about as perfect as a 2d platformer has ever been. yoshi's island achieves on every level what its contemporaries and successors in the medium never quite stacked up enough to equal. the level designs are memorable with a sensible pace and feeling of progression through the island - from the grasslands to the swamps, up to the clouds and eventually the enemy's fortress - without feeling like running through the typical mario series enforced pastiche of water world, desert world, lava world, etc.
the graphics ARE in fact experimental and boundary pushing through the use of wildly unique art design and finely-aged spots of mode 7 here and there - see donkey kong country as an example of another artistically passionate game whose art direction, while good and stark, still feels some age and rust this doesn't. gimmicks are never intrusive and the levels they appear in feel like landmark moments in the story, memories you'll hold with you years down the line - note the "touch fuzzy get dizzy" style levels, 4-1's super mario bros. inspired layout and enemy choices, or the world 5 skiing level - typically, gimmick levels in platformers before and after yoshi halt progress and demand an attention shift before allowing you to play the game again (note sky chase zone from sonic 2). and of course, the fact that its collectathon elements are really only icing on the cake, and not demands to be met in order to experience a true ending - see sonic 3 & knuckles.
the only areas where i feel yoshi's island may slightly falter are a fairly sudden steep in difficulty around world 5 (though the challenge never gets unfair, just a bit of sudden jank) and the placements of some middle rings feeling a bit counterintuitive (such as the dungeon where you need to go through 4 doors and solve 4 puzzles to continue). otherwise, it's the clear high mark of the super mario 2d platforming series and likely my favorite 2d platformer of all time, and has been for many, many years.
also, thanks to the few who stayed up until 3 am with me last night watching me rip through that fucking penguin level.
the graphics ARE in fact experimental and boundary pushing through the use of wildly unique art design and finely-aged spots of mode 7 here and there - see donkey kong country as an example of another artistically passionate game whose art direction, while good and stark, still feels some age and rust this doesn't. gimmicks are never intrusive and the levels they appear in feel like landmark moments in the story, memories you'll hold with you years down the line - note the "touch fuzzy get dizzy" style levels, 4-1's super mario bros. inspired layout and enemy choices, or the world 5 skiing level - typically, gimmick levels in platformers before and after yoshi halt progress and demand an attention shift before allowing you to play the game again (note sky chase zone from sonic 2). and of course, the fact that its collectathon elements are really only icing on the cake, and not demands to be met in order to experience a true ending - see sonic 3 & knuckles.
the only areas where i feel yoshi's island may slightly falter are a fairly sudden steep in difficulty around world 5 (though the challenge never gets unfair, just a bit of sudden jank) and the placements of some middle rings feeling a bit counterintuitive (such as the dungeon where you need to go through 4 doors and solve 4 puzzles to continue). otherwise, it's the clear high mark of the super mario 2d platforming series and likely my favorite 2d platformer of all time, and has been for many, many years.
also, thanks to the few who stayed up until 3 am with me last night watching me rip through that fucking penguin level.