course select screen, after the background music has looped eight times.

Prior to the game's release, a promotional soundtrack was released in North America, titled Music to Pound the Ground To: Yoshi's Story Game Soundtrack. Published by The Original Shape CD, Inc., the 15 track CD had the characteristic trait of being shaped to outline the print on the disc, illustrating Yoshi's head. However, as an asymmetrically shaped CD, it raises compatibility issues with most non-portable CD players. The soundtrack was later released in Japan on February 4, 1998, published by Pony Canyon. Titled Yoshi Story Original Soundtrack (ヨッシーストーリー　オリジナルサウンドトラック, Yosshī Sutōrī Orijinaru Saundotorakku), the album was released as Vol. 5 in the national Nintendo Sound Series. With every score and fanfare from the game included on the disc, the release contained a total of 49 tracks, plus a final bonus track. The third and last issue of the soundtrack, Love, Peace & Happiness: The Original Yoshi's Story Soundtrack, contained 28 tracks, and was released in Germany on April 9, 1998, published by Nintendo of Europe GmbH. Notably, track titles vary between the different versions, whereas the North American release basically translates the Japanese titles, while the German release reinterprets most of them.

Soundtrack

Music to Pound the Ground To: Yoshi's Story Game Soundtrack
# Title Length 1. Yoshi's Story 1:16 2. Yoshis on the Beach 2:54 3. Yoshi Curry 3:26 4. Yo-Yo-Yoshi 2:35 5. Yoshis and the Wind 2:15 6. Steal into the Tall Tower 2:06 7. Alpen Yoshi Music 2:24 8. Jungle Yoshi Fever 2:16 9. Yoshis in the Seabed 2:08 10. Yoshi Games 2:06 11. Yoshi's Disco 1:23 12. Page Medley 0:32 13. Baby Bowser Battle 2:03 14. Happiness 1:24 15. Yoshi's Tale 3:36

Yoshi Story Original Soundtrack

# Japanese title English translation Length 1. ニンテンドウ！ Nintendo! 0:04 2. ヨッシー・ストーリー Yoshi Story 1:15 3. ヨッシーのうた Yoshi's Song 2:51 4. 海辺でヨッシー Yoshi on the Beach 2:54 5. ヨッシー・カレー Yoshi Curry 3:26 6. Yo-Yo-Yoshi! Yo-Yo-Yoshi! 2:34 7. 風に立つヨッシー Yoshi Standing in the Wind 2:15 8. 高い塔に忍び込め Sneak into the Tall Tower 2:07 9. アルペン・ヨッシー・ミュージック Alpine Yoshi Music 2:25 10. コマゲ～ン・ヨッシー Come Again Yoshi 3:25 11. ジャングル・ヨッシー・フィーヴァー Jungle Yoshi Fever 2:16 12. 海底でヨッシー Yoshi on the Seabed 2:07 13. ペリキン・ヨッシー・アスレチック Pelican Yoshi Athletic 2:05 14. ちょっと手強いヤツら Little Tough Guys 0:54 15. ダブ・マスター・ミノボン Dub Master Minobon 0:42 16. おはなしのはじまりはじまり The Story's Beginning 0:07 17. はじまりの1ページ Page 1: Beginning 0:28 18. とざされた2ページ Page 2: Trapped 0:31 19. くもの3ページ Page 3: Clouds 0:33 20. ジャングルの4ページ Page 4: Jungle 0:39 21. うみの5ページ Page 5: Sea 0:47 22. さいごの6ページ Page 6: The End 0:33 23. フルーツが30こ！！ 30 Fruit!! 0:12 24. ヨッシーのきもち Yoshi's Mood 1:05 25. またすこし しあわせになった Growing a Little Happier Again 0:36 26. ボスの部屋へ Into the Boss Room 0:12 27. ボスとうじょう！ Boss Appears! 0:28 28. ボスとのけっとう Duel With the Boss 1:45 29. ヨッシーのかち! Yoshi Victory! 0:18 30. ヨッシーのディスコ Yoshi Disco 1:23 31. ベビークッパのおしろ Baby Koopa's Castle 2:37 32. ベビークッパのおしろのナゾ The Riddle of Baby Koopa's Castle 1:22 33. ベビークッパとうじょう Baby Koopa Appears 0:47 34. ベビークッパとのけっとう Duel with Baby Koopa 2:02 35. ベビークッパはんげき Baby Koopa Strikes Back 1:15 36. ヨッシーのかち！～ベビークッパのつよがり Yoshi's Victory! ~ Baby Koopa's Bluff 0:53 37. ベビークッパとのけっとう Baby Koopa Escapes 0:15 38. ヨッシーのしあわせ Yoshi's Happiness 1:24 39. レッツ・トライ！ Let's Try! 0:44 40. 7つのメロンをめざせ Aim for the 7 Melons 0:42 41. ゴール！！ Goal!! 0:07 42. 7つのメロンを手にいれた！ Obtaining 7 Melons 0:42 43. おっこちてダウン Falling Down 0:16 44. だれもいなくなった Everyone is Gone 0:19 45. サンキュー白ヘイホー Thank You White Hey-Ho 0:13 46. ヨッシー・ルーム Yoshi Room 1:04 47. 「オプション」ってなに？ What is "Option"? 0:37 48. ヨッシーのおはなし Story of Yoshi 3:37 49. ヨッシーのスタッフ Yoshi Staff 1:29 50. ヨッシーのスタッフの声（ボーナストラック） Voice of the Yoshi Staff (Bonus Track) 7:29

