Subtitled in the west as a sequel to the launch title Super Mario World, but scripted as a prequel when Mario was still a baby, Nintendo reached the pinnacle of 2D platform design with Yoshi’s Island. Although resolutely 2D in play, it was a fitting end to the Super Famicon and used a number of hardware tricks of to create a wonderfully varied adventure. Mode 7 style effects were used with abundance, the Super FX chip to a lesser, more subtle extent. Some of the levels even featured a strange psychedelic warping effect when Yoshi is effectively drugged by one of the enemies, created using an oft ignored graphics mode of the host machine.

And the result was a wonderful mixture of familiar Mario charm with a barrage of original concepts. At its base level it worked like any other Nintendo platformer, although this time Yoshi was put centre stage. The moving from left to right collecting coins and jumping on enemies to reach the end goal was still present, but in addition were a huge array of new abilities, objects and enemies to interact with in a totally fresh and inspirational way.

One can envisage Nintendo asking each and every employee to come up with ten original ideas for Yoshi’s Story. Then it only chose the very best ones. Everything in the game gels so well together, there is not one wasted pixel, not a single dull moment. It was as tight as a snare drum and just as bold.

The new abilities of Yoshi were inspired. His jumps were slightly extended by holding down the jump button as Yoshi furiously waggled his feet to keep airborne. His tongue licked in enemies, which could then be used to lay eggs. These eggs followed Yoshi around the screen like ducklings following its mother. At any time the eggs could be fired at enemies using an ingenious aiming cursor that kept the game both fast an accurate. Hitting certain objects with projectile eggs could cause big chain reactions and was a large part of the gameplay.

The life meter was also genius. Baby Mario travelled on Yoshi’s back, until Yoshi was hit when he would fly off, crying his eyes out. Yoshi did not die, but had to get Mario back on his back before Koopa’s minions whisk him away. Each of the six worlds were broken down into eight large levels, each with two amazing bosses. The varied worlds were beautifully elegant and the ability of Yoshi to change, transformers style, into different vehicles added even greater depth to the already huge variety of the level design.

It is now industry legend that the game was styled on children’s drawing as a two fingered jibe from Shigeru Miyamoto at Nintendo bosses who wanted Yoshi’s Island to emulate Rare’s big title of the day, Donkey Kong Country. Ironically, of any Super Famicon title it is Yoshi’s Island that has dated the least, the limitations of the hardware masked by the broad brush strokes of the heavily styled graphics. Even to this day, it stands as one of the most striking games released on any platform; an example if ever one were needed that it’s not how powerful your graphics engine is, it’s what you do with it that counts.

Fast forward to the present day and we have the re-release on the Gameboy Advance. For the purposes of simplicity, the world is divided into two kinds of people; those who have played Yoshi’s Island before and those who haven’t. If you sit in the former camp, you will be asking two things of this new version: how faithfully has the game been reproduced on the GBA and what extras have been included?

The answer to the first question, in case you were ever in any doubt, is that the reproduction is magnificent. Although Nintendo’s policy of releasing old Super Famicon titles on the GBA can be tiring at times, at least they spend the money and time to give the conversions the lavish attention they deserve. Fans of any classic game can be the hardest people to please, their knowledge of the original title likely to be so absolute that they can spot any mistakes in an instant, but any fears that Yoshi’s Island’s occasionally busy graphics would be ill suited to the smaller screen are happily ill founded. The music can sound a little tinny at times, but wearing headphones reveals that the beautiful tunes are perfectly recaptured. The infamous Dizzy levels and their psychedelic effects are the only major discrepancy and the overall impression whilst adequate isn’t quite as memorable here with some considerable slowdown, but considering the original made use of a specific hardware function that the GBA does not possess, it can be forgiven.

It helps that the extras make up for it. The original game featured six ultra hard levels only available when the score attack was completed on the corresponding eight stages. These levels still appear, but completing the final stage now reveals six brand new levels exclusive to the GBA version. Whilst not quite as hard as the original extra levels, they are a welcome bonus and give a good reason for those who have completed the game to own this new edition. Finishing every level with a perfect score shows a slightly different ending and an altered opening screen. The rewards may be small, but it all helps distinguish this release from the original.

Of course there are some very lucky people who have never played the original. If you’ve played Yoshi’s Story on the N64, quickly banish all thought of that significantly inferior title from your mind. The only advice to be heeded is to buy Yoshi’s Island and love it like so many already have. At sixty levels including the new additions, it may not be the longest game, but the wonderful score attack will keep you hooked long after the credits have rolled. It’s bristling with typical Nintendo secrets and mini games. Critics may argue it is too linear compared to the open design of Super Mario World, but the desire is to play through every single level anyway. Never has so much variety and originality been squeezed into a cartridge so small before, it’s simply bursting with goodness, all wrapped up in that Nintendo magic that makes their best games so very special.

And this is special. Very special. Quite possibly the greatest 2D platformer ever made, the pinnacle of a genre already bristling with an unfair proportion of incomparable masterpieces. The score reflects the fact that this is a re-release, but if you have not yet sampled the delights of Yoshi and his fabulous island, you can increase the score to the maximum, for it is simply that; Genre defining.