In the wake of announcing the current sales tally for its thriving handheld, Nintendo pegged the release date for Yoshi’s New Island — the spiritual sequel to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island — which will launch across North America on March 14. In addition, the game will be available at retail and through the company’s digital eShop.
Retaining the age-old, side-scrolling charm of the SNES original, Yoshi’s New Island will see players explore a colourful vista once again as everyone’s favourite tongue-twister. Not only that, as you manoeuvre the mountable green dino through each level, you’ll be tasked with protecting Baby Mario, who’s also along for the adventure.
Development of the new 3DS title is being handled through Takashi Tezuka, who served as creative director on the original iteration of Yoshi’s Island back in 1995. Its sequel, which was originally announced at E3 last year — though its moniker wasn’t confirmed until shortly after — will once again have players stomping the ground and flutter jumping from one level to the next.
Though Nintendo have withheld how the title will utilise the native 3DS features, it seems likely that Yoshi’s New Island will take full advantage of the device’s touchscreen abilities. Moreover, if sales for the DS iteration of Yoshi’s Island are anything to go by — which shipped close to 4 million copies after launch in 2006 — then the dino’s latest solo outing is set to be one to watch for 3DS owners in the early stages of 2014.
Yoshi’s New Island will launch for 3DS in North America on March 14. At this time, Nintendo hasn’t confirmed the release dates for other territories. In the meantime, though, let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments section below.