The Spirit Who Loves Surprises

THE SPIRIT WHO LOVES SURPRISES

As Yoshi heads out on his quest to free the island from Hongo's spell, he encounters another smaller spirit dressed up like a jester, who grants Yoshi the ability to manipulate the world around him and tilt it in different directions.

This is the Spirit Who Loves Surprises, a former assistant of Hongo who opposed the island being trapped in a book. After being fired, he went to Yoshi, offering his services to help him free the island from Hongo's spell.

As a fighter, the Spirit will be much faster and far more agile than his former mentor, but with a lot less power to his attacks. As an echo, his moveset will pull from all the same move pool as Hongo's did.

Likelihood rating: Never gonna happen.

Hongo the Book Spirit

HONGO THE BOOK SPIRIT

Over the years, the Yoshi series had a relatively minute presence in Nintendo's history, often being just a fun catch-all for random gimmicks they wanted to show off to players in some way, or as a face to slap onto a random puzzle game to get players to buy it. One such gimmick game was Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, a game built around the tilting mechanics included in the Game Boy Advance. The plot of the game features Bowser rampaging across Yoshi's Island, a powerful spirit becoming furious about it, and sealing up the entire island in a book to stop him.

This spirit was Hongo the Book Spirit, a stubborn but not ungenerous spirit who allowed Yoshi to seek a new way to keep Bowser contained, as he refused to undo the spell on the island as long as Bowser would remain free if he did so, leading to Yoshi going on his quest.

As a fighter, Hongo will have a lot of power behind his attacks, but will be light and floaty in his movements. His moveset will pull from many of his own abilities as well as various gimmicks of his home game, and the abilities of the various spirits under him.

Likelihood rating: Probably not.

Second Chance: Hongo the Book Spirit

HONGO THE BOOK SPIRIT

If there were to ever be a gimmick rep for Yoshi Topsy Turvy, a game built around the tilting mechanics of the Game Boy Advance, I'd say it would have to be Hongo the Book Spirit, the powerful being who trapped all of Yoshi's Island into a book to stop Bowser's rampage, or perhaps the Spirit Who Loves Surprises, his assistant who opposed him doing so and was promptly fired for it, then acting as a guide for Yoshi to convince Hongo to release the island again. Or any of the game's spirits, I suppose.

I passed on it before, but I figure it's worth a shot. First, we have Hongo's book-trapping, naturally, as well as the ability to turn and tilt the world granted to Yoshi by the two spirits. Other notable things we can build off include the other spirits, such as the Spirit of Cuteness, giving you missions to save little creatures called Egglings; the Spirit of Money, challenging you to collect money; the Spirit of Power, challenging you to kill as many enemies as possible; the Spirit of Speed, giving you timed challenges; the Spirit of Kindness, the Spirit of Power's opposite; and the Spirit of Fright, who sets up a grinding machine that follows Yoshi and forces him to keep moving to avoid it. Obviously some of these things give us something solid to work with, like Fright's grinder, and Speed's speed. Yeah, I think we can manage it.

So, my answer is . . . 

YES

In fact, since I can do it, and both are prominent parts of the game's story, let's have the Spirit Who Loves Surprises become an echo, with the other spirits represented in color swaps. Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Book

Both spirits will lunge forward with a book and trap an opponent inside it temporarily, similar to an egg.

Side B: Spirit of Speed

The Spirit of Speed will inhabit both spirits and send them shooting forward at breakneck speed.

Up B: Cannon

The cannons unique to this game will appear under the spirit and will fire them upward at the player's selected angle.

Down B: Spirit of Fright

The spirit will place down the Spirit of Fright's grinding machine, sized down to about the height of the average player. It will then roll and grind slowly back and forth, acting as a possible trap on the stage.

Final Smash: Universal Gravitation

The player will suddenly gain the ability to rotate the entire screen 360 degrees with their joystick. The player is then free to turn it however they'd like to take out their enemies before it resets to the base.

Entrance: The little splash screens for both characters will flash briefly before they appear. Surprises might pop out of a Jack-in-the-Box.

Taunts: Up, Hongo will cross his arms and look stubborn while Surprises will pop up suddenly with fanfare. Side, Hongo will open a book and flip through it while Surprises will giggle happily. Down, Hongo will disappear himself into a book while Surprises will float around merrily.

Kirby Hat: Hongo's little book, Surprises' horned hat.

Kart: Based on Hongo's book, and based on a Jack-in-the-box.

