Yoshi's Island DS

While the original game was developed internally by Nintendo EAD, Yoshi's Island DS was developed by Artoon, a Japanese studio known for working on various Nintendo spin-offs. Published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS in 2006, it was directed by Hidetoshi Takeshita rather than Shigeru Miyamoto. Despite the different development team, Artoon managed to faithfully recreate the iconic, crayon-drawn aesthetic of the Super Nintendo classic.

Yoshi's Island DS expands the narrative by allowing Yoshi to carry and swap between multiple babies, each offering unique mechanics. Alongside the standard Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, the game introduces Baby Peach, Baby DK, Baby Wario, and Baby Bowser. You must strategically switch between these babies at specific stork stops to utilize their specific abilities, like Baby DK climbing vines or Baby Peach floating on wind currents.

While the game is primarily a side-scrolling platformer played on the top screen, it does utilize the Nintendo DS touch screen for specific mechanics. The action shifts between the two screens seamlessly as Yoshi travels vertically through massive levels. Additionally, players can use the stylus to throw eggs at floating coins and enemies that populate the lower screen.

Yes, Yoshi's Island DS retains the notoriously challenging gameplay and complex platforming mechanics that fans of the original Super Nintendo game loved. The levels are incredibly expansive, often requiring massive vertical traversal that spans across both the top and bottom screens. Trying to collect all the red coins, flowers, and stars to achieve a perfect 100 score on every level remains an incredibly demanding task for completionists.