Yoku's Island Express

Yoku's Island Express is a colorful pearl that emerges from the sea of independent development, a title that demonstrates how much innovation and originality can play a fundamental role in the current videogame market.

Yoku’s Island Express is the open-world pinball adventure you never knew you wanted, but that you desperately need to play. The vibrant art, expansive world, and fun story come together with the best elements of metroidvania and pinball games to create a new experience unlike anything else out there.

Yoku’s Island is worth exploring. There is the odd critique (dying at pinball?) - but the charming atmosphere and a well implemented mix of gameplay styles provide a very good time. The island of Mokumana has plenty of exploration, coupled with a few cool upgrades for Yoku to make it easier. Taking into consideration the right amount of collectibles and a story mode which doesn’t overstay its welcome and you’ve got a breezy, enjoyable adventure on your hands.

I have no clue how Villa Gorilla came up with an idea to combine a platformer with a pinball (was there a hat full of cards with genres on them involved?) but it works like a charm. Instead of jumping you use numerous flippers, which fit into the game world surprisingly well along with other elements that usually belong on the pinball table. In addition to being super fun to play Yoku’s Island Express looks and sounds great and is one of the most charming games I’ve come across. I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. [08/2018, p.77]

The weird mix of platforming and pinball works wonderfully well which is completely unexpected. The result is an entertaining title which sets itself apart due to its distinctive visuals and while the physics can get a bit wonky from time to time, the amount of content is considerable. An original title and a lot of fun guaranteed.

Yoku's Island Express is a unique genre mix with enjoyable pinball mechanics and great presentation. A lot of fun for pinball fans.

Its necessary backtracking may bug you occasionally but the joyful core of its being will bring a smile to the lips of even the most stoic. [Issue#151, p.85]

This game might be a bit easy, it is still very fun to discover this well created world. It is amazing how well two game genres are mixed into one game.

Who said Metroidvania and pinball can’t exist in the same game? Yoku’s Island Express shows the opposite by being a great game, thanks to very uncommon and never frustrating gameplay.

A novel Metroidvania-pinball hybrid that stands out as something wholly unique. 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. 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.