Yoshi's Touch & Go (DS)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.2 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ryan Davis
• Reviewed on: 03/11/2005
• Updated on: 03/25/2005
• Released on: 03/14/2005
• Originally published on GameSpot: Yoshi's Touch & Go (DS) Review

Lore has it that Yoshi's Touch & Go began its life as a simple tech demo for the Nintendo DS--a proof of concept built to showcase the various unique functions of the Nintendo DS. The tech demo was so novel that Nintendo fleshed it out into a full game, and so here we are. The novelty of the gameplay is almost palpable, but so are the game's tech demo roots.

Based on the game's candy-and-crayon color palette, Touch & Go seems to take place somewhere not too far from Yoshi's Island, though the visuals in Touch & Go are decidedly not quite as stylized as those in Super Mario World 2. The sound design furthers the sense of whimsy, as there are plenty of trademark Yoshi pips and squeaks, and upbeat, tropically flavored music. It doesn't really push the technical envelope for the DS, but it's a pleasant package to look at nonetheless. This is definitely a case where gameplay takes precedence over presentation.

Drawing comparisons between Yoshi's Touch & Go and DMA Designs' classic PC puzzle/strategy game Lemmings is easy, though Yoshi's Touch & Go is a decidedly more tactile experience, putting greater stock in quick thinking rather than complex puzzle-solving. There are two basic level types, a vertical level where you have to keep a slowly descending Baby Mario out of harm's way, and a side-scrolling level where you have to keep Yoshi, who happens to be carrying Baby Mario, out of harm's way.

Your direct control over the characters is extremely limited, though you can manipulate the world around them, which you'll do exclusively using the stylus. By drawing lines on the lower screen, you'll create a string of small, fluffy clouds that will support your characters for a short time, allowing you to create alternate routes to avoid enemies and obstacles. If you find that you've drawn clouds that are impeding your progress or, heaven forbid, put your characters in harm's way, you can blow into the microphone port on the DS and all the clouds you've drawn so far will blow away, which is an elegant solution to a simple problem. Enemies can be dispatched by simply drawing a circle around them, and in the side-scrolling levels, a quick tap on the screen will cause Yoshi to launch an egg in that direction, which is good not only for taking out enemies, but also for collecting precious coins and delicious fruit. Additionally, you can tap on Yoshi himself to make him hop, and tapping him again while he's in midair will cause him to do a flutter-kick jump. This is, however, the extent of your direct control in the game.

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