Yoshi's Story: the N64's only Yoshi, as a living storybook
1070 words | Reading time : 5 minute(s)
GameYoshiNintendo 64
The goal of a level is not to reach the end, but to eat exactly 30 fruits. Developed by Nintendo EAD and released on December 21, 1997 in Japan and then on May 10, 1998 in Europe, Yoshi's Story turns the island into an animated picture book. This guide covers the six baby Yoshis and their favorite fruit, the Smile Meter, and the six-page system with a single level per playthrough.
Head straight to the island of Yoshi , pop-up version: Yoshi's Story (a title never translated, identical everywhere) is a wonderfully colorful platformer released on Nintendo 64 in 1998. Its big idea? Turning the whole adventure into an animated picture book you leaf through page after page.
Behind its nursery-rhyme looks hides the only main Yoshi game on the N64, where six baby dinosaurs set out to take back a magic tree stolen by an old rival.
Contents
- The only main Yoshi game on Nintendo 64
- Baby Bowser and the stolen Super Happy Tree
- Six baby Yoshis and their favorite fruit
- Eating 30 fruits, the golden rule of every level
- Six pages, a single path per playthrough
- A mixed reception and a second life
- Quick facts
- FAQ
The only main Yoshi game on Nintendo 64
Developed by Nintendo EAD, Yoshi's Story first launched in Japan on December 21, 1997, ahead of North America in March 1998 and then Europe on May 10, 1998.
It is the spiritual sequel to Yoshi's Island, released on Super Nintendo, but above all the first and only in-house Yoshi episode on the 64-bit console.
The soundtrack is the work of Kazumi Totaka, who also lends his voice to Yoshi: a first for the Mario franchise mascot.
Baby Bowser and the stolen Super Happy Tree
The game opens on a disaster: Baby Bowser (Baby Bowser) steals the Super Happy Tree, the source of all joy on Yoshi's island.
With one wave of magic, he turns the entire island into a pop-up picture book, where scenery and enemies spring up like cardboard cut-outs.
Out of their eggs then hatch six baby Yoshis, determined to cross the whole book to bring the tree back and put the smile back on their home.
Six baby Yoshis and their favorite fruit
You pick your hero from six Yoshis in different colors: green, red, yellow, blue, pink and light blue.
Two secret dinos, a black Yoshi and a white Yoshi, unlock for the most dedicated players.
Every Yoshi has a favorite fruit (apple, banana, grapes...), which gives him back more petals on his meter.
One fruit, though, wins every vote: the melon is every Yoshi's favorite and scores the maximum number of points.
Eating 30 fruits, the golden rule of every level
The goal of a level is not to reach a finish line, but to eat exactly 30 fruits scattered around the scenery.
Health is read on the Smile Meter, a flower-shaped gauge whose petals fall off when Yoshi takes a hit and grow back when he feasts.
Devouring Heart Fruits triggers the Super Happy state, where Yoshi becomes invincible and makes melons pop up everywhere.
Betting on melons is therefore the best strategy: more points, more petals and more happiness all at once.
Six pages, a single path per playthrough
The adventure is split into six pages of four levels, which makes twenty-four levels in all.
But you only play a single level per page in each playthrough: the path you take depends on the hearts collected along the way.
This system bets everything on replayability, since you have to start over to discover the levels you left behind.
Short but clever, Yoshi's Story invites you to read the book again and again to explore all of its pages.
A mixed reception and a second life
On release, Yoshi's Story got a mixed reception: the press praised its graphics and its music, but criticized an adventure that was too short and too easy.
Designed for a young audience, the game favors gentleness and discovery over difficulty, which divides veteran players.
It still enjoyed a second life through the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console, before joining the Nintendo 64 library on Nintendo Switch Online (Expansion Pack) in October 2021.
Yoshi's Story at a glance
| Type | Platformer |
| Console | Nintendo 64 |
| Developer | Nintendo EAD |
| Release (Japan) | December 21, 1997 |
| Release (Europe) | May 10, 1998 |
| Composer | Kazumi Totaka |
| Playable Yoshis | 6 (+ 1 black and 1 white to unlock) |
| Level goal | Eat exactly 30 fruits |
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FAQ
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Which console did Yoshi's Story come out on?Yoshi's Story came out on Nintendo 64, in December 1997 in Japan and on May 10, 1998 in Europe. It is the only main Yoshi game on that console.
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How many Yoshis can you play as?You choose from six Yoshis in different colors, plus a black Yoshi and a white Yoshi to unlock as you play.
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What is the goal of each level?You have to eat exactly 30 fruits scattered around the scenery. The melon, every Yoshi's favorite, scores the maximum number of points.
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Who composed the game's music?The soundtrack is the work of Kazumi Totaka, who also lends his voice to Yoshi, a first for the Nintendo mascot.
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Was Yoshi's Story ever translated into French?No, the game was never translated: its title and its terms stay in English, even though it did release in Europe on May 10, 1998.