Yoshi’s Story: The Green Dino’s Debut Is More Complex Than We Remember

Yoshi is one of the “oldest” mascots in the Nintendo firmament. His role as the red plumber’s partner has never been questioned, and his presence in the Mushroom Kingdom’s sporting and party escapades is almost guaranteed. However, his solo career has never truly taken off. Since his debut on NES with Yoshi, known as Mario & Yoshi in some regions, the good green dino has almost always been relegated to spin-offs and experimental titles, featuring improbable control systems and characterless imitations of the sacred monster that is Yoshi’s Island.

A niche he has carved out over the years, thanks in part to the recent Woolly World and Crafted World, is that of 2D platformers characterized by a peculiar DIY graphic style, with objects and characters made of cardboard, fabric, and other everyday materials, and a particular emphasis on collectibles. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, coming to Switch 2, seems to be no different, at least from what we’ve seen so far. Will it be “for kids,” as many consider the series? Probably, but you never know. For the occasion, let’s go back almost thirty years to Yoshi’s first outing as the sole protagonist, from which this adorable sub-genre was born. We are talking about Yoshi’s Story for Nintendo 64.

Yoshi’s Story was conceived to run on the 64DD, the failed peripheral that would have granted Kyoto’s 64-bit console more processing power and, above all, greater memory capacity. This is why the first gameplay fragments and screenshots from that period, when it was still called Yoshi’s Island 64, appear decidedly more detailed than the final product, which still holds up admirably. Pre-rendered models and backgrounds perhaps didn’t cause a stir at the time, as they were applied to a 2D platformer, but unlike many of its contemporaries, they are still splendid today. The storybook aesthetic, the dreamy atmospheres, the many colors and special effects make it a timeless gem.

Yoshi’s Story also defined numerous aspects of Yoshi’s character that still accompany him: from the tone of his adventures to his main theme, taken from Kazumi Totaka’s dynamic soundtrack, not to mention his iconic voice, provided by Totaka himself. In short, it’s a rather important title, full of unusual designs and interesting gameplay solutions. Yet, few appreciated it on day one, complaining about its short longevity and lack of challenge.

Early reviews in its home country immediately highlighted the lack of difficulty and rewards, so much so that Nintendo of America postponed it by a couple of months, demanding adjustments. The development team used the extra time to add details, decorations, further secrets, and the ability to save between levels, as well as reposition some on-screen elements. No, the complexity was not tweaked, and this penalized it again. It’s no coincidence that on Metacritic, it has a rather unflattering average of 65. Were they right? Not entirely.

It’s true, Yoshi’s Story doesn’t offer much, but only if played “casually.” In total, there are 24 levels, but only six are needed to finish the campaign, one per “page” of the storybook. To complete a chapter, it’s not even necessary to reach the end of the level; it’s enough to eat 30 fruits, which the area is full of. The bosses are a joke, and even though we only have six lives, you have to try hard to die (with the Yoshi in question physically carried away by Bowser’s henchmen). How long does it take to see the credits? A couple of hours at most, usually much less. To see all levels, you need four runs, provided you’ve unlocked them by finding all the giant hearts hidden around, but that’s not the reason to keep playing.

Every food consumed, enemy defeated, and item collected will grant you points, with bonuses and multipliers for eating the same fruit in a row (preferably Yoshi’s favorite) and taking out more enemies with a single egg. There’s no timer, and the levels have a circular structure, complete with intermediate teleports, allowing you to retrace your steps multiple times and calmly explore the various paths to beat your record.

And then there are the melons, special fruits that give a ton of points. There are precisely 30 in each level, and collecting them all at once is the ultimate goal of each, let alone completing an entire run this way. The problem is that a lot of them are hidden from view, have bizarre and often incomprehensible requirements without a guide, and you also have to act quickly or you’ll lose them forever (nothing prevents you from restarting, mind you). A simple walk in the park turns into a sadistic challenge, demanding meticulous knowledge of every traversable nook and cranny and the control system. The latter, fortunately, works wonderfully. Is it really worth it? No, but the satisfaction is immense, and it allows you to fully appreciate the numerous details and quirks that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Yoshi’s Story is generally compared (for obvious reasons) to Yoshi’s Island, losing soundly in the comparison, but I believe it has more in common with Star Fox 64 (or Lylat Wars if you prefer), which was also made by the same internal studio, Nintendo EAD. Of course, a frantic rail shooter encourages many more sessions than a slow-paced platformer, but if you embrace its philosophy and dedicate enough time to it, the experience transforms. The floor is low, but the ceiling touches the stars, as evidenced by the speedrunning community, where the title is quite popular.

An misunderstood masterpiece then? Nah. The reported shortcomings don’t disappear, and the level design isn’t always brilliant, but it can be a lot of fun and deserves at least a couple of playthroughs. Today it would probably receive a different reception. If you want to play Yoshi’s Story, the original cartridge (loose, of course) can be found at honest prices, but clearly the best (legal, I must emphasize) option remains the emulated version on Switch and Switch 2 via subscription. Visually, it’s an excellent showcase of the Nintendo 64’s potential, and you can both relax and challenge yourself, discovering how infamous this “children’s game” can be.