Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
- This article is about the Yoshi franchise game. For the level in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, see Topsy Turvy.
Template:Infobox Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (released as Yoshi's Universal Gravitation in Europe, Australia, and Japan) is a title for the Game Boy Advance developed by Artoon and published by Nintendo. The game is a spin-off of the series of platform games starring Yoshi. It is one of the few games in the Yoshi franchise to take place in the present in the Mario timeline, as Bowser appears instead of Baby Bowser. It was released on December 9th, 2004 in Japan, and localized for other markets four to six months later. This was one of only a few Nintendo games to feature gyroscopic controls built into cartridges, with some others being WarioWare: Twisted! and Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble.
Story
Bowser and his armies were attacking Yoshi Island, causing chaos and disorder to the inhabitants. In response to this, a spirit named Hongo attempts to seal Bowser and his minions in his book named Forbidden Pop-Up Book to stop Bowser's destruction, but Hongo fails and accidentally seals the entire island in the book. Yoshi starts panicking, but 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, because spirits don't have enough power to defeat Bowser, who was hiding in a cave at the final chapter of the book, The Tale of Bowser's Cave. He also says that he was fired because he didn't know how to keep secrets. Yoshi gets mad, and as proof of his apology, the Spirit Who Loves Surprises gives to Yoshi the power to tilt the entire world and explains how to use it, but Yoshi accidentally hits the spirit with a boulder. Yoshi manages to convince Hongo to restore Yoshi Island under the conditions that Yoshi must defeat Bowser, because if he restores Yoshi Island with Bowser, he will attack Yoshi Island again. Now Yoshi must satisfy each one of the Yoshi Island Spirits. By doing this, he will receive Happiness Medals and the spirits will allow him to battle with Bowser.
Yoshi finds the Spirit of Cuteness, which explains to Yoshi that Bowser attacked Eggland and transformed every Eggling into apples. When Yoshi swallows an apple, it is revealed that the apple is really a Eggling. After completing four chapters and satisfying some spirits, Yoshi must complete a level where Bowser tries to attack him; it turns out that the Bowser is actually a fake one being controlled by the Spirit Who Loves Surprises. Yoshi gets mad, but the Spirit Who Love Surprises apologizes and says that he was just testing him to see if he is ready to battle with the real Bowser. After completing this level, Yoshi must complete two more chapters. When Yoshi has satisfied every spirit of Yoshi Island, he can battle with Bowser.
After completing the spirits' missions, rescuing the Egglings, and defeating Bowser, the spirits celebrate Yoshi's victory, and Hongo is very grateful for Yoshi's heroism. He makes a meal for Yoshi, but Yoshi still isn't happy. He then uses his magic to bring Yoshi's Island back to normal and Yoshi back to its original state. Yoshi eats the meal with the Egglings, who will never forget Yoshi's deeds. In the end, the Spirit Who Loves Surprises returns to work with Hongo.
Gameplay
This is the first Mario and Yoshi game in which gravity plays an important role. By tilting the Game Boy Advance left or right, the game world tilts accordingly. There are only three levels of tilt: normal, left, and right. Fine-tuning of the level of tilt was not present. When the world is tilted, Yoshi can walk on walls, and many items such as Chime Balls and enemies like Igashira-kuns roll downhill. The player can also make some objects go upside-down by continually changing the tilt direction.
To go to the next area, Yoshi must touch a ring made of stars. If Yoshi touches one, he cannot go back to the previous area because there is no ring to take him there. At the end of the level, Yoshi must touch a large star to win a Happiness Medal and go to the next level. Some areas require Yoshi to transform into a different form to collect items and reach the end of the level.
Depending on what level of the game players are at, the spirit who give the mission and the requirements for finishing the level change. Every level has a task given by one or two spirits, to increase the difficulty.
The game features a Bonus Games mode, in which Shuffle Mode, Shuffle Mode EX, and other minigames can be played, as well as an Eggling Book. At the end of every level, there is a Bonus Chance!, which is a chance to play a Bonus Mission!. If Yoshi completes a Bonus Mission!, he wins 50 Coins.
Throughout the game, Yoshi will find twelve different enemies which drain his health meter if he touches them. Yoshi can swallow hearts to restore one point of his health meter; a larger heart completely restores Yoshi's health meter. These enemies play important roles in the game; missions given by the Spirit of Power involve defeating a certain number of enemies, and missions given by the Spirit of Kindness involve not defeating enemies. Unlike in other Yoshi games, Yoshi produces cloud after eating an enemy instead of making eggs.
