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A.P.I Review:	YoYo's Puzzle Park
Developer:	Irem	OPTIONS:	SCREENSHOTS: No.1   No.2   No.3
Distributor:	JVC	1-2 Player
Game Type:	Platform	Memory Card
Review Date:	April 1999	Dual Shock/Analog Compatible

Setting the Scene

Nanoda village's long awaited theme park 'Gussun Paradise' finally opened, but only to be invaded... The creature, known only as YoYo interrupted the opening ceremony with a dramatic onslaught from the skies. Shots rang out as police attempted to bring down the invaders who proceeded to randomly grab hostages from the crowd. While panic and confusion broke out among the crowds gathered to watch the opening, two bystanders, Guss and Yodie entered the park in an attempt to regain control. Armed with little more than 5000 party poppers the heroic duo proceeded to take on YoYo's henchmen.

Sound & Vision

Make what you will of the above storyline. What it doesn't say is that YoYo's Puzzle Park is a good old fashioned 2D platform game that is effectively played on 'platforms'. Surprise, surprise!

The graphics and effects are as blinding and as brilliant as... say... a 2D beat-em-up such as Street Fighter or Marvel Super Heroes. For those who have not witnessed these games then I will attempt to elaborate a little further.

In the background there is a flat backdrop which relates to the theme of the level. Over the top of the canvas there is often a great deal of movement going on which occasionally catches your eye and provides a slight distraction. For example steam boats bob up and down as they ride the crest of a wave on the seaside level... or puppets jig about on strings in the musical theatre level. During the funfare level a rolling video of a rollercoaster ride plays on the backdrop while the screen tilts with every rise and fall.

Game characters Guss and Yodie look like two balding babies who scream and wail aloud with each action. The enemies are quite varied ranging from stinging jellyfish to exploding firecrackers on legs. To destroy an enemy a bomb which rests on the platform shelving must first be ignited. Explosions are rewarded with forceful animation depicting the action using vibrant colors and stunning effects.

Playability

Spread across the screen are layers of platforms similar to games from the past such as Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Island. Guss and Yodie leap from ledge to ledge avoiding a multitude of enemies who do their best to destroy the small balding ones by simply touching them, or zapping them with laser guns and such.

To help them destroy the rampaging baddies are a selection of bombs that somehow manage to sleep peacefully on the shelves while all this chaos and commotion is going on. By throwing or jumping on these bombs Guss and Yodie can ignite the two second fuse. They must then get well clear as the explosion destroys everything in the near vicinity (does Bomberman come to mind here?). Destroy all of the enemies within the allowed time to progress onto the next level.

Scattered around the screen are various collectibles. Most noticeable are several modes of transport such as space ships and flying ducks. To aid their quest Guss and Yodie are permanently armed with what I first thought was a party popper but in this context could possibly be a Yoyo. Shooting enemies with the weapon stuns them for a few seconds allowing the character to ignite a few bombs and finish them off.

In single player mode levels are themed and packaged into bundles of ten. Complete a themed group and your progress may be saved onto a memory card.

In two player mode you can enjoy a frantic head-to-head deathmatch against a mate on a desired level.

It all adds up to hours of manic mayhem and frantic fun without even putting the brain into first gear.