Yoshi Touch & Go [JP Import] (DS) Review
As one of the earlier titles to grace the DS console, it is no surprise that Yoshis Touch and Go! (YT&G) is little more than a glorified tech demo. It would seem that the objective behind releasing this game was to demonstrate to DS owner the capabilities of having not only two screens, but also one that allows stylus control. To that end, YT&G is successful in showing people what is possible using the DS however as a full priced game, it leaves a lot to be desired.
I cannot speak or read Japanese but that didnt stop me from enjoying everything Touch and Go has to offer. Even if there was a storyline hidden behind the Japanese text, you could have fooled me. The game is decidedly simple and unfortunately it doesnt offer much value for money. The game revolves around Baby Mario falling from the sky down towards the ground where he is rescued by a Yoshi. It appears that your mission, using the help of Yoshi, it to rescue Baby Luigi from the clutches of Kamek. YT&G is not a game driven by a story with rich characters and various subplots; its just a simple tech demo aimed at showcasing what the DS is capable of doing.
The concept behind the game is simple; as Baby Mario falls from the sky it is up to you to use the stylus to draw a line of clouds that he can fall on and follow. If you draw an unhelpful path, the clouds can be literally blown away by blowing into the Mic. Not a technique you will use often but it comes in handy sometimes As you fall gracefully towards Earth, you will encounter an array of enemies that must be avoided by drawing a path of cloud that ensures Baby Mario doesnt come into contact with an enemy. Baby Mario has just three balloons so if you are hit three times it is game over. There are also coins scattered around the sky that should be collected. This means you are drawing clouds that need to create a path that avoids enemies and collects coins. By drawing a circle on the screen you can create a bubble, which comes in handy. This bubble can be used to entrap enemies or even coins which then allows you to place the bubble in the path of Baby Mario. Trapping enemies turns them into coins too, so the bubble technique becomes integral to the game.
After Baby Mario falls all the way to the ground, a Yoshi will catch him and this signifies the beginning of the second part of the game, which takes place on the ground. Depending on how well you did in the sky section, a different coloured Yoshi will catch Baby Mario. A better Yoshi will mean you have more eggs however the speed of the Yoshi will also increase.
With Baby Mario atop, the game will simply auto-scroll so Yoshi walks across the screen. Using the stylus again, you can still draw clouds for Yoshi to walk over but you can now shoot eggs by tapping the screen.\. Eggs can be used to shoot enemies that are flying in the top screen or even enemies in the bottom (touch) screen. Furthermore, the bubble technique can be used again to trap enemies, fruit, and coins. The fruit that is scattered throughout the level needs to be consumed by the Yoshi to top up the number of eggs he has. Different fruits provide varying amounts of eggs so it becomes important to make sure he eats the more valuable fruit. As you progress through the level, you will eventually come to a goal like area (every 1000 meters) where you will change Yoshis. Once you have upgraded to a faster Yoshi, its onto the next 1000 meters, which will be more challenging than the previous area. This is the crux of the game and it is pretty much a case of wash, rinse, and repeat as you progress through increasingly more difficult areas. If you touch an enemy or obstacle, or fall into a pit, it is instant game over. With that said, the game does become quite difficult in later levels.
There isnt a lot of depth as far as gameplay goes. Sure, the concept is fun and it showcases some interesting ways to use the DS, but for a full priced game, one would have expected more out of the title. To be fair, there are four modes in YT&G although they do not differ a great deal from one another. Each mode follows the same basic concept although they differ slightly. In score attack mode, you aim to achieve as many points as possible by collecting coins and defeating enemies. In marathon mode, your aim is to travel as far as you possibly can without losing your one and only life. Time attack mode you have a limited amount of time to shoot down a group of Toadies who have captured Baby Luigi. Finally, in Challenge mode you must travel as far as you can before the timer reaches zero. In this mode, shooting enemies and collecting coins adds precious seconds to the timer. In some modes, you can turn Baby Mario into Super Baby Mario which gives Baby Mario lighting fast (well, really fast) speeds and invulnerability to enemies and obstacles. To trigger this event, you must achieve 100 points and it is a great way to travel a few hundred meters in a short amount of time.
The different modes each require you to play the game in a different manner. Some require you to be quick with your reflexes whilst others require you think hard about how you go about progressing through the game. However, at the end of the day you have somewhat shallow, if interesting, gameplay.
The graphics in the game are pretty good although much of it has been borrowed from previous games such as Yoshi Islands. That said, Touch and Go is full of vibrant, bright colours and full of that Nintendo charm. Nothing particular special but solid, competent graphics.
Sound is also in a similar boat as the graphics; solid, but certainly nothing special. A selection of old remixed tunes and some new ones provide for a pretty good aural experience that is also full of that Nintendo charm.
In all, Yoshis Touch and Go stands in awkward position of being a bit more than a tech demo, but not quite a full gaming experience. Considering this game still sells at full price, it is recommended that you do not spend your hard earned cash on it. It is certainly a game worth playing and it will give people with no DS experience a chance to explore the possibilities of the system. However, for anybody else, there are superior games on the market that offer deeper gameplay and much more value.
