I didnt know anything about this game beyond its strange Japanese name, Yoshi Universal Gravitation. So it came as a surprise to learn that the game used a built-in tilt sensor, or a gyro sensor as it is referred to on WarioWare Twisted!s game box. I wasnt paying much attention to the intro (I was getting distracted with everything that was happening around me on the show floor) but from what I did read and recall, Yoshis Island was sealed into a book by a spirit named Hongo. I also recall reading that Bowser had turned Yoshi eggs or younglings as theyre referred to, into apples and its up to Yoshi to save the day! Man... could it get any more kiddy? Heh. But story aside, the gameplay was very fun and original.
The levels were very short and broken into two or three small stages. Within each stage you had some goal to achieve. Most of the time your objective was to collect the egg-turned-apples and by eating and umm...pooping them out, they reverted back to their egg form. If you collected a certain amount of coins by the end of the level, you would be able to play a bonus stage where youd be able to acquire more coins.
Now, the gameplay. As I mentioned before, the game uses a built-in tilt sensor which allows you to tilt the handheld accordingly to traverse obstacles within the levels. For instance, at times youll have to cross a gap -- on the other side is a rolled up piece of land. In order to cross the gap all you need to do is tilt the handheld so that the roll of land unravels itself allowing you to cross.
At other times youll be presented with what seems to be a dead-end. Wrong. That vertical wall in your way is not a problem. Tilt the handheld and the vertical wall instantly becomes a slope that you can climb upon.
Another example that uses the tilt sensor effectively was a U-shaped slope. Up above the slopes ends' were coins. In order to obtain the coins, all you need to do is tilt the handheld back and forth to get enough momentum to achieve the necessary height.
Id also like to note the game is using the same 3D-ish graphics found in Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Mario Tennis Advance. The game looks good considering its a GBA game (even though I feel GBA games should stick to sprites; but thats just my opinion). The game was very child-like in nature, but I suppose that's what we've come to expect from the Yoshi series over the years. In the end, Yoshi Topsy-Turvy is fun and very original. ..and it should be arriving in stores today.