It’s always a good day when you can celebrate an epic game’s anniversary, and today, we’re celebrating Yoshi’s Island! The game from the SNES era was made after Yoshi made his debut in Super Mario World and charmed fans, and now, it was his time to shine! The game wasn’t just a hit with fans and critics, it’s been hailed by many as one of the greatest video games of all time. It had unique visuals, audio, and even gameplay mechanics via all the things that Yoshi could do on his own and with Baby Mario on his back. Today is the game’s 30th anniversary, and that means it’s time to honor it!
Happy 30th Anniversary to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island!
One of the greatest 2D Platforming games of all time. pic.twitter.com/EEtHXJaPVX
— Stealth (@Stealth40k) August 4, 2025
Much of what we associate with Yoshi originated from that game, including his egg mechanic, which would lead to many things for Yoshi, such as his inclusion in Super Smash Bros. What might surprise you, though, as noted by Stealth via a found interview from 2017, is that the creative team had a personal mission with Yoshi’s Island:
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island Interview from 2017:
– Shigefumi Hino: Wanted to make a game that was the exact opposite of Donkey Kong Country. They wanted to fight back with hand-drawn visuals.
– Hisashi Nogami: First job out of college was Yoshi's Island. Thrown into the… pic.twitter.com/oYXg6RmmRd
— Stealth (@Stealth40k) August 4, 2025
It’s ironic that they bring up Donkey Kong, as the most recent big-name game on the Nintendo Switch 2 was Donkey Kong Bananza (read my review!), and many are praising it as the franchise’s masterpiece!
Could Yoshi’s Island get that kind of treatment in the near future? Perhaps a true “return to form” kind of title instead of the more recent spinoffs? Or, is there another franchise that could get that push in the future, like Star Fox? We’ll have to wait and see…
