♦ Livestream of 2 ZZT worlds. ♦
♦ Stream Contents ♦
• (3:28) “Yoshi 3” by Chris Kohler (1996) [https://museumofzzt.com/file/view/yoshi3/]
• (1:15:08) “Yoshi 4” by Chris Kohler (1994) [https://museumofzzt.com/file/view/yoshi4/]
First, apologies for the constant whistling anytime the mic picks up my voice???? It was too subtle to hear when I was monitoring the audio but as soon as I went to render the video, wow. Bad.
Yoshi 3 continues with a recap of the previous game, recreating some of its scenes before players pick up roughly where they left off, at the twin bridges that cross Dinosaur Land. Picking the more difficult Cheese Bridge path rewards players with extra supplies, which feels a bit mandatory since ammo and health are considerably more scarce in this one.
The third game doesn't quite captivate the way the previous games did. The action boards include a lot of large undetailed rooms and rely heavily on piles of a single enemy type. The fun takes on the characters are harder to come by, though they still offer a great look at the games and cartoons the young author was enjoying at the time. If you ever dreamed that Yoshi would get to meet Ren and Stimpy or the Animaniacs, this game will grant your wish. Plus a touch of Final Fantasy 4 (no RPG battles here however).
The Mario World structure is stuck to a bit more literally as well. A few levels are intended as conversions of the real levels to ZZT, or at least as best as could be done. But then you also get some unexpected surprises like a Yoshi shower scene after taking a swim through a lake of white chocolate.
In the end Bowser Koopa is defeated, the cookies are returned, and Yoshi's wife Paula lets him off his diet.
Part 4 marks the beginning of a new adventure, taking place in the past with Yoshi's great great great [etc] grandfather as the local sheriff in a wild west town. This one starts off a little more interesting thanks to its new setting and comedic stealth sequence as a poorly disguised Yoshi repeatedly blows his cover and fight everyone instead. But then it too returns to the Mario World structure with Donut Plains and onward ditching the western theme and just being what you'd expect.
It's still accompanied by some great portraits including a battle with Lemmy (Iggy in Mario World) on that rotating island in lava and a multi-board zoom shot on a giant koopa troopa. A lot of mazes and hidden items in the walls definitely drag the pacing down though. A "Part 2" world has a grand total of one new board before it stops as an incomplete sequel included with the release of Part 1.
Still, it's a wonderful little series, and very much an iconic piece of ZZT history. Though it may start to get a bit old at a certain point, it's clearly a labor of love whose faults are easy to overlook thanks to its fun cast, goofy sense of humor, and charming art boards.
♦ Play these worlds directly in your browser ♦
• https://museumofzzt.com/file/play/yoshi3/
• https://museumofzzt.com/file/play/yoshi4/
♦ Originally streamed on August 15th, 2025 ♦