If Yoshi completes the task given by the spirit, he wins a Happiness Medal. If Yoshi completes the level with a much better score than that required, he wins a Gold Medal.
Controls
Controls | Purpose |
---|---|
Open pause menu/confirm. | |
Jump or confirm. Within a level, hold to Flutter Jump. | |
Extend tongue. Eat enemies, cancel. | |
Tilt Yoshi's Island. This can be used to walk up walls, roll a Chime Ball or Boulder, swing a Wrecking Ball, tilt a Shy Guy Ship or Cannon, as well as several other uses. | |
or | Move Yoshi left or right, move cursor. |
Crouch, move cursor down. | |
Look up, move cursor up. | |
or | Flip pages of the Eggling Book. |
Chapters
- Tale of the Spirit of Cuteness
- Tale of the Spirit of Money
- Tale of the Spirit of Power
- Tale of the Spirit of Speed
- The Tale of Bowser's Fields
- Tale of the Spirit of Kindness
- Tale of the Spirit of Fright
- The Tale of Bowser's Cave
Characters
- Yoshi
- Hongo
- Spirit of Cuteness
- Spirit of Greed
- Spirit of Power
- Spirit of Kindness
- Spirit of Fright
- Spirit Who Loves Surprises
- Spirit of Speed
- Bowser
Modes
Story Mode
During Story Mode, Yoshi must travel through eight chapters. This includes fifty courses, a mid-boss and Bowser at the final chapter. In each chapter, a spirit will set Yoshi a task. Such tasks can include collecting coins, defeating enemies or rescuing trapped Egglings from Apples. Within the courses, Yoshi must avoid twelve different enemies which will drain Yoshi's health meter upon contact. An empty health meter will cause Yoshi to lose a life. He can swallow hearts to restore his health meter. Yoshi will be rewarded with a Happiness Medal at the end of a course if he successfully completes the tasks given by the spirits. Gold Happiness Medals are given if Yoshi completes the task to a very high standard.
Challenge Mode
After completing the game, this mode is unlocked. In this mode, five extra modes can be played when they are unlocked, each through their own specific conditions. The minigames that can be played are:
Image | Name | Description | Unlock Condition |
---|---|---|---|
This minigame puts Yoshi through an endless series of random missions and pages. The player must complete the mission(s) and reach the goal to advance to the next page as many times as possible. The minigame ends when either Yoshi fails to complete a mission on a page or loses a life. | Complete the game. | ||
This minigame takes place in a snowy mountain. The player must tilt the console to the right, making Yoshi to slide down the mountain. After some seconds, the player must jump by pressing . Depending on how fast he slides down the mountain and how late his jump is, the longer and higher it is going to be. | Complete the Eggling Book. | ||
This minigame takes place in a Shy Guy Ship and the time limit is 30 seconds. The player must tilt the console to the left and to the right repeatedly, causing the ship to do a loop. Yoshi must make the ship do as many loops as he can to win points. | Complete the Eggling Book. | ||
Ball Yoshi must complete a level as fast as he can. | Complete the Eggling Book. | ||
A more challenging version of Shuffle Mode. | Get every Gold Medal in Story Mode. |
Eggling Book
The Eggling Book is a book with seven pages with every Eggling that Yoshi has rescued. In this book, the player can see the name and the class of every Eggling.
Yoshi's Transformations
Throughout the game, Yoshi may transform into a unique object. These transformations are obligatory to complete certain areas and to collect certain items.
