Yoshi's Safari is a 1993 light gun shooter developed and published by Nintendo for its Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the only Mario franchise game to feature first-person shooter gameplay and requires the SNES's Super Scope light gun. As Mario and his pet dinosaur Yoshi, the player embarks on a quest to save the kingdom of Jewelry Land from Bowser and his Koopalings, who have kidnapped its rulers and stolen 12 gems. The game features 12 levels in which the player shoots enemies like Goombas and Koopas, and collects power-ups and coins. At the end of each level, the player engages in a boss fight with an enemy, a Koopaling, or Bowser. Nintendo commissioned its R&D1 department to develop Yoshi's Safari in response to the waning popularity of the Super Scope. Yoshi's Safari was the first Super Scope title to use the SNES's Mode 7 graphics mode, and the future of the peripheral depended on the game's performance.
Nintendo released Yoshi's Safari in Japan and North America in late 1993, and in PAL regions the following year. The game received positive reviews from video game journalists, who commended its presentation—particularly the visuals—and gameplay; some labelled it the best Super Scope title. However, it received criticism for its short length and low difficulty level. The game garnered little attention and failed commercially, attributed to its launch coinciding with a controversy surrounding the SNES rerelease of the popular arcade game Mortal Kombat (1992). Most of Yoshi's Safari additions to the Mario lore were ignored in subsequent games, and it has never been rereleased.
Gameplay
Yoshi's Safari is a light gun shooter viewed from a first-person perspective. The game features 12 levels and requires the Super Scope, a light gun peripheral for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), to be played. The player views gameplay from the perspective of Mario riding on his pet dinosaur Yoshi's back and uses the Super Scope to shoot enemies, which include the Mario franchise's traditional Goombas, Koopas, and Cheep-Cheeps. As the player fires the Super Scope, a power gauge will drop; firing too rapidly will deplete it and cause long pauses between shots, making players more vulnerable to enemy attacks. The game features a multiplayer mode in which one player controls Mario using the Super Scope and another controls Yoshi using an SNES controller. In the single-player mode, Yoshi is controlled automatically.
After selecting a level from the overworld, the player must clear it within a time limit. In addition to enemies, the player shoots blocks with question marks to earn coins, and will earn an extra life by collecting 60. The player loses lives if enemies deplete their health bar, if they fall down a pit with less than three coins, or if they fail to complete the level within the allotted time. Losing all lives results in a game over, forcing the player to restart. The levels feature branching paths leading to different enemies and prizes, though they always end on the same path, which leads to a boss fight. Bosses include the Koopalings piloting giant mechs, bigger versions of normal enemies, and Bowser. Power-ups, such as mushrooms, flowers, and stars, provide the player with extra health, firepower, and invincibility. Some power-ups can only be used during boss battles.
Yoshi's Safari is set in Jewelry Land—a location similar to the Mushroom Kingdom—and features a simple story. Series antagonist Bowser and his Koopalings kidnap Jewelry Land rulers King Fret and Prince Pine, and steal the 12 magic gems that protect the kingdom from harm, causing an earthquake that splits it in two. One of the Koopalings, Iggy, designs powerful mechs that aid Bowser's army in their invasion. Princess Peach sends Mario and Yoshi on a quest to defeat Bowser, retrieve the gems, and set the two rulers free. When the player completes the game, they will be given a cheat code that, when input at the title screen, increases the difficulty level. The game also has a leaderboard to encourage multiple playthroughs and so players can keep track of their scores.