Every once in a while, a game comes along that presents a new idea. It might be a new twist on a classic. It might be a melding of two genres. It might be something exceptionally unique and unheard of. Yoku’s Island Express manages all of these by tilting the table and flipping the metroidvania genre on its head. With pinball.
It’s actually not quite clear where Yoku’s Island Express originates from. Both the metroidvania and pinball aspects are so well represented and expanded upon that it could just as easily be a pinball game that’s been given the open-world treatment. That’s a great feeling when playing because the whole game constantly manages to feel new and exciting. Power-ups mean re-exploring old areas for new hidden secrets and collectibles, but pinball sections throughout the world require the same kind of pinball wizardry The Who sang about all those years ago. Yoku is a dung beetle, newly arrived to the island of Mokumana to serve as its postmaster. Rolling his little white ball around the island to deliver mail, Yoku quickly discovers a great darkness that threatens the existence of the island and all its inhabitants. The entire island of Mokumana functions as a series of pinball tables to solve puzzles and get to the next area, but enough platforming exists in between the table sections to allow it not to feel like a series of pinball tables simply strung together. Yoku’s Island Express constantly wants you to forget wheth...