Love, Peace & Happiness: The Original Yoshi's Story Soundtrack

# Title Length 1. We Love... 0:05 2. Yoshi's Story 1:15 3. Yoshi's Song 2:51 4. On the Beach 2:54 5. Curry in a Hurry 3:26 6. Yo-Yo-Yoshi 2:35 7. Love is in the Air 2:15 8. Tall Tower 2:07 9. Alpina Blue 2:25 10. Come Back to Me 3:25 11. Jungle Fever 2:15 12. Yoshis in the Wind 2:08 13. Games of Happiness 2:05 14. Tough Guys Don't Cry 0:53 15. Spider Swing 0:42 16. Yoshi's Story Interlude 0:07 17. The Story Begins 0:28 18. Heartbeat Caverns 0:31 19. The Summit 0:33 20. Alone in the Jungle 0:39 21. Mermaid's Tears 0:47 22. Grand Finale 0:33 23. Baby Bowser's Lullaby 2:37 24. The Riddle 1:22 25. Let's Try It 1:44 26. Hard Times 0:41 27. Happy Together 1:04 28. Options of Love 0:37

Marketing and sales

According to the Japanese magazine Famitsu, Yoshi's Story sold 53,428 copies on the day of its release in Japan. As a result, it gained the number seven rank in Famitsu's top ten best-selling video games chart. The game sold an additional 118,502 copies in the region by January 4, 1998, dropping to the number eight spot. By the end of that year, Yoshi's Story sold a total of 618,789 copies in Japan, making it the 27th best-selling video game in the country in 1998.

Nintendo intended to release Yoshi's Story in North America by the 1997 holiday season, but the release was delayed until March 1998. A Nintendo official said that the delay was "based on us demanding A-plus quality." Once the game was completed, Nintendo initially shipped 800,000 units from Japan to American retailers. Retailers were concerned that there would be shortages (like there had been for GoldenEye 007), but a Nintendo official promised that the shipment would satisfy demand.

In an effort to promote the game in the U.S., Nintendo direct-mailed advertisements to recent console buyers; put advertisements in gaming and children's magazines; and aired a 30-second television advertisement on NBC, Fox Kids, Kids' WB and Nickelodeon during children's programming. On March 7, 1998, Nintendo pre-launched the game in Lizard Lick, North Carolina; a town of 1,300 residents. The event featured tongue-themed contests for children, and video terminals that let people try out the game. While Yoshi's Story was originally scheduled for a release by March 9, 1998, it was postponed due to El-Niño storms. It was officially released the following day, on March 10, 1998, with a MSRP of US $59.95.

