Yoshi's New Island Reviews

Yoshi's New Island is ranked in the 30th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
9 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2014

Yoshi’s New Island is amazing from beginning to charming end. Don’t hesitate for a second to buy it folks, unless you hate smiling.

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Mar 13, 2014

Yoshi's New Island is more than a love letter to the original game -- it's a worthy successor. There's really no reason to pass on playing it, and if you enjoy the original or feel frustrated by the current side-scroller landscape, then you absolutely can't go wrong by giving this a try.

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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2014

Solid platforming with interesting, sometimes non-linear level design and varied mechanics that influence movement and how you play. The bosses are a little dull, but the levels before and in between make up for it. Fans of the series should be rather pleased.

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Mar 13, 2014

No, Yoshi's New Island may not be the game we fans of the original want, but it's definitely the game its creators set out to make. And a lot of fun, too. It's hard to be cynical about that.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2014

Nintendo once again proves that they know the platforming genre better than almost anyone. While polished in its design, I can’t help but wish it was a little more challenging. You can fly through the levels rather quickly without breaking much of a sweat; extra challenges add some life for more advanced players but young ones are likely to get more out of the game.

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Mar 13, 2014
Yoshi's New Island - Video Review (3DS) video thumbnail
Mar 26, 2014

Yoshi's New Island isn't the creative masterclass in platforming the original was, but it is the best platformer Nintendo's released for the Nintendo 3DS to date.

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IGN
Top Critic
7.9 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2014

Yoshi’s New Island’s inconsistent art and tacked-on new ideas are all layered on top of the same strong platforming and level design that made the original great. This deep understanding of pacing and flow helps Yoshi’s latest adventure stand out as the best iteration on Yoshi since the SNES original. Even if I wanted to play with the sound turned off.

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Drew Leachman
Top Critic
7.8 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2014

Yoshi’s New Island is a decent little package. The jumping can be a bit of a challenge to master, but the rest of the game is a breeze. Even with the difficulty not being very challenging, the number of worlds and levels can last most players a good eight hours or more depending on how much they want to collect in each level. It may not have the feel of a flagship title like Mario, but Yoshi still knows how to have some fun – just make sure to go into it knowing it’s not going to be a very difficult ride.

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7.5 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2014

Yoshi's New Island earns its place in a classic series

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75 / 100
Mar 1, 2014

Yoshi’s New Island looks great, plays flawlessly, and is entertaining and challenging enough for any fan to enjoy—and ultimately, that’s all that matters. If you’re a fan, you’ll find what you’re looking for here, but those still waiting for the next great and unique Nintendo title will have to keep on waiting. Some of the pieces of the game feel poorly tacked-on, but at it’s core Yoshi’s New Island is a worthy sequel to a beloved series that has been out of gamer’s lives for too long.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2014

Perfectly playable and sometimes a nice challenge, but lacks its own identity

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7 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2014

As you can probably tell from my time with it, Yoshi's New Island isn't a "must have," but that doesn't mean it's a bad game. It's very much by the books based on any genre standard, and there's pretty much nothing new here that you'll need to run out to experience. But even so, fans of the genre will still dig it.

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Mar 13, 2014

Dinosaurs and babies might not mix in history, but on 3DS they do just fine together. There’s a wealth of rewarding gameplay for anyone with fossil fuel left in the tank for yet another coin-collecting, Shy Guy-stomping, Yoshi spotlight. One of my favorite Nintendo characters continues to impress with heaps of charm and an oh-so-sweet soundtrack, meaning anyone looking for a spring break distraction will find a cold-blooded welcome on Yoshi’s New Island.

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GamesBeat
Top Critic
70 / 100
Mar 13, 2014

Nintendo didn’t do Yoshi’s New Island any favors by adhering so closely to the game that spawned this Mario subseries. For Yoshi’s Island fans, New might feel odd. Despite that, solid gameplay and diabolically well-hidden collectibles have me sticking around.

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Will Greenwald
Top Critic
Mar 25, 2014

Yoshi's New Island is a solid platformer that sadly lacks the child-like crayon drawing graphics that made the first game work so well.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2014

Yoshi’s New Island may bring a more relatively easy experience to more hard-pressed Nintendo fans, but its pastel charms and colorful spirit shouldn’t be off-putting to anyone. What it may lack in technical and gameplay innovation, it more than makes up for in creativity and charm – it would be hard for even the most sour-faced Nintendo fan to not crack a smile and want the best for Yoshi and Baby Mario to make it to safety. Yoshi may not be Mario, but he stills gives plenty a reason for gamers to take a trip to his own little paradise in Yoshi’s New Island, even if it’s just for a day-trip.

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Impulsegamer
Top Critic
3.5 / 5.0
Apr 7, 2014

Yoshi’s New Island while harkening back to the previous titles does not bring much new to the series though it’s an excellent start for someone new to the series. This is not to say however that the game is bad, it is still a solid platformer and that might just be enough for the old hands of the series to pick it up. I definitely recommend it!

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7 / 10.0
Mar 20, 2014

Sure, it’s nowhere near as good as the original or as strong as the company’s finest new platformers, but if you adore Yoshi’s Island and own a 3DS, it’ll sure scratch an itch you’ve had for years

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Digitally Downloaded
Clark A.
Top Critic
Mar 20, 2014

Yoshi’s New Island has been accused of being a shameless nostalgia cash-in, but Arzest did well enough for Yoshi’s appeal to shine through. It just tries so painstakingly hard to replicate the original and then does an inferior job at it, which undermines the moments that are legitimately thrilling and fresh. Those who love cutesy platformers and are willing to cast cynicism aside will be well served, but just like the green dino himself, may find themselves with an insatiable appetite for something more sustaining by the game's end.

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