Trip World

About Trip World

Trip World (1992) is Sunsoft's gentle Game Boy platformer, inspired by Gimmick!, in which the shapeshifting bunny-like Yakopoo recovers the stolen flower of peace, a rare collector's item never released in North America.

Trip World in Depth

Yakopoo, a young member of the bunny-like Shabubu race, lives with his grandfather on the holy Mount Dubious, guarding the Maita Flower, the flower of peace. When shadowy creatures attack his grandfather and steal it, Trip World's inhabitants turn mad and quarrel endlessly, and Yakopoo sets out through five worlds, Mount Dubious, Savage Land, Ireland, Pudding Land and Mirror Land, each ending in a boss and some with a mid-boss. Most stages are linear, but some have several paths. The thief turns out to be the King of Mirror Land, a Shabubu possessed by a strange flower on his head, who fights Yakopoo in a robot.

Yakopoo can switch at any time between three forms: one that walks, jumps and kicks, one that turns his ears into wings to glide, and a fish form that swims and attacks with foam. Special fruit grants temporary forms such as Flower Yakopoo, which stuns enemies with seeds, and Tail Yakopoo, with a long-range tail attack. Unusually, most enemies do not hurt him on contact; they simply push him around unless provoked, though bosses attack freely. He starts with three lives, health pick-ups restore energy, and a level select on the title screen lets players continue.

Making Trip World

Ueda conceived Trip World after being influenced by Gimmick! and, as programmer, had to learn the limits of the Game Boy; he also cut down on reused enemies and challenged the convention that touching enemies hurts. He said it was made in the spirit of a doujin game, and later counted it among the three games he felt most accomplished about. Sunsoft released it in Japan on 27 November 1992 and in the UK and Europe in 1993, but never in North America, and its limited run has made original cartridges expensive. Contemporary reviews were mixed: critics praised its graphics and music but found it short and easy, Video Games calling it ideal for inexperienced players. Retrospectives echoed this, Nintendo Life recommending Gimmick! instead, though many publications, including GameSpot and Polygon, have listed it among the best Game Boy games. It came to the 3DS Virtual Console in 2011 and 2012, and Limited Run Games' remaster Trip World DX was warmly received in 2023.