An article in Financial Times said that the late release, an inadequate supply, and distribution errors had led to poor sales for Yoshi's Story in the U.S. Within a month, the game was being discounted by more than 50%. Even so, Yoshi's Story became a Player's Choice title on August 23, 1998, and its MSRP was reduced to US $39.95. According to The NPD Group, Yoshi's Story was the 16th best selling video game in the U.S. in 1998.

Critical reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 59.91% (based on 9 reviews) Metacritic 65/100 (based on 8 reviews) Review scores Publication Score AllGame GameSpot 5.3/10 IGN 7.0/10

Upon its initial release, critics gave Yoshi's Story mixed reviews. As a spiritual and literal successor to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the game was seen as being comparatively smaller in size and scope. Critics noted many disadvantages with the level design: there were only 24 courses in the game (in contrast to the 50+ courses of Yoshi's Island); each of them could be completed within minutes; and only six of them needed to be completed to clear Story Mode. The critics also disliked many other things about the game, such as the graphical details, the music, and the absence of vehicle morphing. Joe Fielder of GameSpot noted that Yoshi's Story "was obviously designed so that younger players could play through quickly and feel some sense of accomplishment", and called it "good for a rental at best." GameSpot thereby rated the game a 5.3 for "Mediocre", while Allgame and Games Domain both awarded Yoshi's Story a 5 out of 10. Amongst the few more positive reviews, IGN gave a score of 7.0 for "Good". Game Informer rated Yoshi's Story 8.5/10, praising its unusual art direction, unique progression system, and numerous hidden secrets. As of February 2012, Yoshi's Story maintains a metascore of 65 (out of 100) on the Metacritic website, and 59.91% on GameRankings, based on a total of 8 and 9 reviews respectively.

On September 17, 2007, Nintendo made the initial release of Yoshi's Story on the Wii's Virtual Console service. The game made second place in Virtual Console downloads on the week of its release, behind Super Mario Bros. However, the critics' reviews for the VC release of the game were lower than those of the N64 release. GameSpot gave the VC download a "Poor" score of 4.0; 1.3 points lower than the previous Nintendo 64 review. The updated review gave Yoshi's Story five demerits: "Derivative", "Shallow", "Short", "Stripped" and "Too Easy". In IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas' review for the VC release, he gave it a 6.0 for "Okay", saying that the gameplay was "nonsensical" and "unengaging." Thomas commented that the game's "system of grocery-hunting was far and away removed from the style of play presented in the SNES Yoshi's Island, and far and away removed from that game's sense of fun." He also felt that the absence of Baby Mario and 50+ levels made the "premise [feel] disconnected. Boring", and that Yoshi's Story was "not the sequel to Yoshi's Island that it could have been."

Game Boy Advance tech demo

When Nintendo first unveiled the Game Boy Advance to U.S. game developers on April 10, 2000, one of the available demonstrations was a tech demo derived from Yoshi's Story. It was specifically developed to show off the Game Boy Advance's graphical capacity, featuring an opening demo and a single looping course. The opening displayed a pre-rendered rotating island, resembling the shape of a Yoshi, also taking advantage of the system's affine rotate-and-zoom feature (akin to the Super Nintendo's Mode 7) to render a seascape in perspective. The demo's level design was based on the colorful cardboard theme of Yoshi's Story. However, the gameplay differed significantly from the original game. For instance, Yoshi was unable to use his tongue; nor could he throw eggs, in spite of being able to obtain them. Screenshots from the demo also show the presence of giant Shy Guys, that were primarily designed to demonstrate system's advancement from the Game Boy Color's 10-pixel sprite limit. In spite of the fact that Nintendo had published a promotional image of a Game Boy Advance with the tech demo running on it, it was never released as a completed game.

See also

• List of Yoshi video games
• Mario titles – Wikipedia book

References

• "Ultimate Review Archive". Game Informer. Issue 100. August 2001. Page 56. Original review published February 1998.

External links

• Official Yoshi's Story profile for Virtual Console
• Official Yoshi's Story profile for Nintendo 64 (Archive, 1998 - Nintendo of America Inc.)
• Official Nintendo of America Yoshi's Story minisite (Archive, 1998 - Nintendo of America Inc.)
• Official Nintendo Japan Yoshi's Story minisite
• Yoshi's Story profile at IGN
• Yoshi Demo profile at IGN