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The core gameplay of Yoshi’s Island 2 still remains the same. As Yoshi, you can slurp up baddies with your tongue, shoot them out, or use them to create an egg. Eggs can then be thrown by pressing the A button to bring up a cursor that moves up and down in an arc in front of Yoshi. Another tap of the A button will cause Yoshi to throw the egg at wherever the cursor stopped.



The main thing that set Yoshi’s Island apart from the competition was the fact that Yoshi himself was impervious to enemy attacks. There was no life bar, no hit points, no hearts, no nothing. Instead, there was a timer. Whenever Yoshi was hit, Baby Mario would fly off of his back and float around in a little bubble crying like a banshee. For every second that Baby Mario was not on Yoshi’s back, the timer would count down until finally Kamek’s minions would capture Baby Mario causing relief for your ears, but at the same time giving you a game over screen as well.

All of this, including Baby Mario’s shrill and annoying crying, return for the sequel. However, this time it seems that Yoshi is opening his own day care because Baby Mario, Baby Princess Peach, Baby DK, and according to the box art, Baby Wario, and Baby Bowser all get the chance to ride on Yoshi’s saddle this time around. Each baby provides Yoshi with specific skills that he will need to complete puzzles.

For example, when Baby Princess Peach is riding Yoshi, she brings along her parasol which will allow Yoshi to ride wind currents when using his hover jump. Baby DK allows Yoshi to climb across small vines placed on the ceiling as well as providing a shoulder charge maneuver. And of course Baby Mario allows Yoshi to perform Yoshi’s patented butt stomp along with giving him increased speed which will be needed to out run obstacles chasing after poor Yoshi. In order to change which baby Yoshi is holding, players will have to find stork signs which will call a stork down to deliver a new baby whenever Yoshi is next to one.