This game is a ton of fun with lots to discover. Yoku, a dung beetle who for gameplay reasons not explained by the lore tied himself to a ball, arrives to Mokumana island to take over as the local postmaster. Instead, it requires a series of shots with tight timing to proceed, so barely missing multiple times in a row hurts the flow of moving through the world and could be frustrating when I returned to areas looking for secrets. Though it fits snugly into that now-bloated genre, the unique mechanics at work here elevate it beyond a simple copy/paste homage. Animated Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence. Yoku's Island Express is wholly unique - a seamless blend of platformer, pinball, and puzzle game that never outstays its welcome our wears out its charming visual style. Yoku can only move left and right, and can't jump. The island’s quirky inhabitants are also amusing to meet, and often send you on side-missions as elaborate as the main story — it wasn’t uncommon for me to have four or five different things I could be doing at any given time. But it’s hard to stop smiling when playing a game this peppy, and personality is overflowing out of every corner of Yoku’s Island Express. A cool hybrid of platforming, puzzling and pinball, Yoku's Island Express is a bit of a one-off, and therefore well worth seeking out. Familiar pinball mechanics, like lanes and bumpers, are all there and completing these challenges will reward you with fruit (the game’s currency) and unlock additional paths around the island. By the way, I wanted to get my review up for this yesterday but I got so addicted to trying to find everything that I ended up playing it for more hours than expected. 441. Yoku’s Island Express is a 2D exploration-based platformer with clear Metroidvania influences, which is particularly interesting since the game is almost entirely devoid of combat. Yoku's Island Express is an open world pinball adventure game. It blends those clashing genres with a beautiful island style, and its satisfying flippers and bumpers make uncovering its wide island a ton of fun. The story is the perfect setup for Yoku on a big and relaxing tropical island for him to spend his days as a mail bug. May 25, 2018-9. June 5, 2018. Yoku's Island Express Review. 11:22. Tumblr. NOTE: Our copy was provided by Team17 for review purposes. One townsperson wanted me to spread mushroom spores around the island, while another asked me to bring back baubles that I could use to customize the look of my ball. Some give you side quests, some give you exposition regarding the main story or island lore, and some are simply there for a quick quip or two. Even if its pinball paths occasionally got frustrating to navigate, I enjoyed every minute I spent with its charming, secret-filled campaign. It's gorgeous, plays beautifully, and I hope it's the start of a new franchise, because I want to play a lot more of this. Every environment is perfectly accompanied by sound design which gives everything a cheery and quirky atmosphere, and the charming background music keeps things light and breezy throughout. REVIEWS. We encourage you to read our updated PRIVACY POLICY and COOKIE POLICY. Much like a one-week vacation to an all-inclusive resort, Yoku’s Island Express is pretty blissful… as long as you overlook some very minor flaws. Also on: PC, Xbox One, Switch. 0 Summary: Yoku’s Island Express is an open world/metroidvania-style pinball adventure, Seamlessly blending platform navigation with pinball mechanics across a large open world. Yoku’s Island Express is one of those games. Yoku’s Island Express constantly wants you to forget whether this is a pinball game or a side-scrolling adventure, and it does so in a way that makes the game feel ever endearing. One part Metroidvania, one part pinball game, Yoku’s Island Express is a beautiful mashup that just shouldn’t work. I beat the game in about 7 hours (I'm not particularly great at games), and didn't even uncover the entire map. These devices are all used to fling Yoku and his ball (which doubles as a pinball) in helpful directions to help you find and explore new paths of game’s cleverly branching world. The roster of supporting characters is also a delight to meet. You’ve come to the Mokumana Island as a replacement for the pterodactyl mailman. Yoku’s Island Express can be described as a 2D platforming adventure game, with a twist – it uses pinball mechanics as its primary method of platforming and puzzle solving. By. The story is cute and straightforward, and there’s a large amount of backstory sprinkled throughout the game, but it doesn’t take long for the rest of Yoku’s Island Express’ beautiful game design to quickly take the spotlight. 7.5. Feel free to ask any questions about the game or provide feedback and I'll gladly reply. Yoku’s Island Express is a novel Metroidvania-pinball hybrid that stands out as something wholly unique. Neil Watton (neil363) - May 29, 2018. Yoku's Island Express . You take control of a tiny beetle postmaster named Yoku, pushing around a ball and making deliveries on a large open-world island. © 2021 GAMESPOT, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Yoku’s Island Express is a novel Metroidvania-pinball hybrid that stands out as something wholly unique. PS4. While he normally loves RPGs and single-player games, Alexander had a blast pushing a colourful ball of dung, playing make-shift pinball, and delivering mail as a proud employee of Yoku’s Island Express. Yoku’s Island Express Review: A Breath of Fresh Air - GameSpot Yoku's Island Express is a delight, plain and simple. Yoku’s Island Express is the answer to the question: “What would a Metroidvania pinball game look like?”