Yoshi’s Island is a game that I didn’t get the chance to play back in the days. For whatever reason, the SNES original was never re-released via Virtual Console. The only version available is Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, which you can purchase on the Wii U eShop. The other alternative is if you were one of the early 3DS owners, like I am, in which case you would have gotten this title for free as part of the 3DS Ambassador program.

There are some outstanding platforming to be had in this game. Levels can be challenging, but it’s balanced by regular checkpoints, as well as the abundance of 1 Ups you will obtain. Some parts are a tad annoying though - looking you, level with the skiing section. A few levels feel a bit long as well. Still, the majority is great fun, and replaying levels to get higher scores is addictive. Gotta find all those red coins and flowers! Yoshi’s Island is easily one of the best 2D Mario platformers ever. Sure you play as Yoshi (and Baby Mario on rare occasions), but it definitely still has the SMB feel. Also, think this boss battle inspired Nintendo to make Super Mario Galaxy?

The music in Yoshi’s Island is a joy to listen to. I particularly love the short snippet that plays during the level intro. Unfortunately the audio quality pales compared to the SNES original. The camera view also suffers, as the resolution is wider on the GBA, so a small portion of the screen is cut off.

You face off against Baby Bowser at the end of World 6, and boy, what a great final boss this was! The way Bowser slowly walks towards you was intimidating, and the music was so amazing I thought it rivaled Nobuo Uematsu’s best final boss themes: