Trip World
Encyclopedia
is a platform
video game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Game Boy
. It was released in Japan
on November 27, 1992, and in Europe
in 1993. The game's plot centers around the bunny-like being and his quest to retrieve the flower of peace so that peace will return to Yacopu's disarranged world. The protagonist's trademark ability is to shapeshift
into different forms.
A port for the Nintendo 3DS
Virtual Console
was created and released in Japan on November 30, 2011.
At first glance, Trip World is like a scaled-down, miniature version of Gimmick!
, another one of Sunsoft's games. In Trip World, the player controls Yacopu through five relatively large and slightly linear stages to explore and complete. They include areas such as a mountain, a jungle, the ocean and a castle. The stages also feature some secret passages and divergent paths. The objective is to find the stolen flower of peace, since the inhabitants of Trip World turned mad because of its absence, acting as the enemies in the game. At the end of each world, Yacopu faces a boss
, in the fifth and last world the player has to defeat multiple bosses in a row in order to complete the game. There are also a few mini-bosses in certain parts of the stages.
Yacopu is able to shapeshift between three different primary forms at any time, these forms are manually activated by the player when desired. In his normal form, he is able to walk and to jump and can attack enemies by kicking them. When Yacopu's ears transform into wings, he is able to fly in a limited way. This form doesn't allow to fly completely freely through a stage due to gravity, and since the player isn't able to change direction during flight, and Yacopu always falls down when he touches a wall. In the third form, Yacopu resembles a fish. While he can't move on the ground, the fish-like Yacopu is able to swim well and attack enemies with foam in water. Beneath these three forms, Yacopu also occasionally shapeshifts into other special forms which can't be manually activated or deactivated by the player. By picking up special power-up
s, Yacopu turns into forms such as Flower Yacopu (stunning enemies with seeds) or Tail Yacopu (tail attack with long range) for a limited time.
The player's character has four health points
and loses them by touching spikes or when being hit by enemy attacks. Other than in many other platform games, most of the enemies in Trip World don't hurt the player's character on touch. Many benign enemies will become violent if attacked by Yacopu however. Most of them just push Yacopu around when not angered, while other enemies are able to attack in certain manners and do so freely. All bosses are able to hurt Yacopu. The player loses a life when all health points are gone.
Since the Maita Flower has been removed from its place, the peace is gone and the inhabitants of Trip World get mad and don't stop quarreling with each other. In order to save his world, Yacopu sets out to find the thieves and to return the Maita Flower. In the game's last stage, Mirror Land, it turns out that the King of Mirror Land, a Shabubu himself, and his minions stole the flower. After Yacopu defeats the King's minions and the King who fights Yacopu in a robot, the Queen appears who hid with the Maita Flower during the fight. The King was actually possessed by a flower of unknown origin on his head which now disappears after his defeat. The King turns good again, Yacopu's grandfather returns the flower to the holy mountain and the peace is back in Trip World.
rated the game an overall score of 9 out of 12. The reviewer stated that Trip World is "in any case a treat for action fans". Video Games, another German magazine, rated the game a score of 68%. The magazine referred to Trip World as a "better" platform game and lauded its graphics and music. The review's author commented that Trip World is "ideally suited" for inexperienced players due to its low level of difficulty. Video Games also praised the "clear game structure", but criticised the "missing lasting appeal" for experienced players.
Yacopu later appeared in Sunsoft's fighting game, Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors as a mini-boss and with a more detailed look. According to game's plot, he is the pet of Galaxy Fights final boss, Rouwe. Similar to some other transforming characters from other one-on-one fighting game
s like Geegus from World Heroes
and Shang Tsung
from the Mortal Kombat series
for example, Yacopu has the ability to shapeshift himself into whoever he fights against, providing a mirror match. While in his regular form, he can only be hit by crouching attacks while on the ground. Also, he does his signature kicks he used in Trip World. The background music
played in his stage is an arranged version of the background music heard during the second to last boss fight in Trip World.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
. It was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on November 27, 1992, and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1993. The game's plot centers around the bunny-like being and his quest to retrieve the flower of peace so that peace will return to Yacopu's disarranged world. The protagonist's trademark ability is to shapeshift
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
into different forms.
A port for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
was created and released in Japan on November 30, 2011.
Gameplay
Gimmick!
is a 1992 platform game developed by Authentic Entertainment and published by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was retitled Mr. Gimmick when it was released in Scandinavia.-Story:...
, another one of Sunsoft's games. In Trip World, the player controls Yacopu through five relatively large and slightly linear stages to explore and complete. They include areas such as a mountain, a jungle, the ocean and a castle. The stages also feature some secret passages and divergent paths. The objective is to find the stolen flower of peace, since the inhabitants of Trip World turned mad because of its absence, acting as the enemies in the game. At the end of each world, Yacopu faces a boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
, in the fifth and last world the player has to defeat multiple bosses in a row in order to complete the game. There are also a few mini-bosses in certain parts of the stages.
