Yoshi Wanna Cookie?
Written: May 18 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Extremely fun, highly addictive, easy for kids to play.
Cons: Limited shapes, black and white game, VS mode hard to beat.
The Bottom Line: Yoshi’s Cookie remains one of my all time favorite Game Boy games. Fans of puzzle games should search high and low for a copy – it’s well worth it.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Nintendo Yoshi's Cookie |
I originally owned Yoshi for the Nintendo game system – you know – that clunky gray thing that used cartridges. I still have it, and play it when the mood strikes me or better phrased – when the game console allows me to play. I wasted hours upon hours playing the game and it, along with Simon’s Quest, Yo Noid! and Pipe Dreams [the original] were the ones that were always in play. Much to my dismay, my deck has been failing me as of late. The games freeze, flicker when I slide in the Game Genie or just refuse to work properly. Seeing as how I loved Yoshi to pieces, when I came across a used copy of Yoshi’s Cookie at my video game store I couldn’t pass it up. The downside is that there were no instructions included with the game so I had to figure it by trial and error.
The Basics
Yoshi’s Cookie was made for the original Nintendo Game Boy system in 1993. Considering that this is almost ten years old, it is still a very attractive game for those that love puzzle video games. The game is comprised of small, basic looking cookies in the shapes of hearts, diamonds, checkerboard, circle, flower and Yoshi’s special cookie. The shapes are very basic in design and at first I thought that was a real drawback, but after playing it and becoming addicted to it, the simple shapes make it easier to match up the columns or rows. Besides, we are dealing with 1993 technology here.
Much like Tetris, the object of the game is to line up the same cookies in either rows or columns; once you do that they will disappear from the screen. You are awards points for the number of cookies you clear from a row or column and the level ends when no more cookies remain. When you clear 15 cookies of the same shape you are awarded a bonus cookie in the shape of Yoshi [yeah it almost looks like him. Remember, this might sound simple, but it is extremely addictive so the more you play, the harder it gets.
Modes of Play
Standard Play
This is where you get to test your own abilities to match up the various cookies before the screen becomes full. The ten levels of play combined with the three drop rates / speeds are more than enough to challenge and entice even the most advanced players of the game. The three songs you can choose from as nice, but in the long run it gets extremely repetitive and makes you wish you opted for the ‘off’ mode.
Playing is easy, winning is hard. When I first starting playing this I set it to the ‘low’ speed on level 1 and though “This is a piece of cake!”. My cockiness got the best of me when I pushed the level up to 10 [the highest] and the speed to ‘med’ [medium]. I’ve never been able to make it through the entire game playing through the different stages from the lowest to the highest but I would have to say that to complete it –from start to finish on every level – you would be looking at about four hours of gameplay.
One thing to keep in mind, if you choose the low or med [medium] speed in the lower levels, the cookies will be removed from the screen at a lower rate. This will give you a chance to look for your next match up or move without having to worry about the timer working to your disadvantage.
If you start out on level 1 playing at the low speed, you will have 10 levels to complete before you advance to level 1 at the med [medium] speed. This continues until you make it through all the levels and speeds. Once you win the game you are treated to a nice long song [different from those played during the game] and the credits for the creators of the game itself. You can bypass having to play though each level at each speed by setting it to level 10 and ‘hi’ [high] speed. Beat the game during this one round and you get the goodies.
VS Mode
If you think you are fast enough, you can play as Mario and challenge one of three characters – Yoshi, The Princess or a beast that I am not familiar with. Each character has their own power level and handicap making it even harder to beat some of them depending on how you set the options. In the VS mode there are three different songs to pick from, but they will all eventually distract you once you start to really get into the game.
If it were that easy, I would have won at least one round. Scattered into the mix are little obstacles that pop up when the computer – your opponent – reaches a milestone or you fail to clear a row or column before the timer runs out.
Slave mode allows the computer to rearrange your cookies by moving your cursor around - making it harder to clear the lines before the timer runs out. Blind is interesting, a 4 x 4 cube is placed over the center of the screen blocking your view of the cookies, this usually lasts about 10 seconds but can end your game quickly if you don’t plan ahead. Panic allows the computer to move your cookies around at a very fast pace for a certain amount of time. If you are running low on time or your opponent has a few rows or columns on you, chances are these little pitfalls will end the round. The winner is the person that successfully wins three rounds – thus collecting three crowns.
Two Player
I haven’t had the chance to play against anyone yet – either no one else has a copy of Yoshi’s Cookie [most likely the reason] or they won’t admit to still owning a ‘old school’ Nintendo hand held. Since it is impossible to give any detail about this mode, I’d like to ask anyone that has played this section of the game to leave a comment about how it works.
The Downfalls
The number one thing about this game that makes it a dog is the fact that there is no way to save your game. If your batteries are running low you risk losing your place in the game and then having to start all over. Sure, you can restart it at the same level and speed, but you will lost whatever score you accrued as well as your playing power.
Since I purchased this used, there were no instructions. Unless you live in some time warped area that still has this new – in the box – chances are you will have to pick up a used copy. And yes, chances are there won’t be any instructions for it. I had to figure out how to play by trial and error and trust me, getting the hang of the VS mode was not an easy task. After playing this for longer than I care to admit, I still have yet to manage to win a single round, let alone a game, in this mode of play.
For some people that washed out, almost black and white graphics might be considered a minus to the overall game. When I played this in the Game Boy Color a majority of it was in black and white but the cookie cutter area [to the right side of the screen] where the cookie count is kept has hints of color – but not much. I picked up a used Game Boy [old school black and white display] for $15.00 used and this suits me fine for this game. If you are into games that have all the bells and whistles as well as fantastic graphics, you might want to pass on Yoshi’s Cookie.
Who Would Love This
Anyone who is a fan of Tetris, Yoshi or Pipe Dreams would more than likely fall in love with this game. The replay value is through the roof because each time you play it is a different game. So even when you beat it you can pick it up the next day and start all over. This is a great game for kids ages five and up since it teaches eye / hand coordination as well as concentration and patience – lots and lots of patience.
The Bottom Line
Yoshi’s Cookie is a game that will have you addicted and leave you never wanting to see another cookie again. The replay value is tremendous and you never run the risk of getting the same screens over and over again because each round and level are different. A great game for kids to play on road trips or to keep a fidgety adult from playing with the stereo. You can’t expect awesome graphics from a game this old, but you will get tons of fun an a challenge like none other. If you plan on buying this used, check around to see if you can get one with instructions or you will have to hunt around the internet for a copy and print it up for future reference.
This game gets two huge thumbs up from me. It was well worth the $9.99 price tag at the video game store and had provided me and the brood with hours of entertainment.
As always, thanks for the read …
^V^ Freak ^V^
Recommended:
Yes
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