Special Move: Hongo will be able to trap an opponent in a book for a short time. Surprises' splash screen will suddenly pop up in front of a random player.

Spirit Battle: A giant battle on Universal Gravitation. A battle, with Bowser, on Universal Gravitation.

Victory Screen: The books bursting open and Yoshi's island being released for both.

Losing Screen: Bowser breaking out of the book and burning it. The book remaining closed while Surprises looks sad.

Color Swaps: Both having a base form, and then colors based on each of their fellow spirits. (One could have the color swaps actually be the other spirits but I'm not sure who).

Thanks for reading! Next up, we move on to Wario!

Universal Gravitation

For a little while, it seemed like all the Yoshi series was good for was putting out little games to show off some feature of the system it was produced for. Specifically, we saw Yoshi Topsy Turvy, which exemplified the Game Boy Advance’s rotating mechanic, and Yoshi Touch & Go, which utilized the DS’s touch screen.

Naturally, a game built around a rotation mechanic offers up some strong stage potential. This stage will be set on one of the large hanging pirate ships in the game, with sections of stage at the edges and corners of the screen around it. The stage will regularly switch around its gravity’s orientation, the pirate ship at the center remaining a constant section of terrain despite the changes of the rest.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3tfMfwGXzY

Character Sheet: Shy Guy (Yoshi Miscellaneous)

SHY GUY

Today, let's begin our last round of Yoshi games with the character updates. It will be almost all revisions this time, but it shouldn't be too many. Here we go:

1. Mario (Revision)
2. Princess Peach (Revision)
3. Bowser (Revision)
4. The Koopalings (Revision)
5. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
6. Goomba (Revision)
7. Piranha Plant (Revision)
8. Boo (Revision)
9. Blooper (Revision)
10. Lakitu and Spinies (Revision)
11. Monty Mole (Revision)
12. Chargin' Chuck (Revision)
13. Yoshi (Revision)
14. Baby Mario (Revision)
15. Baby Bowser (Revision)
16. Kamek (Revision)
17. Shy Guy (Revision)
18. Ukiki (Revision)
19. Wiggler

As versatile as Shy Guys time and time again prove themselves to be, this is probably one of the few times they didn't really offer up much. Basically, they appear in Tetris Attack, specifically as Fire Guys, in Topsy Turvy swinging around maces, and in Touch and Go as basic Shy Guys. That's pretty much it.

Here is their current moveset:

Standard B: Snifit

Side B: Mace

Up B: Fly Guy OR Pogo Stick

Down B: Spear and Shield

Final Smash: Pirate Ship

Entrance: Drifts to the ground via parasol.

Taunts: A number of their appearances playing around in the background of various games offers up a number of possibilities.

Next up: Let's cover the Goombas.

Character Sheet: Yoshi (Yoshi Miscellaneous)

YOSHI

Today, let's begin our last round of Yoshi games with the character updates. It will be almost all revisions this time, but it shouldn't be too many. Here we go:

1. Mario (Revision)
2. Princess Peach (Revision)
3. Bowser (Revision)
4. The Koopalings (Revision)
5. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
6. Goomba (Revision)
7. Piranha Plant (Revision)
8. Boo (Revision)
9. Blooper (Revision)
10. Lakitu and Spinies (Revision)
11. Monty Mole (Revision)
12. Chargin' Chuck (Revision)
13. Yoshi (Revision)
14. Baby Mario (Revision)
15. Baby Bowser (Revision)
16. Kamek (Revision)
17. Shy Guy (Revision)
18. Ukiki (Revision)
19. Wiggler

We finally get to Yoshi, the star of the show! He appeared in all of the games this time around, obviously, although some definitely felt more like Mario games than Yoshi games. In Yoshi, he really just hatches from the eggs you form. In Yoshi's Cookie, he mostly appears in cutscenes playing with balls of dough. In Yoshi's Safari, Mario rides him across set tracks. In Tetris Attack, he is one of the many characters appearing along the side that you are "supposedly" playing as. Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy and Yoshi Touch & Go he plays a bit more normally, although it is more or less the general Yoshi moveset.

Here's his moveset!

Standard B: Egg Lay

Side B: Egg Shot

Up B: Helicopter

Down B: Ground Pound

Final Smash: Yoshi Herd

Entrance: He hatches from an egg.

Taunts: That cute little dance he does when he completes a level would be a pretty good one. Honestly, a lot of his cute movements and behaviors would work. The same goes for his new games. Cute is definitely a good descriptor here.