Yacopu is able to shapeshift between three different primary forms at any time, these forms are manually activated by the player when desired. In his normal form, he is able to walk and to jump and can attack enemies by kicking them. When Yacopu's ears transform into wings, he is able to fly in a limited way. This form doesn't allow to fly completely freely through a stage due to gravity, and since the player isn't able to change direction during flight, and Yacopu always falls down when he touches a wall. In the third form, Yacopu resembles a fish. While he can't move on the ground, the fish-like Yacopu is able to swim well and attack enemies with foam in water. Beneath these three forms, Yacopu also occasionally shapeshifts into other special forms which can't be manually activated or deactivated by the player. By picking up special power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s, Yacopu turns into forms such as Flower Yacopu (stunning enemies with seeds) or Tail Yacopu (tail attack with long range) for a limited time.
The player's character has four health points
Health (game mechanic)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
and loses them by touching spikes or when being hit by enemy attacks. Other than in many other platform games, most of the enemies in Trip World don't hurt the player's character on touch. Many benign enemies will become violent if attacked by Yacopu however. Most of them just push Yacopu around when not angered, while other enemies are able to attack in certain manners and do so freely. All bosses are able to hurt Yacopu. The player loses a life when all health points are gone.
Plot
The game is set in Trip World, a peaceful world where Yacopu lives. Yacopu's name is romanized "Yakopoo" in European instruction manuals. He is a young member of the Shabubu race of bunny-like beings. Yacopu lives with his grandfather, an old Shabubu, on the holy mountain known as Mount Dubious, where the Maita Flower is found. The named flower is the flower of peace and is deemed to have supernatural powers. Because of this, it is usually protected by Yacopu's grandpa, so that it won't fall in the wrong hands. However, one day mysterious shadowy creatures appear, attack Yacopu's grandfather and steal the flower of peace.Since the Maita Flower has been removed from its place, the peace is gone and the inhabitants of Trip World get mad and don't stop quarreling with each other. In order to save his world, Yacopu sets out to find the thieves and to return the Maita Flower. In the game's last stage, Mirror Land, it turns out that the King of Mirror Land, a Shabubu himself, and his minions stole the flower. After Yacopu defeats the King's minions and the King who fights Yacopu in a robot, the Queen appears who hid with the Maita Flower during the fight. The King was actually possessed by a flower of unknown origin on his head which now disappears after his defeat. The King turns good again, Yacopu's grandfather returns the flower to the holy mountain and the peace is back in Trip World.
Reception and related releases
The German magazine ASMAktueller Software Markt
Aktueller Software Markt , commonly known by its acronym, ASM, was a German multi-platform video game magazine that was published by Tronic Verlag from 1986 until 1995...
rated the game an overall score of 9 out of 12. The reviewer stated that Trip World is "in any case a treat for action fans". Video Games, another German magazine, rated the game a score of 68%. The magazine referred to Trip World as a "better" platform game and lauded its graphics and music. The review's author commented that Trip World is "ideally suited" for inexperienced players due to its low level of difficulty. Video Games also praised the "clear game structure", but criticised the "missing lasting appeal" for experienced players.
Yacopu later appeared in Sunsoft's fighting game, Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors as a mini-boss and with a more detailed look. According to game's plot, he is the pet of Galaxy Fights final boss, Rouwe. Similar to some other transforming characters from other one-on-one fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
s like Geegus from World Heroes
World Heroes
is a series of fighting games created by ADK originally created for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinets with the assistance of SNK, though some of the games in the series were also ported to the Neo Geo AES and Neo-Geo CD platforms, as well as some non-SNK platforms such as the Super NES and the Sega...
and Shang Tsung
Shang Tsung
Shang Tsung is a boss and player character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. A powerful and deadly sorcerer and a primary antagonist in the Mortal Kombat series, Shang Tsung is a shapeshifter who absorbs the souls of those he slays in order to maintain his youth and power...
from the Mortal Kombat series
Mortal Kombat (series)
Mortal Kombat, commonly abbreviated MK, is a science fantasy series of fighting games created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The first four renditions and their updates were developed by Midway Games and initially released on arcade machines. The arcade titles were later picked up by Acclaim...
for example, Yacopu has the ability to shapeshift himself into whoever he fights against, providing a mirror match. While in his regular form, he can only be hit by crouching attacks while on the ground. Also, he does his signature kicks he used in Trip World. The background music
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
played in his stage is an arranged version of the background music heard during the second to last boss fight in Trip World.