Image | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Yoshi | Yoshi in his normal form. He can lick up enemies or apples, Flutter Jump, and use gravity to tilt objects around him. He has an eight-point health meter. If Yoshi runs out of HP, he will lose a life. | |
Ship Yoshi | Yoshi can float above the water and will continually move forward. The water level can be changed by tilting the console left or right. If Yoshi touches the ground and there's no water where he is, he won't be able to move, but if the water touches him he can move again. Getting held back by an object may cause Yoshi to go off-screen and he will lose a life. | |
Balloon Yoshi | The first transformation encountered. Yoshi will becomes a hot-air balloon and slowly float downward. By tilting the console left or right, he can drift to that corresponding direction. Coins, spikes and other obstacles are usually found on the way down. | |
Ball Yoshi | Yoshi becomes an invincible bouncy ball. By tilting the console, Ball Yoshi will bounce and move in that direction. If Yoshi comes into contact with a concrete block, it will crack and ultimately break. Touching an enemy in this form will defeat it. | |
Boat Yoshi | Similar and a little faster than the Ship form, Yoshi turns into a boat. This form has two paddlewheels which turn and allow Yoshi to move. Yoshi can jump using and the player can change the water level by tilting the console to the left and to the right. Obstacles such as Igashira-kuns and walls are found along the route Yoshi takes. If he is held back by an obstacle, he will lose a life if he goes off the screen. This transformation is only encountered twice at Chapter Six. |
Enemies
Image | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
File:Boo YTT.png | Boo | Boos only appear in four missions, and will follow Yoshi if he isn't looking at him. If Yoshi is looking at him, he doesn't move and shields his face. A smaller version of these enemies also appear in Chapter Six. |
Daruma otoshi-kun | This enemy only appears four times in the game during Chapter Six. He seems to be a purple enemy with a black eye, thin legs, a large purple beak, and a green torso. | |
Fat Guy | Fat Guy is a fat version of Shy Guy. Yoshi can't defeat this enemy. When he jumps on their head he bounces back. | |
Fly Guy | Fly Guys are pretty much the same as Shy Guys, except that they have the ability to fly. They fly with the propellers attached to their head. They also appear holding Coins that Yoshi can collect with his tongue. | |
Goonie | Goonie is a bird enemy that can only continually fly forward. It can actually fly in other directions too, upward and downward, but that's only if the console is tilted. If Yoshi jumps on one's head, it doesn't damage them but Yoshi can stand on their heads to reach certain locations. | |
Gusty | Gustys are ghosts that continually fly forward, just like Goonies do. They usually appear in groups. | |
Igashira-kun | Igashira-kun are round, spike-covered enemies that are always sleeping, but wake up if the player tilts the console. When the console is tilted, the enemy rolls to the left or the right, and if the console isn't tilted he falls asleep again. Igashira-kun are actually used as weapons to defeat enemies that Yoshi can't bring down on his own, such as Tap-Tap. | |
Mace Guy | Mace Guys are Shy Guys with a mace which they continually spin. They only appear in seven missions, six of them in Chapter Six and one in Chapter Five. | |
Piranha Plant | In Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, Piranha Plants cannot be defeated by Yoshi and lack the ability to move. If Yoshi goes into one of them, it holds him in it's mouth for about three seconds and then spits him out. | |
Raven | Ravens are black birds. They can walk on walls and aren't affected by gravity. | |
File:Shy Guy YTT.png | Shy Guy | Shy Guys simply walk forward, as they normally do in most of their appearances. They can be defeated by being jumped on or consumed by Yoshi. |
Tap-Tap | Tap-Taps are spike-covered enemies that cannot be defeated by Yoshi. Just like Shy Guys, Tap-Taps simply walk forward and take away most of Yoshi's power if they touch him. | |
Rainbow Tap-Tap | Similar to Tap-Taps, but appears to be more colorful. This enemy only appears during the battle against Bowser. During the second phase, whenever Bowser gets hit by a bomb, he will slam against the ground. This causes several rainbow-colored Tap-Taps to fall from above. These Tap-Taps will roll along the ground, moving whichever way the player is tilting. They will cause Yoshi harm if he comes into contact with them. |
Bosses
Image | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Spirit Who Loves Surprises | The Spirit Who Loves Surprises uses a cardboard version of Bowser in The Tale of Bowser's Fields. He spits fireballs at Yoshi like the real one, but is then revealed to be a fake. | |
Bowser | Bowser appears in the final chapter The Tale of Bowser's Cave where he is fought. He spits fireballs at Yoshi and can be defeated by throwing bombs at him. |
Items
Image | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Coin | Coins are scattered throughout the courses. They are a lot more common during the Spirit of Greed missions. Collecting 100 will give Yoshi an extra life. | |