Next up: Let's take care of Baby Mario!

Character Sheet: Lakitu and Spinies (Yoshi Miscellaneous)

LAKITU AND SPINIES

Today, let's begin our last round of Yoshi games with the character updates. It will be almost all revisions this time, but it shouldn't be too many. Here we go:

1. Mario (Revision)
2. Princess Peach (Revision)
3. Bowser (Revision)
4. The Koopalings (Revision)
5. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
6. Goomba (Revision)
7. Piranha Plant (Revision)
8. Boo (Revision)
9. Blooper (Revision)
10. Lakitu and Spinies (Revision)
11. Monty Mole (Revision)
12. Chargin' Chuck (Revision)
13. Yoshi (Revision)
14. Baby Mario (Revision)
15. Baby Bowser (Revision)
16. Kamek (Revision)
17. Shy Guy (Revision)
18. Ukiki (Revision)
19. Wiggler

Lakitus only have a couple of appearances this time around, appearing in Yoshi's Safari a bit, and in Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy and Yoshi's Touch and Go, mostly acting as they always do. That's about it here!

Here is his moveset again:

Standard B: Spiny

Side B: Fishing Rod

Up B: Cloud Poof

Down B: Lightning

Final Smash: Lakithunder

Entrance: Floats down from above with its iconic sound.

Taunts: We haven't covered the Mario Kart series yet, but it's 3-2-1 opening makes a lot of sense, or maybe waving the flag at the end of a lap. Also tucking down behind his cloud and shifting his eyes back and forth for a second. Maybe pulling out a camera and checking its quality?

Next up: Let's cover Monty Mole!

Character Sheet: Boo (Yoshi Miscellaneous)

BOO

Today, let's begin our last round of Yoshi games with the character updates. It will be almost all revisions this time, but it shouldn't be too many. Here we go:

1. Mario (Revision)
2. Princess Peach (Revision)
3. Bowser (Revision)
4. The Koopalings (Revision)
5. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
6. Goomba (Revision)
7. Piranha Plant (Revision)
8. Boo (Revision)
9. Blooper (Revision)
10. Lakitu and Spinies (Revision)
11. Monty Mole (Revision)
12. Chargin' Chuck (Revision)
13. Yoshi (Revision)
14. Baby Mario (Revision)
15. Baby Bowser (Revision)
16. Kamek (Revision)
17. Shy Guy (Revision)
18. Ukiki (Revision)
19. Wiggler

Boo is pretty basic here. He appears in Yoshi's Safari as an enemy and in Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy, mostly in the spirit of fright stages. That's it.

Here is their moveset:

Standard B: Obake Candlestick

Side B: Bomb Boo

Up B: Boo String

Down B: Vanish

Final Smash: Roulette

Entrance: Appears out of nowhere

Taunts: Just the basic cover-your-face animation. That screech of theirs needs to be included too. When they flash and show off a blue coin for sure.

Next up: Let's cover the Bloopers!

Character Sheet: Piranha Plant (Yoshi Miscellaneous)

PIRANHA PLANT

Today, let's begin our last round of Yoshi games with the character updates. It will be almost all revisions this time, but it shouldn't be too many. Here we go:

1. Mario (Revision)
2. Princess Peach (Revision)
3. Bowser (Revision)
4. The Koopalings (Revision)
5. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
6. Goomba (Revision)
7. Piranha Plant (Revision)
8. Boo (Revision)
9. Blooper (Revision)
10. Lakitu and Spinies (Revision)
11. Monty Mole (Revision)
12. Chargin' Chuck (Revision)
13. Yoshi (Revision)
14. Baby Mario (Revision)
15. Baby Bowser (Revision)
16. Kamek (Revision)
17. Shy Guy (Revision)
18. Ukiki (Revision)
19. Wiggler

Piranha Plant doesn't really have much to add this time. It's one of the items that falls in Yoshi, and appears here and there in Topsy-Turvy and Touch n' Go. Nothing particularly special.

Here's his moveset:

Standard B: Fireball

Side B: Ptooie

Up B: Fly

Down B: Paint

Final Smash: Naval Piranha

Entrance: Pops out of a pipe.

Taunts: Chomping around the way he does. Doing the iconic up and down movement. Maybe the sleep animation.

Next up: Let's cover Boo!

