The game begins by allowing players to choose from the Story, Trial, and Practice Modes. (An Options menu is available from the main menu, as well.) For the full single-player experience, the Story Mode contains the substance of the game. From there, the player will be able to select the level, Yoshi, and Lucky Fruit of the chosen Yoshi. The levels are divided into six pages, each containing four stages. While only one stage per page is chosen, each has a number (1-4). The higher the number, the harder the stage. While any number can be chosen on the first page, players must find all the hearts in the previous stage to maintain the same difficulty (high page number). For example, collecting one heart would unlock the second numbered stage on the next page, two hearts would unlock the third stage, and all three hearts would unlock the fourth and hardest stage.