Bomb | Bombs are often seen attached to parachutes, floating down from an upper part of a course. Tilting the console will affect the direction that the bomb is falling. Once it hits the ground, it will explode and can defeat enemies and harm Yoshi. During the battle against Bowser, several bombs without parachutes will fall to the ground during the first phase of the battle. These will roll along the ground in accordance to the tilt. They flash red after a few seconds, and will explode shortly afterwards. | |
Heart | Hearts are common items. If Yoshi eats one, he will restore one point to the Health Meter. | |
Big Heart | Big Hearts are much less common than ordinary Hearts. Eating one will fully replenish Yoshi's Health Meter. | |
Apple | Apples are Egglings cursed by Bowser. If Yoshi is to swallow one, he rescues an Eggling from Bowser's curse. These apples are very important in missions given by the Spirit of Cuteness. | |
Gold Medal | Gold Medals are given to Yoshi if he gets does a better job than the required by the Spirits. An example of this, if he swallows more apples than required by the Spirit of Cuteness, he wins a Gold Medal. | |
Silver Medal | Silver Medals are given to Yoshi if he does a job near the required by the Sprits. An example of this, if he eats the required amount of apples approximate to the amount given by the Spirit of Cuteness, he wins a Silver Medal. |
Objects
Image | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Boulder | An object which Yoshi is able to move by tilting. Bolders usually appear in places where spikes are found. Yoshi is able to ride atop a Bolder to safely cross the spikes. On other occasions, a Bolder may appear near a line of enemies. Yoshi is able to guide the Bolder and send it rolling into the enemies, thus defeating them. | |
Cannon | Cannons can be found throughout miscellaneous courses. Yoshi can use them as a method of traveling from one place to another. Tilting the console will affect the direction the cannon tilts. Yoshi can enter in one by jumping at its top. The cannon fires automatically after a few seconds. | |
Chime Ball | Chime Ball's function the same as the boulder, but when it rolls over a Chime Note, a Note appears. | |
Chime Note | When a Chime Ball rolls over a Chime Note, the Chime note produces a Note. | |
Basket | A green basket with five coins. These coins can be collected by tilting the console left and right repeatedly, making the basket go upside down. | |
Yajirobē | When the player tilts the console, the Yajirobē spills coins all over the place, allowing Yoshi to collect them. | |
Ferris Wheel | When the player tilts the console, the Ferris Wheel will rotate which allows Yoshi to defeat enemies by running into them. | |
Lift | When the player tilts the console, the Lift will swing back and forth. They are attached to rails and come in green and brown colors. Both versions behave the same as each other. | |
Note | A Note appears when a Chime Ball roll over a Chime Note. Yoshi can use them as platforms. They slowly rise, but if Yoshi is standing in the note, it will not move. | |
Rolled-up carpet | The rolled-up carpet starts out as a coil, but will roll itself out when the player tilts the console. | |
Shy Guy Ship | When the player tilts the console, the Shy Guy Ship will swing back and forth and can be swung around in a full circle. | |
Snowball | Yoshi can use Snowballs to defeat enemies and get to high-to-reach places and can be moved by tilting the console like the boulders and Chime Notes. | |
Spike | Spikes are obstacles that hurt Yoshi upon contact. They can be crossed over safely by rolling on a boulder. | |
Small Lift | Small Lifts are smaller versions of the normal lifts, but they are not connected to rails. Tilting the console makes them swing back and forth. They come in green and brown colors, but act the same. | |
Stone Block | A square concrete block that Yoshi can break using a Wrecking Ball or being transformed in Ball Yoshi. Spikeball can also break the block. It take three hits to break and one to have a crack. | |
Checkpoint warp | A checkpoint warp takes Yoshi to a different area in the level. | |
Goal | A large star that Yoshi must touch at the end of every level. | |
Wrecking Ball | A Wrecking Ball can be used to smash a Stone Block. |
Reception
Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy received mixed reviews. As of August 8, 2006, the game’s overall review score was 6.2/10 based on GameRankings collection of reviews.
IGN’s Craig Harris noted that the use of the star rings to travel through areas made the game seem rigid as some areas only lasted for seconds. He said that the characters were irritating, the storyline was stupid and the gameplay barely resembled other Yoshi games. 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. He also said that this game is the worst game that Nintendo published to the Game Boy Advance, the tilting concept makes everything feel forcefully clumsy, and that the level design is "all over the quality spectrum, from somewhat challenging to ridiculously stupid". He gave the game a 5/10, or "Mediocre".
