"Not Yoshi's Island, but a fun platformer nonetheless"

When I originally heard about the game I was interested because I'm a big Yoshi fan, and I've wanted a new Yoshi platformer for a while (I bought Yoshi Touch & Go for the Nintendo DS when it came out and loved it by the way although it's not your typical platformer). When the game came out I bought it shortly thereafter, and I must say it took some getting used to regarding the tilt sensor. Anyway....on to the review.

Story - 7/10

Nothing special here....Bowser is causing trouble and as if to punish him a spirit turns all of Yoshi's Island (the location where Bowser is causing trouble) into a story book. Obviously, this makes Yoshi quite mad, so he sets out to take out Bowser and get the island returned to normal. The story would probably have gotten a lower rating if it wasn't for the interesting twist with the spirit actually punishing Bowser (and Yoshi seemingly having to deal with two problems at once). It's a nice twist to an otherwise typical storyline.

Graphics - 9/10

As with all Yoshi games, this one has a unique look. That being said, this game has some pretty impressive visuals for the GBA. Everything has a very 3D look to it, even though it's a typical 2D side scroller. The characters are all very well animated.....especially Yoshi. Depending on your health, Yoshi will do various things such as breath heavily (when you have low health) to stand up tall and act very chipper and happy (when health is full). The backgrounds are very colorful, and the obstacles you encounter in the various levels are also well colored. All in all, it's a very pretty game to look at.

Sounds - 8/10

Standard fare here, with the usual Yoshi sound effects abounding (which I've always gotten a kick out of so they don't bother me), plus various music tracks that fit each of the levels quite well. Each chapter has a general theme, and it goes in well with the story line as far as music is concerned. Interesting things like rolling in a music ball to create short melodies just add to the good sound the game has to offer. It's nothing spectacular, but it's not painful to listen to, and some of the levels actually have catchy tunes.

Controls - 8/10

Obviously, there's not a whole lot in the way of buttons to learn, with A being your jump (and flutter) button, and B letting you shoot out your tongue. The control pad moves you, and the tilt sensor changes the gravity. This is probably the hardest thing to get used to, but in my opinion it makes the game more fun. Once you learn the quirks of the tilte sensor you'll be hopping through levels like Neil Armstrong hopped on the moon. It's great fun, once you get used to it. I think the tilt sensor is a great idea, and a platformer is a good thing to implement it on because changing the gravity adds a whole new degree of strategy into how you approach each level, and it allows develops to create different kinds of levels not previously possible.

Gameplay - 8/10

The most important part of any game is how it plays. Is it any fun? For this game I'd have to say yes it's quite fun. The game controls well (once you learn it), and as I said the levels all have a different theme (or each chapter does). I do wish there were more boss fights because as another reviewer pointed out, they could probably have done some really challenging yet fun boss fights using the tilt sensor. The boss fights you will have though are challenging (particularly the last one), so all is not lost in that area. Another interesting aspect of this game is how each level requires you to do something different, with some levels even giving you multiple objectives to complete in one try. This can be quite challenging, and some of the later levels can be pretty frustrating. You can also unlock bonus levels by beating the game and earning silver and Gold medals (awarded based on your performance doing the assigned objective in a given level). The game has 6 chapters, and a little over 50 levels. Some are quite short, but some of the later ones will take a bit longer. All in all, the game can go quickly, but there is some replay value in trying to get Gold medals, plus the fact that some of the later levels will give you quite a challenge.

Overall - 8/10

While it's not Yoshi's Island, I think the game still offers a good bit of fun. If you like Yoshi, and if you're a platformer fan then you will certainly enjoy this game. It's a bit brief, but there is some replay value, and if you can find it for a reasonable price it's worth a purchase in my opinion.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/11/05