Super Mario World 2 : Yoshi's Island

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for SNES is a 1995 side-scrolling platform game in which Yoshi carries Baby Mario across Yoshi's Island after Kamek intercepts the stork carrying the Mario brothers and abducts Baby Luigi. The Yoshis take turns escorting Baby Mario through the island in an effort to reunite the brothers and stop Kamek, who serves the young Bowser.

Rather than controlling Mario directly, each stage centers on Yoshi's movement and abilities. He runs, jumps, uses a flutter jump to extend his time in the air, and can ground pound from above. Yoshi can also extend his tongue to swallow many enemies, turning them into eggs that trail behind him and can be held in reserve.

Eggs are both ammunition and tools for exploring a course. A targeting cursor lets the player aim a throw at enemies, blocks, switches, and out-of-reach objects, while egg shots can ricochet from surfaces. Stages build puzzles and hidden routes around this system, asking Yoshi to make platforms appear, trigger mechanisms, or use the environment to reach collectibles.

Taking a hit sends Baby Mario floating away in a bubble while a countdown begins. Yoshi must catch him before the timer runs out, and stars collected during a stage replenish the available time, up to 30. Pits, spikes, lava, and similar hazards still defeat Yoshi immediately, so the game balances forgiving enemy damage with careful platforming.

Each of the six worlds contains eight stages, with boss encounters appearing at regular intervals. Courses range across grasslands, caves, castles, snowy slopes, and other themed areas, and some grant temporary transformations such as a helicopter, submarine, car, train, or drill. These transformations alter how Yoshi moves through a short section and often introduce a distinct obstacle or puzzle.

A stage also tracks its five flowers, 20 red coins hidden among ordinary coins, and the stars remaining on Baby Mario's timer at the finish. Replaying stages to improve these totals is part of the game's progression, and completing every stage in a world with all of its flowers and red coins and a full timer opens a hidden stage for that world.

The SNES original uses a hand-drawn, crayon-and-marker-like visual style that distinguishes it from earlier Super Mario games. Its cartridge includes the Super FX2 chip, supporting effects such as scaling, rotation, and transformations that are woven into the action, including oversized boss encounters and shifting stage elements.