Bosses
Tap-Tap the Red Nose
Tap-Tap is an invincible spiked ball that can only be defeated by destroying the floor beneath him and knocking him into the lava below.
Tap-Tap the Golden
Tap-Tap the Golden appears in King Bowser’s Castle and chases Yoshi through an autoscrolling sequence. Although this encounter features the Boss Battle theme, Tap-Tap the Golden can’t actually be defeated. Yoshi’s only option is to run!
Baby Bowser
Turns out “King Bowser” comes in baby form as well. Yoshi and Baby Bowser have a stomp-off, attempting to damage each other with shockwaves from their ground pounds. After Yoshi wins the duel, Kamek uses his magic to enlarge one last boss for Yoshi to face…
Baby Bowser
As with Raphael the Raven, the final boss music signals a different kind of encounter. A kaiju-sized Baby Bowser rises up menacingly from the horizon, then slowly charges toward the foreground, eventually filling the entire screen if he gets too close. Yoshi must precisely aim Giant Eggs so that they arc over a great distance, otherwise they’ll miss their target. Interestingly, Bowser’s next appearance was Super Mario 64, where he appears fully grown and roughly the same size as Big Baby Bowser.
The dev team put a lot of effort and imagination into the boss battles of Yoshi’s Island, and urged players at the time of its release to see the game through to completion. Those who did were rewarded with one of the most extraordinary final bosses in a series filled with memorable moments.
Featured Stage: 6-8: King Bowser’s Castle