. Yoku's Island Express feels to me like a palate cleanser. The cutesy Animal Crossing-style voices, cheery music, and lovely painted art style (which has some of the cooler background parallaxing I’ve seen in a 2D game) make being in this world a joy, and that helps temper the frustration. Yoku's Island Express is out today. A fast-travel system isn’t unlocked until later in the game, but even that is quite limited in regards to where you can and can’t travel. https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/05/29/yokus-island-express-review Lots of familiar pinball mechanics are present here, like lights to turn on in different lanes or bumpers to knock around, all of which will pour fruit to collect onto the table. One minute you could be strolling through the jungle, the next you might find yourself seamlessly dropped into a literal pinball puzzle carved out of the environment. May 25, 2018-38. The review copy of this game was a digital code provided by the publisher. By IGN on May 29, 2018 80 . You are a cute little red dung beetle named Yoku who is a postman, just arrived on an island to take over from the former Island Express mailman. You play as Yoku, a cute little beetle who has a ball attached to his hip with a string, and it's his first day as postmaster on Mokumana Island. Pinterest. As you roll around and explore, you’ll occasionally drop into distinct areas that are basically small pinball tables, each with their own lanes to fire down and skill shots that require occasionally frustratingly precise timing. Villa Gorilla is an indie developer that came up with the delectable idea of fusing Metroidvania gameplay with pinball mechanics, a combination that somehow goes together like tortilla chips and melted cheese. Other tables can take the shape of epic and difficult multi-ball boss battles, which are some of the coolest challenges available. If … Yoku's Island Express (Switch) Review. Instead, you have to use paddles (activated by your controller’s shoulder buttons) to knock yourself into tracks, bumpers, and more scattered around the island to bounce your ball around obstacles, dragging Yoku along with it. The world of Mokumana Island is gorgeous, and the delightful painterly art style realizes each of the game's different stages with vibrancy--lush jungles and dark labyrinths blend in seamlessly with stunning snow-covered mountains and underground caves, and the background scenery is just as beautifully detailed as the foreground. OPEN-WORLD PINBALL ADVENTURE: Coupled with its unique pinball platforming play style, Yoku’s Island Express offers non-linear gameplay that gives you the freedom to … Before I unlocked the adorable Beeline fast-travel system, I did find myself having to retreading the island’s core paths to and from the hub town fair bit. Traveling back and forth from one end of Mokumana Island to the other can sometimes become tedious, however. Yoku’s Island Express is a novel Metroidvania-pinball hybrid that stands as something wholly unique and incredibly fun. 0 Summary: Yoku’s Island Express is an open world/metroidvania-style pinball adventure, Seamlessly blending platform navigation with pinball mechanics across a large open world. Some areas require you to complete a pinball puzzle in order to get from point A to B, which makes retreading quite repetitive and occasionally frustrating, particularly when the pinball puzzle is a complex one. Watch the First 11 Minutes of Metroidvania-Pinball Hybrid Yoku's Island Express. Highly recommended. While the campaign smartly doesn’t overstay its welcome — it took me about six hours to complete, including some distractions — collecting all 80 of Yoku’s hidden Wickerlings, finding all of its chests, and completing some other simple missions like delivering letters made me want to keep playing even after the credits rolled. Twitter. Yoku's Island Express - Review. For the most part, though, Yoku's Island Express is a blast; a whimsical jaunt that manages to combine the two disparate genres of exploration-y adventure (aka 'Metroidvania') and pinball in a … Facebook. Whether it be the lilting music, painterly hand-drawn art or the chance to become lost in the game’s huge interconnected world, there are many reasons as to why it … GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers. Yoku's Island Express is a breezy "Metroidvania" that bursts with charm, color, and creativity at every turn. Though the puzzles require precise timing demands, and there are many moments when your skills and reactions feel tested, no puzzle feels impossible. Yoku's Island Express is a deeply sweet game, but it is wonderfully eager to deliver nature at its strangest and ugliest. Mix. Review: Yoku’s Island Express Yoku’s Island Express is the strangest game I’ve played this year, but not in a bad way. Many have doors you need to unlock by collecting purple gems on the table before you can progress further — so instead of just being about getting points, you’re trying to make specific shots to free the gems from crystals or spinners. Over 10 hours was spent playing on the PC, all of which involved flinging poor Yoku around the stunningly beautiful Mokumana Island. That description might sound a little odd, but Yoku’s Island Express is a little odd in general. There’s a fairly straightforward but cute story to follow, alongside a hefty amount of side quests, hidden collectibles, and other distractions. The game’s audio and visual design is simply joyous and the large game world seamlessly combines its pinball puzzles with some brilliant level designs. I played it in short bursts at the end of long days and was refreshed by it each time. This combination sounds unusual at first, but the final result is a charming, delightful, and wonderfully satisfying hybrid. Email. Yoku’s Island Express Review. Yoku’s Island Express starts off as you playing Yoku the dung beetle, a tiny but adorable bug. Presented by Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. While the bulk of the gorgeous 2D levels might make it seem like a familiar run ‘n jump platformer, you can’t actually jump at all. Final Score: 8.5/10. Yoku’s Island Express takes two unlikely genres and combines them into one playful, natural experience. Mokumana Island is surprisingly large, and filled with secrets and collectible items. If Yoku is the pinball, then Mokumana Island is a giant pinball table. These fun and practical abilities add extra layers of cheery personality to an already joyful game, and as common in the genre, they make you feel excited to backtrack and unlock previously inaccessible paths. Share. Read full review Exploring becomes even more exciting as Yoku learns new, goofy abilities, which are used to overcome hurdles in a lighthearted fashion, like removing boulders using an exploding slug vacuum cleaner. 