Yoshi's Safari is a game starring Mario and Yoshi for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. This is the first game released in the western market to refer to Princess Toadstool by her Japanese name "Peach", albeit only temporarily. It is one of the few games to use the Super Nintendo's light gun peripheral, the Super Scope. Yoshi's Safari is the first of only two dedicated rail Mario-related shooters, the other one being Luigi's Mansion Arcade. In Japan, Yoshi's Safari was released on the same day as Super Mario All-Stars.
In Yoshi's Safari, Mario and Yoshi are requested by Princess Peach to save King Fret and his son, Prince Pine, from King Bowser and his Koopalings, who have invaded the kingdom of Jewelry Land. The Koopalings are equipped with powerful mechs and command legions of minions. Mario rides Yoshi and uses the Super Scope to combat the Koopas.
Story[]
Bowser and the Koopalings attack Jewelry Land and imprison its rulers, King Fret and Prince Pine. They also steal the twelve gems that keep the land stable and the resulting earthquake splits the kingdom into two halves: the Light Realm and the Dark Realm. The gems are distributed amongst Bowser, the Koopalings and four powerful minions, all of whom lord over the many regions of the captured kingdom. Fortunately, Prince Pine is a friend of Princess Peach, who promptly sends Mario and Yoshi to save Jewelry Land; she gives them the Super Scope to aid in their quest.
After defeating the Koopalings in the Light Realm and freeing King Fret, Mario and Yoshi head to the Dark Realm to save Prince Pine from Bowser. At the end of the game, a code for a harder game is given to use at the title screen. This not only changes the colors of the levels, but it also makes the bosses harder and changes the text of the story scenes to say that the events of the story are repeating themselves.
Gameplay[]
Yoshi's Safari is played from the perspective of Mario, who rides on Yoshi's back and must shoot incoming enemies with the Super Scope. Yoshi's head is always visible, and shooting at him causes a loss of health. The Super Scope can fire automatically, which quickly drains power. The RPM of the Super Scope will decrease when its Power Meter is close to empty; when it becomes completely empty, the Scope will continue firing, but only one shot at a time, even if the Fire Button is still held down (signifying that the player needs to release the Fire Button and let it recharge). There are two Fire Flowers in the game and collecting them increases the amount of time that the Scope can shoot before needing to recharge.
Yoshi's Safari puts some emphasis on platforming, and at times it's imperative to jump (via the Cursor button) in order to avoid some obstacles. Also, there are branching paths that leads to different enemies, mini-bosses or prizes; they always end with the same main road, which leads to a boss. The bosses include the Koopalings, with some of them piloting Mechs; bigger versions of normal enemies (such as a large Magikoopa or the Big Boo); and Bowser himself, wearing a suit of armor equipped with two Gun-Hands and a devastating energy cannon located in the stomach.
Stages and Bosses[]
- Grass Land: Lemmy Koopa: Garnet Gem
- Mushroom Land: Ludwig von Koopa: Amethyst Gem
- Pipe Island: Wendy O. Koopa: Aquamarine Gem
- Crescent Coast: Larry Koopa: Diamond Gem
- Spirit Mountain: Morton Koopa Jr.: Emerald Gem
- Grand Bridge: Iggy Koopa: Pearl Gem
- Float Castle I: Roy Koopa: Ruby Gem
- Cornice Cave: Magikoopa: Peridot Gem
- Boo's Mansion: Big Boo/Boo Buddies: Sapphire Gem
- Float Castle II: Chargin Chuck: Opal Gem
- Dark Sea: Koopa Troopa Battleship: Topaz Gem
- Bowser's Castle: Bowser: Turquoise Gem
Trivia[]
- The twelve gems stolen are the birthstones for every month.
- This is one of two games where Ludwig von Koopa is fought early instead of as a penultimate boss, similarly to Paper Mario: Color Splash, where he was the third Koopaling to be fought.
