Yoku's Island Express ingeniously flips its pinball arcade roots to organically conceive an innovative Metroidvania that, whilst is absent of consequential challenges, delivers the necessary goods with assured confidence and composure.
WHAT I LIKED:
+ The postman always rings twice. Yoku, a dung beetle permanently attached to a ball comprising of all sorts of stuff, becomes a postmaster on a thriving island and must deliver letters to certain characters in order to prevent a looming calamity from occurring. The playing controls Yoku, which in turn moves the ball around the island. No jumping. No sprinting. The majority of traversal is managed by manipulating pinball paddles to guide Yoku's ball, and consequently Yoku himself, through ramps, bumpers and a plethora of tracks within the substantially luscious open-world location. It's an incredibly unique blend of two genres, and one that works effortlessly in supplying fun without resorting to excess perseverance.
+ Mokumana in all its stunning glory. The island to which Island Express is set in is varied and interconnected, as all good Metroidvanias should be, and is filled with an abundance of collectible Wickerlings and upgrades to specific equipment. However, its beauty comes from the picturesque water-coloured backdrops that give life to the island. From the snowy tundra mountains of Ivory Peaks to the thick dense foliage of Gorilla Woods. The best of the genre produce an organic free-flowing world, and Mokumana sits among the best by designing its world around the pinball mechanics without making them look disarranged.
+ Please insert coin. Yoku is bounced, flipped and tossed around like a raw patty on a smoky barbecue. The incorporation of pinball mechanics in a two-dimensional side-scrolling platformer should not work. But, here we are, and it does so magnificently. These interspersed segments test the player's classic arcade skills whilst also embedding the various special abilities that Yoku comes across as he searches the island high and low for mailboxes. For example, vacuuming up slugs which can then be used to explode Yoku's clump of stringiness and change his trajectory, or to obliterate boulders. Several optional scarabs also add further challenges by enabling the player to complete certain manoeuvres within the pinball areas, maximising this mechanic's potential even further. Flip those flippers!
+ The postmaster really is a fungi. Dispersing various mushrooms across the island to find suitable habitable conditions, recovering ancient fragments of a statue, juicing up the juicery and loads more! Island Express is open-world, and therefore a plethora of side-quests are available which will reward Yoku with some incredibly useful items. Diving underwater being one of them...
+ Squish that spider! The main story somehow involves boss battles where Yoku must fully pelt the ball into the bosses' weak points. Whether it be a giant spider, igniting a space rocket (we'll count that...) or a flying...indescribable creature with claws and substantial grimacing? Either way, they are cleverly merged with the pinball mechanics, newly introduced abilities and pack a wholesome amount of charm.
WHAT I DISLIKED:
- Who knew being a dung beetle being employed as a postmaster would be so breezy? Yoku's Island Express is definitely aimed for the casual audience, lacking in any real challenge. Failing to flip Yoku's ball will result in loss of fruit, the basic currency of the game, and an instant restart in the same area. The abundance of fruit consequently relinquishes any fear of loss. Missed activating a flipper? Boom! Here's another chance, and another...and another. The only real challenge is learning the geography of Mokumana, however thanks to the detailed in-game map and unlockable bee-lines (essentially fast travel points) this is made easier. It's not a major critique, as many will seek to have a relaxing yet fun time with Island Express, but those searching for real challenge are unlikely to find it here.
VERDICT:
8/10 wallet upgrades
WHAT I LIKED:
+ The postman always rings twice. Yoku, a dung beetle permanently attached to a ball comprising of all sorts of stuff, becomes a postmaster on a thriving island and must deliver letters to certain characters in order to prevent a looming calamity from occurring. The playing controls Yoku, which in turn moves the ball around the island. No jumping. No sprinting. The majority of traversal is managed by manipulating pinball paddles to guide Yoku's ball, and consequently Yoku himself, through ramps, bumpers and a plethora of tracks within the substantially luscious open-world location. It's an incredibly unique blend of two genres, and one that works effortlessly in supplying fun without resorting to excess perseverance.
+ Mokumana in all its stunning glory. The island to which Island Express is set in is varied and interconnected, as all good Metroidvanias should be, and is filled with an abundance of collectible Wickerlings and upgrades to specific equipment. However, its beauty comes from the picturesque water-coloured backdrops that give life to the island. From the snowy tundra mountains of Ivory Peaks to the thick dense foliage of Gorilla Woods. The best of the genre produce an organic free-flowing world, and Mokumana sits among the best by designing its world around the pinball mechanics without making them look disarranged.
+ Please insert coin. Yoku is bounced, flipped and tossed around like a raw patty on a smoky barbecue. The incorporation of pinball mechanics in a two-dimensional side-scrolling platformer should not work. But, here we are, and it does so magnificently. These interspersed segments test the player's classic arcade skills whilst also embedding the various special abilities that Yoku comes across as he searches the island high and low for mailboxes. For example, vacuuming up slugs which can then be used to explode Yoku's clump of stringiness and change his trajectory, or to obliterate boulders. Several optional scarabs also add further challenges by enabling the player to complete certain manoeuvres within the pinball areas, maximising this mechanic's potential even further. Flip those flippers!
+ The postmaster really is a fungi. Dispersing various mushrooms across the island to find suitable habitable conditions, recovering ancient fragments of a statue, juicing up the juicery and loads more! Island Express is open-world, and therefore a plethora of side-quests are available which will reward Yoku with some incredibly useful items. Diving underwater being one of them...
+ Squish that spider! The main story somehow involves boss battles where Yoku must fully pelt the ball into the bosses' weak points. Whether it be a giant spider, igniting a space rocket (we'll count that...) or a flying...indescribable creature with claws and substantial grimacing? Either way, they are cleverly merged with the pinball mechanics, newly introduced abilities and pack a wholesome amount of charm.
WHAT I DISLIKED:
- Who knew being a dung beetle being employed as a postmaster would be so breezy? Yoku's Island Express is definitely aimed for the casual audience, lacking in any real challenge. Failing to flip Yoku's ball will result in loss of fruit, the basic currency of the game, and an instant restart in the same area. The abundance of fruit consequently relinquishes any fear of loss. Missed activating a flipper? Boom! Here's another chance, and another...and another. The only real challenge is learning the geography of Mokumana, however thanks to the detailed in-game map and unlockable bee-lines (essentially fast travel points) this is made easier. It's not a major critique, as many will seek to have a relaxing yet fun time with Island Express, but those searching for real challenge are unlikely to find it here.
VERDICT:
8/10 wallet upgrades