0. A sprawling story quest and numerous side quests constantly push you in different directions, and there’s a lot of traveling and pinballing to be done. IGN Store: We got Tees for Spider-Man, Star Wars, and more! Retreading completed areas while hunting for secrets can occasionally get stale, but Yoku’s Island Express has a refreshingly positive attitude that kept me smiling the whole way through. It’s fun, adorable, and wonderfully unique while still satisfying the things I love about 2D platformers. The Lovely World of Yoku's Island Express. A.J. Yoku’s Island Express overcomes this hurdle by creatively combining both Metroid-style exploration and pinball mechanics into one unique product. Tricks that work on real tables work here too, like putting up one flipper to let the ball roll over to the other — but now if you slow down too much you can take direct control of Yoku and push the ball over the gap. It’s a novel concept, and the fast-firing responsiveness of the flippers is satisfying in the same way as hopping around the Mushroom Kingdom as Mario. by Neal Ronaghan - May 29, 2018, 1:00 am PDT Discuss in talkback! ReddIt. Most can be completed in only a handful of minutes, but there's a lot of variety to the boards which help keep the game incredibly engaging. WhatsApp. Ranging from animals and plants to imaginary creatures, the large cast of NPCs are all amusing in their own ways. + by Tom Marks Posted May 29, 2018, 10 a.m. A Metroidvania-pinball hybrid isn't a thing I ever expected to exist, but Yoku’s Island Express feels like a breath of fresh air in a genre that’s felt crowded as of late. There’s no combat outside of a few bosses, and the tool you get to break open certain objects is a party-blower noise maker that you can make Yoku adorably spam as you run around. Yoku’s Island Express Review. Replaying the same tables each time I wanted to go through an area got a bit repetitive because navigating a table isn’t as simple as hopping through a completed area in a traditional platformer. Yoku’s Island Express Review I wish that more games could make me feel as happy as Yoku’s Island Express does. It’s also easy to get sidetracked from your tasks in favor of searching for the game's many secrets hiding within the beautiful island stages. Yoku’s Island Express plays into that by requiring you to spend your “points” (represented by fruit) in order to unlock shortcuts or new pathways forward, meaning that you can’t simply treat each pinball section like a mere obstacle in your path. on June 5, 2018 at 9:00AM PDT. The pinball mechanics a breath of fresh air to the Metroid-vania genre and I'm looking forward to going back to … Square Enix Presents: Forspoken, New Life Is Strange, And More Announced, Tomb Raider Anniversary Celebration Includes Fortnite Level, Movie Sequel, Cookbook, Marvel's Avengers Devs On Strengthening The Game The Right Way, By ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Metroid-style platformers have become more common recently, which makes standing out from the pack a daunting task for new games in that style. Yoku’s Island Express creatively fuses a traditional Metroidvania game with pinball mechanics in a way that feels surprisingly natural. The Lovely World of Yoku's Island Express10 IMAGES. 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Alexander Pan Yoku's Island Express Review Nintendo Switch , Reviews Rom June 20, 2018 pinball , platformer , dung beetle , adventure , metroidvania Non-pinball games in the past have tried to integrate pinball mechanics to break things up, but usually it doesn't work super well. It's gorgeous, plays beautifully, and I hope it's the start of a new franchise, because I want to play a lot more of this. Yoku’s Island Express oozes charm and love from every pixel; it’s plain to see how much care Villa Gorilla, the game’s developer, has put into this. Yoku's Island Express is a delight, plain and simple. But it does, and as a result, it’s just wonderful. Watch Video Read Article. However, flippers and platforms can be found all over Mokumana Island, which can be operated by using just two buttons, much like in pinball. Yoku's Island Express is a genuine breath of fresh air, combining pinball and Metroidvania mechanics in a way that feels truly inspired. Maciejewski (crazyaejay): Thanks for reading my review of Yoku's Island Express. Metroidvania meets pinball in a surprisingly natural pairing. A Metroidvania-pinball hybrid isn't a thing I ever expected to exist, but Yoku’s Island Express feels like a breath of fresh air in a genre that’s felt crowded as of late. The blend of Metroid and pinball genres is unique, rewarding, and fun, A large world filled with gorgeous environments and puzzles, Generous amount of side quests and optional collectibles, Large roster of quirky and sweet characters. While traversing the large map does get frustrating at times, Yoku’s Island Express’ main quest never drags, and with its slate of fun abilities, quirky supporting characters and a generous amount of optional content, Yoku’s Island Express is a unique journey that’s refreshing and just straight up fun. Wonderfully satisfying hybrid mechanics at work here elevate it beyond a simple copy/paste homage games! 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