Yoshi's Island DS for Nintendo DS Reviews by Gamers

Yoshi's Island DS's gameplay is fundamentally the same as the previous game. The player guides various different coloured Yoshis through side scrolling stages[6] in "get from A to B" fashion. To this end, Yoshi is able to jump and hover for a short time, eat enemies and turn them into eggs (which can then be thrown to hit switches or defeat distant enemies) and pound the ground (to say, smash crates). Some stages offer Yoshi the ability to morph into vehicles for a short time. DS differs from many platforming games in that Yoshi does not have a life bar. When Yoshi is hit, the baby he is carrying falls of his back and Yoshi must retrieve him/her before a timer runs out.
DS differs from the previous game in that five babies are available for Yoshi to carry, each bestowing a different ability. Baby Mario allows Yoshi to dash and makes special 'M' blocks appear, Baby Peach allows Yoshi to float and fly on wind currents, Baby DK can grab and swing on vines and ropes, Baby Wario uses his magnet to attract metal objects and Baby Bowser spits fireballs. The need to switch babies at key points adds a puzzle element to the game.

I was particularly pleased with how the core gameplay elements are the same as in the previous game. However the aiming system is still bothersome which relies entirely on time and locking the aiming. The sound is a little tingy. I felt as though the original SNES/GBA counterpart was much more solid with stronger sounds that better reflected the Yoshi I came to know and love. Overall you'll love the game. It's worth keeping to beat but not owning unless you're set on getting 100's on every level and getting all the minigames.