‘Bad name, good game’ is probably the most accurate summation of Yoku’s Island Express — a Team 17 release that must surely rank as the world’s first pinball-based Metroidvania.
Like any Metroid imitator worth its salt, Yoku’s Island Express is primarily based around exploration and gaining upgrades to reach previously inaccessible areas of the map. The USP here though is unusual. The game’s titular protagonist is not only a beetle, but a beetle tethered to a ball. This sets the stage for the island itself — a giant mass of interlocking mini pinball tables that result in everything from bosses to basic traversal necessitating the involvement of paddles and bumpers.
The manic score attack element of pinball is absent, mind. There are no death or fail states either, giving Yoku’s Island Express a welcoming vibe. Such a laid back ethos is further accentuated by the game’s imminently hummable soundtrack and soft visuals. Its cast of characters resemble the kind of furry creatures that might appear in a premium children’s book, while its soundtrack is one of the more memorable efforts to grace a game in recent memory. The transitions between each area’s theme can be a little jarring, but, aside from that minor gripe, the music provided here is a triumph.
Yoku’s Island Express may be a thoroughly likeable stroll through a pop-up book world, but it does commit a few cardinal sins — first amongst them being its borderline unusable world map. This is especially unforgivable in a Metroidvania game and, coupled with the often frustratingly vague or unsignposted objectives, can be the cause of a maddening minute or two.
Further exacerbating this issue is the slightly exhausting nature of traversing the island (mainly due to the central pinball gimmick). Throw in the fact that the available fast travel options are also sorely lacking in usefulness and any attempt at a 100% post-credits collectathon will likely peter out quite quickly. This is a shame, given that this side of things is so often a central joy of the Metroidvania experience.
Still, for a breezy five hours or so, Yoku’s Island Express rolls by like a dream. Having suffered a lack of commercial success so far, it would be a pleasant sight indeed if more were to pick up on this understated gem.
