Trip World[a] is a 1992 platform game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Game Boy. It was released in Japan in 1992. The game's plot centers around the bunny-like being Yakopoo and his quest to retrieve the flower of peace so that peace will return to his disarranged world. The protagonist's trademark ability is to shapeshift into different forms.
The game's reception was mixed; while it was praised for its graphics and music, it was criticized for its low difficulty and short length, with many comparing it to Gimmick!. The game was re-released for the Nintendo 3DS, via Virtual Console in Japan in 2011, and in Europe in 2012. A remastered version, Trip World DX, was developed by Limited Run Games and released in 2023.
Gameplay
Yakopoo (right) facing against the first boss, Chong Pei (left).
Trip World is a platform game where the player controls Yakopoo[b], a rabbit-like creature that must retrieve the stolen flower of peace, called the Maita flower.[1][2] Since the inhabitants of Trip World turned mad because of its absence, acting as the enemies in the game.[2][3] The player must venture through five stages, each ending with a boss (and in some stages a mini-boss halfway through), that must be defeated to progress.[4][5] The stage settings include areas such as a mountain, a jungle, the ocean and a castle.[6]
Yakopoo is able to shapeshift between three different primary forms at any time, these forms are manually activated by the player when desired.[7] In his normal form, he is able to walk and to jump and can attack enemies by kicking them. When Yakopoo'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 Yakopoo always falls down when he touches a wall. In the third form, Yakopoo resembles a fish. While he can't move on the ground, the fish-like Yakopoo is able to swim well and attack enemies with foam in water. Beneath these three forms, Yakopoo also occasionally shapeshifts into other special forms for a limited time, by collecting special power-ups for a short time, that otherwise can't be activated manually. For instance Flower Yakopoo (stuns enemies with seeds) or Tail Yakopoo (tail attack with long range).[1][8][9][10]
The player's character has four health points and loses them by touching spikes or when being hit by enemy attacks; they lose a life when all health points are gone. Unlike many other platform games, (aside from bosses) 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 Yakopoo however. Most of them just push Yakopoo around when not angered, while other enemies are able to attack in certain manners and do so freely.[1][4]
Plot
The game is set in Trip World, a peaceful world where Yakopoo lives. He is a young member of the Shabubu race of bunny-like beings.[11] Yakopoo 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 Yakopoo's grandpa, so that it won't fall in the wrong hands. However, one day mysterious shadowy creatures appear, attack Yakopoo's grandfather and steal the flower of peace.[1]
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, Yakopoo sets out to find the thieves and to return the Maita Flower.[3][6] 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 Yakopoo defeats the King's minions and the King who fights Yakopoo 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, Yakopoo's grandfather returns the flower to the holy mountain and the peace is back in Trip World.
Development and release
Trip World was developed by Sunsoft. It was conceived by Yuichi Ueda after being influenced by Gimmick! (1992).[12][13][14] The game was released in Japan in November 27, 1992,[15][16] and in Europe in 1993, while it was never released in North America.[17] The game was re-released for the Nintendo 3DS via Virtual Console in Japan on November 30, 2011,[4][18] and in Europe on January 5, 2012.[19][20] Due to the limited number of units released in the European territories, the cartridge and its boxed packaging copies of the original PAL version of the game were sold at high prices in the following years.[1][21] Becoming one of the rarest games on the console, despite its re-releases having a much lower price.[5][22]
In April 2023, Limited Run Games announced they were developing Trip World DX, a remastered version of Trip World, in collaboration with Sunsoft.[23][24][25] It was released for Nintendo Switch on November 30, 2023,[26] and for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on February 15, 2024.[27] A Microsoft Windows version was also announced for Steam but never released on the storefront for unknown reasons, instead being sold exclusively in limited physical quantities through Limited Run Games' official website.[28]
Upon release, Trip World has received a mixed response from critics. The German magazine Aktueller Software Markt, stated that Trip World is "in any case a treat for action fans".[30]Video Games, another German 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 (DE) also praised the "clear game structure", but criticized the "missing lasting appeal" for experienced players.[33]
Retrospectively, critics had a similar sentiment about the game. Hardcore Gaming 101 praised the game's visuals stating it has some of the best visuals on the Game Boy. However, they also criticized the game for being too easy.[1] Marcel van Duyn of Nintendo Life was impressed with the visuals as well, but found the simplicity of the gameplay and the game's length to be lacking. Van Duyn therefore recommended Gimmick! instead, citing it as a game that was somewhat similar but did everything better.[9]
Retro Gamer included the game in their "Guide to the Game Boy" article in 2016 that listed the systems "essential releases".[38] The publication compared Trip World to Gimmick! and complimented the "high quality" graphics and sound as well as the variety of power-ups and large stages.[38]
Legacy
Yakopoo later appeared in Sunsoft's fighting game, Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors as a mini-boss and with a more detailed look. His name is romanized "Yacopu" in this game.[1][39] According to game's plot, he is the pet of Galaxy Fight's final boss, Rouwe. Similar to some other transforming characters from other one-on-one fighting games, Yakopoo has the ability to shapeshift himself into whoever he fights against, providing a mirror match.[39][40]
Years later, a set of 19 Famicom Disk System development disks, previously belonging to Sunsoft, was obtained by a video game collector, DreamTR (Jason Wilson), and was later dumped. In one of the disks, it featured early graphic sprites for the player's character, Yakopoo.[1]
↑Sunsoft (2023-11-30), 【秘蔵インタビュー】ゲームボーイ版「トリップワールド」ディレクター植田祐一氏の開発秘話「コンセプトの作成について」[[Secret Interview] Yuichi Ueda, director of the Game Boy version of "Trip World," talks about the development behind the scenes: "About creating the concept"] (in Japanese), archived from the original on 2023-12-01, retrieved 2025-11-22– via YouTube
↑Sunsoft (2023-11-30), 【秘蔵インタビュー】ゲームボーイ版「トリップワールド」ディレクター植田祐一氏の開発秘話「GBゲームのプログラミング」[[Secret Interview] Yuichi Ueda, Director of the Game Boy version of "Trip World," talks about the development behind the scenes of "GB game programming"] (in Japanese), archived from the original on 2023-12-01, retrieved 2025-11-22– via YouTube
↑"トリップワールド". Famitsu (in Japanese). No.207. ASCII. December 4, 1992. p.41. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
↑Nickel, Thomas (March 5, 2024). "Trip World DX – im Test (Switch)"[Trip World DX – Review (Switch)]. M! Games (in German). Archived from the original on December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
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