Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	7
Sound:	8
FunFactor:	8
PlasmaFactor:	6
Overall:	7.6

Yoshi Touch & Go Review
April 13, 2005 by Brian Callam

by Brian - April 13, 2005

Thought it began as a tech demo for the Nintendo DS, Yoshi Touch and Go has been fleshed out and released as a full fledged game for the Nintendo DS. Or has it? One doesn't have to play this game very long to realize it's still very tech demo-ish. Even so though, Yoshi Touch & Go is a very enjoyable game.

What the DS Was Mad For.

First of all, the gameplay and control in Yoshi Touch & Go is both unique and superb. The entire game is controlled using the touch screen. The game has four singleplayer modes and one two player mode. All the modes, with the exception of the multiplayer, consist of two basic level types. The first is a vertical decent as baby Mario falls out of the sky with balloons keeping him from plummeting to an untimely demise. On the way down, you must collect as many coins as possible by drawing clouds to interrupt Mario's path and guide him towards them. You can also attain coins by drawing circles around the enemies on the touch screen which encircles them in a bubble with a coin inside. The more enemies you trap inside a single bubble the more coins will be in the bubble. If at any time you think you may have made a mistake in the clouds you have drawn, a quick blow into the DS's built in microphone will remedy the problem by clearing the screen of all clouds.

Once baby Mario reaches the ground, a Yoshi will come to carry him back to the stork from which he fell, the color of the Yoshi depends on how many coins you collected in the first part. The more coins, the better Yoshi you get. Better Yoshis can hold more eggs at once, move faster, and jump higher than ones from previous tiers. As Yoshi trots along the path he will be met with various enemies, pits, and more coins. You can kill enemies and collect coins on the top screen by throwing eggs at them. To throw an egg, you simply touch the screen where you want to throw it, and viola. Its not as easy as it sounds, however, as getting the right angle can prove difficult as many enemies have weaving movement patterns.

Race to the Finish

The game supports the DS's wireless multiplayer capability for up to two players. The Versus mode takes place only on the second level type, and the two players will compete in a race with many obstacles in their way. Either the first person to reach the 1000 yard mark, or the last person standing will win the game. Its not as easy as it sounds, however, as by scoring combos with your egg shots (i.e. hitting three or more enemies in one throw) will put more enemies in your opponent's path. Your view is constrained to the bottom touch screen and you can see your opponent's progress on the top screen. Similar to the single player game, you will have to draw clouds to get over pits and avoid obstacles, but since you both have the same type of Yoshi, the clouds can be used to make Yoshi run faster, thus gaining an edge on the race, but making it more difficult to target and anticipate what comes ahead.

As for whether or not the multiplayer is any fun, I can assure you that it is. I've played more multiplayer Touch & Go than I have the single player, and my friends and I love to go a couple of rounds before class. Its fast paced, hectic, and a whole lot of fun.

What do you mean no story mode?

The game begins to show its tech demo roots, however, when you realize there is no story mode. Basically the entire game is arcade-like in nature. You will compete for high scores over and over again, eventually unlocking more modes of play when you pass a certain threshold.

Yoshi's Island would make a great place to take a vacation...

Both the graphics and the music in Yoshi's Touch and Go have a very light hearted theme to them. Although not technically gorgeous, the graphics server their purpose well enough by resembling those of Yoshi's Island of the SNES and GBA. The music definitely works well too, being quite catchy and up-beat to go with the serene visuals.

 

 

Would this make a good addition to my DS roster?

Overall, Yoshi�s Touch and Go is a good game, but not the best the DS has to offer. If you are looking for an interesting and prolonged single player experience, this is not the game for you. However, if you want a game that is much more like an arcade �pick up and play� game, Yoshi�s Touch and Go would be an excellent choice. The multiplayer is top notch though, and only needs one cartridge to play, so it has that going for it too.