Yoshi Topsy-Turvy

Yoshi's Universal Gravitation (released as Yoshi Topsy-Turvy in North America) is a title for the Game Boy Advance that was developed by Artoon and published by Nintendo. It takes place in the present, unlike many other games in the Yoshi series. This was one of only two GBA games to feature gyroscopic controls, the other being WarioWare: Twisted!, which is usually regarded as being a better example of how such technology can be applied to games.

Gameplay
Yoshi's Universal Gravitation proved very different from Yoshi’s other adventures. Although it retained a similar art style and the basic moves from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, there were three changes made to the formula that set it apart.

The biggest addition was the fact that by moving the GBA left or right, the world would tilt accordingly. However, there were only three levels of tilt total: normal, extreme left, and extreme right. Fine tuning of the level of tilt was not present. In a tilted world, walls became slopes, balls rolled, and enemies were affected.

Also, navigation through a level was also changed. Players now move throughout levels by touching large stars that transport Yoshi. This can lead to potentially frustrating challenges in that if Yoshi touches one, he cannot go back to the previous area because there is no star to take him there.

Finally, depending on what part of the game players were at, the requirements for finishing a level would change. One set of levels has players collecting coins while another has players defeating a certain number of enemies. One of the strangest of these challenges was where players have a limited number of monsters that they are allowed to defeat before they lose. This was all in an effort to collect Happiness Medals. By collecting a certain amount, players could face off against Bowser in the final fight.

Critical Reception


Unfortunately, while striving to innovate, Nintendo and Artoon ended up producing what is largely regarded as a mediocre title. As of August 8, 2006, the game’s overall review score was 6.2/10 based on Gamerankings.com collection of reviews.

IGN.com’s Craig Harris noted that the use of the star portals to change scenes made the game seem rigid as some scenes only lasted for seconds. They also caused the reviewer frustration when used in ways that made it seem like the developers were making sure players learned to pay attention. (5.0/10)

Gamespot.com’s Justin Calvert stated that the adventure was fun and clever when it began, but after a while, the graphics, sound, and game play mechanics became repetitive. He also commented that the game was too short. He had little reason to keep playing after meeting the bare requirements for beating the game. (6.6/10)

1up.com’s Jeremy Parish stated that the game felt like it had been designed around the motion sensor, unlike WarioWare: Twisted! where it felt like the sensor was designed to fit the game. He feels that the game is just a sub-par game with choppy tilt-sensing technology thrown in. (4/10)

Story
The spirits sealed up the entire island into a story book called the Forbidden Pop-Up Book. Now Yoshi must meet the challenges put forth by the spirits to earn a chance at fighting Bowser and saving the island.

After collecting enough of the spirits’ Happiness Medals, Yoshi defeated Bowser and returned his home to its original state.

Characters

 * Yoshi
 * Hongo, the great spirit of the Forbidden Pop-Up Book
 * Spirit of Cuteness
 * Spirit of Greed
 * Spirit of Power
 * Spirit of Kindness
 * Spirit of Fright
 * Spirit Who Loves Surprises
 * Spirit of Speed
 * Bowser

Items

 * Boulder
 * Bronze Medal
 * Cannon
 * Coins
 * Gold Medal
 * Fruit
 * Happiness Medal
 * Chime Note
 * Chime Ball
 * Silver Medal