La saga des jeux Yoshi : de l'île à la laine

The Yoshi Game Saga: From Island to Wool

1652 words | Reading time : 8 minute(s)

SeriesYoshiYoshi's Island

Thirty years of spin-offs, from pastel crayon to knitted wool and then cardboard. Born in 1995 with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the dinosaur's saga includes Yoshi's Story on Nintendo 64 in 1997, Yoshi's Island DS in 2006 by Artoon, Yoshi's New Island in 2014, then the handcrafted era of Woolly World and Crafted World. This guide traces the whole lineage.

Everyone knows Yoshi as Mario's loyal mount, but the little green dinosaur also has his own video game series, born in 1995 with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. Thirty years later, this platform spin-off saga ranks among Nintendo's most recognizable, as much for its egg-throwing and flutter-jump gameplay as for its bold art directions: chalk drawings, pop-up book, knitted wool, cut-out cardboard.

Here is a complete tour of the Yoshi series, entry by entry: its signature mechanics, its unique visual styles and its history, from the first Yoshi's Island to the very recent Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, released on Switch 2 in 2026.

Contents

Yoshi's Island (1995): the founding game

It all begins with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, released on Super Nintendo on August 5, 1995 in Japan (Super Famicom) and in October 1995 in Europe and North America. Developed by Nintendo EAD under the guidance of Shigeru Miyamoto, the game puts Yoshi front and center: the stork delivering the Mario twins is attacked by the wizard Kamek, who kidnaps Baby Luigi. Baby Mario, for his part, lands on Yoshi's island, where the Yoshis take turns carrying him from one end of the adventure to the other.

The game establishes its signature mechanics, still at the heart of the series today: Yoshi swallows enemies with his tongue to turn them into eggs that he hurls at obstacles and switches, performs a flutter jump (flutter jump) to extend his leaps, and ground-pounds to drive stakes into the floor. A famous quirk: Baby Mario never fights. If he gets hit, he floats away inside a bubble and a countdown starts before Kamek's minions come to snatch him. The game has six worlds and is renowned for its chalk-and-marker art style, like a coloring book.

Baby Mario on the back of a red Yoshi spitting out an egg
Carrying Baby Mario, swallowing enemies, turning them into eggs: the founding mechanic is there from 1995 onward.

Yoshi's Story (1997): the pop-up book on Nintendo 64

The second major milestone, Yoshi's Story lands on Nintendo 64 on December 21, 1997 (Japan), then in 1998 elsewhere. The game pushes the picture-book streak to the extreme with the look of a pop-up book in three dimensions, while keeping 2D sprites. This time, six baby Yoshis set out to recover the Super Happy Tree, the tree of happiness stolen by Baby Bowser, who has turned the whole island into the pages of a book.

  • Fruit at the heart of the gameplay: each level asks you to swallow exactly 30 fruits to finish it, with favorite fruits worth more.
  • Structure: six “pages” (worlds) and four selectable levels per page.
  • Mood: a more childlike, musical tone, with the famous Yoshi songs.
A blue Yoshi sticking out his tongue in a three-dimensional Yoshi's Story setting
Three-dimensional sets and visible textures: the N64 turns the level into an animated book.

The handheld era: Touch & Go, Island DS and New Island

After a long pause, the series is reborn on Nintendo's handhelds. Yoshi Touch & Go (Nintendo DS, 2005) makes the most of the touch screen: you draw clouds and handle the eggs with the stylus. Then Yoshi's Island DS (Nintendo DS, released on November 13, 2006 in North America), developed by Artoon, returns to the classic platform format by introducing several interchangeable babies riding on Yoshi's back.

  • Baby Mario: bouncing eggs and M Blocks.
  • Baby Peach: glides further thanks to her parasol.
  • Baby Donkey Kong: climbs vines and throws explosive eggs.
  • Baby Wario: attracts coins like a magnet.
  • Baby Bowser: breathes fire instead of swallowing enemies.

