Yoshi (2)

Learn how to ride Yoshi, use his tongue to eat enemies and berries, and discover the special abilities of different colored Yoshis in Super Mario World.

Alright, let's talk about Yoshi! He's your trusty steed in Super Mario World, and once you get the hang of him, he makes a lot of the game a breeze. You'll find Yoshi inside special eggs, which are usually hidden in blocks within the levels. Just jump on top of him after he hatches, and you're good to go!

Yoshi's main trick is his super long tongue. You can use it to gobble up enemies and even berries. What he spits them out as depends on what he ate. For example, eating a green shell means he'll just spit out a green shell. But if he eats a red shell, watch out – he'll spit fireballs! Eat a yellow shell and he'll kick up a sand cloud when he hits the ground, and if he gets his mouth on a blue shell, he can actually fly!

To make Yoshi eat, just press the X or Y button. If his mouth is full and you want him to spit, press X or Y again.

Now, Yoshi isn't invincible. If he takes a hit, Mario will jump off him. Don't panic! You can usually catch up and hop back on. However, if Yoshi falls down a pit, he's gone for that level, and you'll have to find another Yoshi egg later. Oh, and a cool little bonus: if you find a Yoshi egg and Yoshi is already with you, a 1-Up Green Mushroom pops out of the egg instead! If you manage to finish a level with Yoshi still by your side, he'll even carry over to the next stage with you.

Keep in mind, Yoshi can't join you in the really tough spots – he won't enter fortresses, castles, or ghost houses.

But wait, there's more! The Yoshis you find aren't always the standard green. There are different colored Yoshis out there. When you find one, they're usually small until they eat an enemy, which makes them grow to normal size. These colored Yoshis have special abilities that they use *regardless* of what kind of shell they have in their mouth. So, a Red Yoshi will always spit fireballs, a Yellow Yoshi will always create sand clouds, and a Blue Yoshi can fly for a short time. Pretty neat, huh?