Club Retro 2021: February - Franchise Offshoot/Gaiden Games
Feb 19, 2021 0:41:51 GMT -5
Post by Ex on Feb 19, 2021 0:41:51 GMT -5
Finished this tonight:
Yoshi's Safari is a light gun shooting game, developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo in 1993. It was designed for use with the Nintendo Super Scope light gun accessory. The basic gameplay sees Mario riding atop Yoshi, while Mario shoots using a Super Scope (yes it's literally in the game). Yoshi travels through linear Mode 7 stages, while the player shoots at enemies as they appear (basically a rail shooter). There are occasional item boxes to shoot for power-ups. Some stages have multiple pathways to choose from (by shooting gates), and mid-bosses. Each of the 12 stages ends with a boss fight. The enemies and bosses are mostly based on Mario regulars. The plot has to do with King Bowser stealing some gems from a King and Mario/Yoshi have to retrieve the gems and who cares. You wouldn't be playing this for the plot. (A little trivia though: Yoshi's Safari was the first game released in western territories to refer to Princess Peach by her original name. All prior Mario games released in western territories featured the princess as "Princess Toadstool".)
Yoshi's Safari is a light gun shooting game, developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo in 1993. It was designed for use with the Nintendo Super Scope light gun accessory. The basic gameplay sees Mario riding atop Yoshi, while Mario shoots using a Super Scope (yes it's literally in the game). Yoshi travels through linear Mode 7 stages, while the player shoots at enemies as they appear (basically a rail shooter). There are occasional item boxes to shoot for power-ups. Some stages have multiple pathways to choose from (by shooting gates), and mid-bosses. Each of the 12 stages ends with a boss fight. The enemies and bosses are mostly based on Mario regulars. The plot has to do with King Bowser stealing some gems from a King and Mario/Yoshi have to retrieve the gems and who cares. You wouldn't be playing this for the plot. (A little trivia though: Yoshi's Safari was the first game released in western territories to refer to Princess Peach by her original name. All prior Mario games released in western territories featured the princess as "Princess Toadstool".)
+Fun boss battles.
+Great OST.
+Great OST.
+Colorful, enjoyable graphics.
+Frantic shooting towards high score chasing.
+Has that whimsical Nintendo charm of the SNES era.
+Has that whimsical Nintendo charm of the SNES era.
-Way too easy.
-No way to save your progress, gotta beat it all in one go.
-Not as good as Battle Clash or Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge.
-Wish you could spend the coins on upgrades or something.
-Accidentally shooting Yoshi in the head.
I get the feeling that Yoshi's Safari was squarely aimed at young kids. Fair enough, they deserved a Super Scope game in their skill range. I think a seven year old in 1993 would have really enjoyed this game. As an adult in 2021, I was more entertained by the nostalgic themes, cute graphics, and pleasant OST. This would have made for an excellent rental in its day, but there's not enough longevity there to want to own the game. Well there is a way to increase the difficulty level. You only find that out after you beat the game:
As a quick diversion with a new-to-me oldie, Yoshi's Safari was decent. Certainly a worthy addition to the small stable of Super Scope games. One other thing, this game was called Yoshi's Road Hunting in Japan. That name is wonky, but kind of makes sense given the cause the protagonists were on. Calling this game "Safari" in the west though, makes it sound like Yoshi and Mario were just gallivanting around murdering Koopalings for sport.
Ex's time to beat: 45 minutes
Ex's rating: 7/10
Ex's rating: 7/10