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.
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
thumb|left|The player (from the perspective of [[Mario) and Yoshi fight a Koopa Troopa piloting a mech.]]
Yoshi's Safari is a light gun shooter and will earn an extra life by collecting 60. The game also has a leaderboard to encourage multiple playthroughs and so players can keep track of their scores. Yoshi's Safari was the first Super Scope game to use the SNES's Mode 7 graphics mode, which created an impression of 3D computer graphics and made the gameplay more realistic.
Nintendo released Yoshi's Safari in Japan on July 14, 1993 The title did not garner much attention upon release. Its North American launch coincided with the rerelease of the popular arcade game Mortal Kombat (1992), a game controversial for its violence, for the SNES and Sega's Genesis. According to IGN, Nintendo's decision to soften the blood and gore in the SNES version drew public attention away from Yoshi's Safari.
| ONM = 77/100
While Yoshi's Safari failed commercially, which IGN attributed to its reliance on the Super Scope and the Mortal Kombat debacle, Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), and Nintendo Magazine System considered the graphics and smooth scrolling among the game's highlights. Joypad wrote the animation was fluid The Los Angeles Times praised the game's use of Mode 7, describing the graphics as excellent and colorful.
Yoshi's Safari failure signified that the Super Scope was commercially nonviable for Nintendo. Games starring Yoshi did not gain much popularity until Yoshi's Island, and Yoshi's Safari remains relatively obscure. The title's additions to the Mario lore, such as Jewelry Land, were ignored in subsequent games. Yoshi's Safari is notable for being the first Mario game to refer to the Princess as "Peach" instead of "Toadstool" in Western territories, although this did not stick until Super Mario 64 (1996). Nintendo would later revive old games from its back catalog through its Virtual Console service, but Yoshi's Safari has never been rereleased, and IGN noted its 25th anniversary passed in 2018 with little fanfare.