GameSpot’s Justin Calvert stated that the adventure was fun and clever when it began, but after a while, the graphics, sounds and gameplay mechanics became repetitive. He said that the game is very short, and that he had little reason to keep playing after meeting the bare requirements for beating the game. He also commented that the areas which require transformations to complete are the most enjoyable in the game. He gave the game a 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 felt that the game was sub-par, with choppy tilt-sensing technology thrown in. He gave the game a 4/10.
Reviews | |||
---|---|---|---|
Release | Reviewer, Publication | Score | Comment |
Game Boy Advance | Craig Harris, IGN | 5/10 | "Though Nintendo's the one publisher people can depend on for A+++ titles on the Game Boy Advance, even it isn't immune to producing the occasional clunker. Yoshi Topsy Turvy isn't among the "terrible" batch of GBA titles, but it's certainly the worst game Nintendo's published for the system. The tilt concept most likely looked great in a design document, but in practice the idea makes everything feel forcefully clunky. The level designs are all over the quality spectrum, from somewhat challenging to ridiculously stupid, and as a whole this portable game is not a worthy follow-up to previous Yoshi-headlined platformers." |
Game Boy Advance | Justin Calvert, GameSpot | 6.6/10 | "The visuals and audio in Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy are every bit as charming as those in previous Yoshi games, and if it weren't for the fact that they're just as repetitive as the gameplay, they'd be very difficult to fault. Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy, then, is fun to begin with, but it manages to become repetitive long before you finish it--which might take you only five or six hours. For what it's worth, the game's difficulty curve is nigh perfect, and after breezing through the early chapters, you'll almost certainly struggle to beat some of the later courses on your first couple of attempts. It's not a bad game by any means; it's just a repetitive and disappointingly short one." |
Game Boy Advance | Phil Theobald, Gamespy | 2/5 | "It's a shame that Topsy-Turvy feels so bland, because there are some solid ideas underneath the dull stages and poorly implemented technology. Maybe if there's a sequel, we'll see some improvements, but for right now, it looks like motion sensors are better suited for micro-games than platformers." |
Aggregators | |||
Compiler | Platform / Score | ||
Metacritic | 60 | ||
GameRankings | 61.12% |
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Yoshi Topsy-Turvy.
Artwork
Yoshi standing on a Chime Ball
- YTT Hongo.jpg
Media
- For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Yoshi Topsy-Turvy media.
Staff
- Main article: List of Yoshi Topsy-Turvy staff
The game was developed by Artoon and published by Nintendo, with the directors being Hidetoshi Takeshita and Hiroto Saiki and the producers being Masaki Tawara and Naoto Ohshima.
Quotes
- Main article: List of Yoshi Topsy-Turvy quotes
A few of the most memorable quotes in the game are shown below.
- "I just love, love, LOVE cute little things! Yes, I'm the spirit who loves cuteness above all! But all is not cute in the world now. Listen to this! All of my tiny Eggling pals... Each and every one... They were turned into apples by the evil, evil Bowser!" - Spirit of Cuteness explaining to Yoshi what Bowser did to the Egglings.
- "Oh! Hey, you! You got lots of money or what? I'm the spirit who loves money more than anything!" - Spirit of Greed asking how much money Yoshi have.
- "I'm the spirit who loves all things mighty! If you understand me, then let your mighty voice ROAR! A strong body often shows a strong heart, you know. So I want you to defeat many enemies... ...and become a hero!" - Spirit of Power explaining what to do to Yoshi.
- "I am the spirit who treasures kindness above everything. If you want to get past here... ...collect eight Happiness Medals! But if you disturb the peace even the slightest bit... I will PUNISH you!!!" - Spirit of Kindness giving to Yoshi a warning.
- "You can't just sit around and space out! You're in the way! Huh? You were running? You're slower than molasses! You see, I am the spirit who loves all things swift! I can't stand people who loaf around like slackers! Prove to me you can run fast as the wind... ...by getting six or more Happiness Medals. Then I'll let you go!" - Spirit of Speed explaining what Yoshi must do to win a Happiness Medal.
- "Hmm??? Who's there? Ah, I see... Are you really... that interested... in knowing more about... me? Really? Well... I love... scary things... I'm the... spirit who loves... all things scary..." - Spirit of Fright saying what kind of things he like.
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Japanese | ヨッシーの万有引力[?] yosshī no ban'yū inryoku |
Yoshi's Universal Gravitation | |
German | Yoshi's Universal Gravitation[?] | - | |
Spanish (NOE) | Yoshi's Universal Gravitation[?] | - |