Yoku's Island Express Critic Reviews

Yoku's Island Express is the perfect combination of pinball mechanics meets metroidvania, and is not only my favorite indie game so far this year, but my favorite pinball game of all time.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more complete, competent, fun and wonderfully balanced Indie experience. We all love the God of Wars and Battlefield Vs of the world, but I’d take 10 more Yoku’s Island Expresss every day of the week. And absolutely perfect gaming experience.

Endlessly joyous.

Yoku's Island Express is a small, highly creative, indie gem. You'll be delighted by its great art and fresh, innovative and compelling gameplay supported by an excellent open world, metroidvania-ish level design. A must have for lovers of good games and 2D platform adventures.

With the theme music still kicking around in my head now, the world of Mokumana having surprised with multiple twists and turns, and the puzzling pinball moments standing proudly alongside the many platforming opportunities, this is one game that is going to appeal to a huge range of player.

Yoku’s Island Express is an achievement in itself, effortlessly mashing up two polar-opposite genres that ultimately goes hand in glove to wonderful effect. This excellent foundation is upheld by its endearing, well developed and interwoven locations, bolstered further by a cast of lovable characters and a warming story. Minor frustrations regarding traversal to the side, this is a perfect example of meaningful innovation.

Yoku's Island Express is the best indie game that I've played this year so far. Who would've guessed that Metroidvania pinball would be such an addictive and enjoyable formula? Factor in the delightful visuals and sound and you're left with a must-have adventure.

So this is what happens when you mix pinball mechanics with an open 2D-platformer... This is my personal arcade highlight so far this year.

Yoku’s Island Express critical path can be completed quickly, and there could definitely be more meat on that bone, but it’s a journey I urge every pinball and Metroidvania fanatic to play. Villa Gorilla doesn’t just introduce a new concept to gaming – it has full ownership of it, and shows us just how fun it can be.

Overall, there’s not a lot to dislike about Yoku’s Island Express. It’s deep, it’s fun, and while the main character may not be memorable as a Rayman or a Mario, the gameplay is so well-planned that you aren’t in need of a strong lead character to make it all work. Villa Gorilla did one helluva job with this release and it’s a game that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Yoku’s Island Express is a cheery, bright, frictionless experience that adds much-needed twists to an established formula and despite my hesitance for pinball, it sold me on a kind of gameplay that I never knew I wanted.

Yoku's Island Express is a game that you'll encourage others to check out the minute you start playing. Aside from the gorgeous aesthetics, the use of pinball mechanics is inspired, and the execution of the mechanics is done well. It's a relatively short experience, but it feels packed with tons of side-quests if you can deal with the backtracking seeming to go on a little longer than usual due to the pinball mechanics. Overall, Yoku's Island Express is a brilliant game that adventure fans need.

With only a few small niggles to complain about, Yoku’s Island Express successfully merges pinball and platforming without ever making the former feel like a gimmick. Its beautiful presentation and fun, engaging exploration blend together to create a truly unique experience.

Yoku's Island Express proves that platforms, and even metroidvanias, can find new ways adding unusual elements to the gameplay with strange and unique mix of characteristics. In this case, the strange blend of platform, adventure and flipper results in an amazing design.

Quotation forthcoming.

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.

One part Metroidvania, one part pinball game, Yoku’s Island Express is a beautiful mashup that just shouldn’t work. But it does, and as a result, it’s just wonderful.

Yoku’s Island Express is whimsical, charming and a joy to play. It’s developed by people who have an obvious love and deep knowledge for both pinball and Metroidvania games, and frequently delights and surprises by taking established genre conventions and quite literally flipping them about.

For everyone out there who has been beaten down by the relentless pursuit of thrills and high scores, Yoku's Island Express is going to feel very refreshing. It's a charming vacation filled with beautiful locales. Taking the time to explore everything is highly recommended. The emphasis on pinball lends the game a superbly-realised identity. Utilising an array of bumpers and flippers to get around is somehow more fulfilling than tapping a jump button repeatedly.

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.