Character Sheet: Bowser (Yoshi Miscellaneous)

BOWSER

Today, let's begin our last round of Yoshi games with the character updates. It will be almost all revisions this time, but it shouldn't be too many. Here we go:

1. Mario (Revision)
2. Princess Peach (Revision)
3. Bowser (Revision)
4. The Koopalings (Revision)
5. Koopa Troopa (Revision)
6. Goomba (Revision)
7. Piranha Plant (Revision)
8. Boo (Revision)
9. Blooper (Revision)
10. Lakitu and Spinies (Revision)
11. Monty Mole (Revision)
12. Chargin' Chuck (Revision)
13. Yoshi (Revision)
14. Baby Mario (Revision)
15. Baby Bowser (Revision)
16. Kamek (Revision)
17. Shy Guy (Revision)
18. Ukiki (Revision)
19. Wiggler

Today, let's cover Bowser a bit. He appears several times actually in this round of games, appearing as an alt baker in Yoshi's Cookie, and the main villain in Yoshi's Safari, Tetris Attack, and Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy. Across all of these games, he is seen piloting a giant mech, stomping, throwing shells, breathing fire, casting spells, and dropping enemies to attack you. Plus all the basic Tetris Attack stuff. Not much new, just your standard Bowser really.

Let's see what we've got:

Standard B: Fire Breath

Side B: Boulders

Up B: Shell Spin

Down B: Slam Down

Final Smash: Giant Bowser

Entrance: Bowser will land in his Koopa Klown Kar.

Taunts: His evil laugh from Super Mario 64, many of his taunts from Odyssey and other games, holding up a captive something or other, the list goes on.

Next up: Let's cover the Koopalings!

Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy

YOSHI'S UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION

Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy, or Universal Gravitation, or whatever the frick you want to call it, was basically a gimmick game for the Game Boy Advance that happened to feature Yoshi, and generally existed to show off the system's rotating mechanic.

Basically, the game starred Yoshi who had to work through a number of levels built around the gimmick, while being set challenges by a number of spirits. He basically acted as Yoshi, running, jumping, eating fruit, making eggs, and transforming into a hot air balloon, ski, boat, ball, and steam boat. Not really a whole lot unique.

Our spirits consisted primarily of Hongo the Book Spirit, who was more of a story-based character, having trapped Yoshi's Island in a book because Bowser was rampaging, and the "Spirit who Loves Surprises," who hosted various minigames. From there, there was the Spirit of Cuteness, who wanted you to help trapped creatures called Egglings; the Spirit of Money/Greed, who told you to collect as many coins as possible; the Spirit of Power/Cruelty, who wanted you to take out all the enemies; the Spirit of Speed/Swiftness, who basically tasked you to a speed run; the Spirit of Kindness, who didn't want you to harm any enemies; and the Spirit of Fright/Scariness, who basically just hosted Haunted House levels.

Bowser appears as the main villain in the game, casting spells, breathing fire, and dropping minions in his boss battle, while the enemies working for him included Shy Guys, Piranha Plants, Tap Taps, Ravens, Goonies, Boos, Gusties, and little spiky bird things called Daruma otoshi-kun. Most of them act pretty much as they normally would.

Now, this game seems like it would be ripe for a gimmick rep, but honestly throughout most of the game, I didn't find really much anything that would lend itself to a Smash-style moveset. It would make for a sweet stage though.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:
Mario: hold and switch around plates, pump switches, play with dough, super scope
Yoshi: hatch from egg, play with dough, throw egg, play Tetris Attack, drop blocks, run, jump
Peach: pump switches, eat enemies, make eggs, flutter jump
Bowser: pump switches, giant mech, stomp, throw shells, breathe fire, cast spells, drop enemies
Koopalings: mechs, pipes, throw bombs
Kamek: teleport, cast spells
Koopa: giant mech, wings
Goomba: wings
Piranha Plant
Boo: throw rocks
Blooper
Lakitu
Poochy
Grinder
Wiggler: fly, Egg-odil partner
Shy Guy: fire guy, swing mace
Chargin' Chuck: jump and slam, throw rocks
Hongo the Book Spirit: best gimmick rep if I could figure it out

Stages:
A stage based on the game, with switching platforms and falling eggs?
This probably helped inspire Cookie Land-type stages that came later, so . . . that?
A stage based on this game perhaps
A stage based on the game's gimmick for sure

Items:
Yoshi Eggs
Ball of Dough
Cookies
Panels
Blocks
Eggs
Giant Balls

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's cover Yoshi: Touch 'n' Go!