Wario packs a large magnet, which is used for moving metallic barriers and attracting coins. When DK rides, he helps the Yoshis dash charge as well as climb vines. Peach has a parasol, like her previous game, which allows the pair to fly in the breeze. Babies are switched at “stork stops." With Mario along, Yoshi gains the ability to run, and “M" blocks, which act like the traditional “?" blocks become activated. Yoshis can carry only one baby at a time, and the other babies are carried by a stork. Instead of only Baby Mario, baby versions of Peach, Donkey Kong, Wario, and even Bowser come along for the ride. The primary new feature in Yoshi’s Island DS is the addition of different babies. Controls deviate slightly from the original, but are generally better once you get used to the timing differences. Of course, the Yoshis retain their trademark tongue reaching and egg laying capabilities. While this works fine for larger boss levels, it’s mostly just disorienting in normal levels where items and enemies may hide in this blind spot, though it isn’t a huge issue. There is a gap in between the two screens equal to the missing portion of the screen. Like Sonic Rush, gameplay in Yoshi’s Island DS takes place on both screens. Despite all of these elements, the game is far from a “same look, different levels" type of game, nearly akin to Super Mario Bros. Yoshi can still eat enemies, lay eggs, and target them at enemies and items. The Yoshis still carry the babies on their backs, and the babies still float away with an annoying cry if Yoshi is hit. The story is similar, beginning with Kamek and his toadies kidnapping babies. The rotating island title screen, map screen (and increasingly complex music), bonus games, and level goals are identical except for some graphical alterations. Much of Yoshi’s Island DS was cloned directly from Yoshi’s Island. While not a superior experience on all fronts, Yoshi’s Island DS does equal or improve upon the original in many ways.
Thankfully, however, Nintendo worked closely with Artoon this time around, and if the Artoon logo didn’t pop up when starting the game, you likely wouldn’t have questioned the game being developed by Nintendo itself. After disappointing “sequels" such as Yoshi’s Story and Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, fans were excited to hear about “Yoshi’s Island 2" and then disappointed to hear that one of its flagship games wasn’t developed by Nintendo. Yoshi’s Island is easily one of the greatest platformers of all time.