Yoshi Topsy-Turvy

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (released as Yoshi's Universal Gravitation in Europe and Australia) 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 a few Nintendo games to feature gyroscopic controls, some others being WarioWare: Twisted! (which is usually regarded as being a better example of how such technology can be applied to games) and Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble.

Story
Bowser and his forces attack Yoshi Island, causing chaos and disorder. In response to this, a spirit named Hongo attempts to seal Bowser and his minions in his book named Forbidden Pop-Up Book, but Hongo fails and accidently seals the entire island in the book. A spirit named Spirit Who Loves Surprises explains to Yoshi that he must talk with Hongo and convince him to bring Yoshi Island back to normal, and to help Yoshi, the Spirit Who Loves Surprises gives to him the power to tilt the entire world. Yoshi manages to convince the spirit to restore Yoshi's Island under the conditions that Yoshi must defeat Bowser. Now Yoshi must satisfy each one of the six spirits of Yoshi Island. By doing this, Yoshi will receive Happiness Medals and the spirits will allow to Yoshi battle with Bowser. After satisfying the spirits, colecting the Happiness Medals, and defeating Bowser, Yoshi Island will return back to normal and Yoshi back to its original state.

Gameplay
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy proved very different from Yoshi’s other adventures. Although it retained a similar art style and the basic moves from Yoshi's Story, 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. 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. By completing these missions, Yoshi wins a Happiness Medal. By collecting a certain amount, Yoshi can face off against Bowser in the final battle.

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

Differences from other Yoshi games

 * Yoshi has the abbility to tilt the entire world.
 * This is the only game that Yoshi Island Spirits appear.
 * This is the only game that the Forbidden Pop-Up Book appear.
 * This is the only game that uses gyroscopic controls.
 * This is the only game that Happiness Medal appear.

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)