Yoshi's Story

After a more seriously toned adventure on the previous console, Yoshi returned in a form that looks like a children's book come to life. Yoshi's Story on the Nintendo 64 bet on visuals reminiscent of handcrafted materials, where the environment looks as if cut out of paper, fabric and crayons, and this aesthetic makes it one of the console's most adorable platformers.

The gameplay builds on the series' classic principles. Yoshi swallows enemies, turns them into eggs and then hurls those at targets, hovers in the air by fluttering his little legs and searches for the way through a level. The novelty is the emphasis on collecting fruit, because the Yoshis' happiness and progress depend on how many pieces you gather, and searching for each Yoshi's favorite fruit adds a layer of discovery and replayability.

The game is tuned to be rather laid-back and aimed at younger and less demanding players, which some criticized as excessive easiness. But beneath that surface hides more than it seems. The effort to collect all thirty pieces of the right fruit in each level, find hidden paths and complete the game with the best possible result gives room for those who want to seek out a challenge on their own.

A huge strength is the atmosphere. The music is playful, the little characters adorable, and the whole world literally bursts with colors and lovely detail. Yoshi's Story is an experience that bets on enchantment and ease rather than difficulty, and in that it is unique in its own way. It is a game one returns to when they want to rest and let themselves be carried away by its infectiously good mood.

In the context of the Nintendo 64 library, Yoshi's Story represents a distinctive title that doesn't try to be the hardest or the deepest, but the most endearing. With its handcrafted look it foreshadowed an aesthetic that later games would develop, and it remains a pleasant note in the world of platformers starring the dinosaur Yoshi.

Why play it: For the enchanting, handcrafted visuals and laid-back platforming fun that bets on cuteness and a good mood.