Then came Yoshi's New Island (Nintendo 3DS, March 14, 2014 in Europe and North America, July 24, 2014 in Japan), by Arzest. Its new idea: the Mega Eggs (Eggdozers), enormous projectiles that pulverize blocks and Warp Pipes to reveal secrets. Chronologically, the game sits between Yoshi's Island (1995) and Yoshi's Island DS.

Artwork of Yoshi throwing an egg with Baby Mario on his back, from Yoshi's Island DS
On DS, the series splits between stylus experiments and returns to the original formula.

Woolly World and Crafted World: the handmade era

With the studio Good-Feel, the series enters its most visually striking phase. Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U, June 26, 2015 in Europe, July 16, 2015 in Japan, October 16, 2015 in North America) plunges the world into a universe made entirely of knitted wool: this time, Yoshi turns enemies into balls of yarn rather than eggs. The game offers two-player co-op and amiibo support. A Nintendo 3DS port, Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, was released in 2017.

Four years later, Yoshi's Crafted World (Nintendo Switch, March 29, 2019 worldwide) pushes the concept toward cardboard and craftwork: every level looks like a diorama built from boxes, cardboard tubes and kindergarten crafts. Its clever twist: the hidden side of the scenery, where Yoshi explores the back of the levels to reveal the craftwork behind the scenes. Two-player co-op and the dog Poochy are along for the ride.

A dragon-shaped train made of cardboard and cut paper in Yoshi's Crafted World
After wool comes cardboard: every set imitates a handmade craft project.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (2026): the ninth entry

The most recent chapter is Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, released on May 21, 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2 and once again developed by Good-Feel. Announced during the Nintendo Direct of September 12, 2025, as part of the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. (1985), it is the ninth main installment in the series and the successor to Yoshi's Crafted World.

Its concept: Yoshi steps into a living encyclopedia and interacts with the strange creatures nestled in its pages to solve puzzles and make his way through the levels. The game was met with generally favorable reviews, continuing the tradition of a series that reinvents its visual wrapping with every console generation.

Several Yoshis of different colors in a meadow from the ninth installment in the series
The ninth entry gathers the whole herd and plays the picture-book card once more.

The main games in the Yoshi series

Game Year and platform
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island 1995 (Japan), Super Nintendo
Yoshi's Story 1997 (Japan), Nintendo 64
Yoshi's Island DS 2006, Nintendo DS (Artoon)
Yoshi's New Island 2014, Nintendo 3DS (Arzest)
Yoshi's Woolly World 2015, Wii U (Good-Feel)
Yoshi's Crafted World 2019, Nintendo Switch (Good-Feel)

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FAQ

  • What is the first game in the Yoshi series?
    The first platform game centered on Yoshi is Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, released on Super Nintendo on August 5, 1995 in Japan, then in October 1995 in Europe and North America. It lays down the foundations of the series: eggs, the flutter jump and protecting Baby Mario.
  • Why do Yoshi games change visual style so much?
    It is a hallmark of the series: chalk drawing for Yoshi's Island (1995), pop-up book for Yoshi's Story (1997), knitted wool for Yoshi's Woolly World (2015) and handmade cardboard for Yoshi's Crafted World (2019). Every entry reinvents its visual wrapping around the idea of a world “made by hand”.
  • What role do eggs play in the Yoshi games?
    Yoshi swallows enemies with his tongue and turns them into eggs, which he stores behind him and throws at enemies, at switches or off walls to solve puzzles. In Yoshi's Woolly World, the eggs become balls of yarn.
  • How many games are there in the Yoshi series?
    The main series has nine major installments, from the first Yoshi's Island (1995) to Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, released on Switch 2 on May 21, 2026. Add to that spin-offs such as Yoshi's Cookie or Yoshi Touch & Go.
  • What is the most recent Yoshi game?
    It is Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, released on May 21, 2026 on Nintendo Switch 2 and developed by Good-Feel. In it, Yoshi explores a living encyclopedia and interacts with the creatures hidden in its pages.
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