Super Mario Land 2: Yoshi's Island is one of the best platformers Nintendo has ever made. The game controls great in a way that even the likes of its predecessor, Super Mario World, does not. Every part of Yoshi’s moveset just feels natural. The flutter jump is great to adjust your jumps, the egg shooting is super responsive, and the ground pound is so iconic that even Mario stole it for later entries in his series. The level design compliments these controls well, as the exploratory nature of many of its levels put these skills to perfect use. To be fair, there are a few times where instant death pits and spikes feel unwarranted, but by no means is that much a dealbreaker.
But not only do the controls hold up, so does this game’s graphics. The children’s book art-style gives the game a sense of whimsy that can still be felt 30 years later. Additionally, thanks to the Super FX chip, the 3D graphics are just mindboggling and add to the already impressive graphics for the time. Even today, the graphics still hold up shockingly well and is just a testament to how strong of an impression this game has on its players. Everything to the music to the enemy designs are just so delightful and full of that Nintendo charm. It’s easily one of the best platformers Nintendo has ever put out and it's clear to see why this single game spawned a franchise of its own. Now if only any of the other titles lived up to this entry…