Yoku's Island Express

This review was originally published in my blog on July 19, 2018.

I never really cared for the Metroid genre. It's not like I didn't try; I went through Super and Zero Mission, I tried Prime, I played a number of indie games in that style... but it never really clicked. There were too many issues and annoyances that I assumed were just inherent to the genre. Plus, I kind of hate the term "Metroidvania." For one, the real Castlevania games don't play like that. For another, it's such a long word. Surely there's a more pithy phrase we can use? How about "Troidlike?" Yeah, I like that.

Yoku's Island Express is one of these Troidlikes, but it has an interesting new layer. Yoku is a little bug who arrives on Mokumaka Island to become its new postmaster. His task is to explore the island and save it from the mysterious "God-Slayer." The catch, of course, is that he's tied at the waist to a boulder and has to traverse via pinball. The pinball element was enough to get me interested in the game.

What surprised me about Yoku's Island Express, however, wasn't its delightful disposition and pinball twist. Instead, it surprised me with how well it avoided my issues with the Troidlike genre.

While most people say that Troidlikes are nonlinear, this is usually untrue in practice. Most are about as linear as any other game. You can flail around in Maridia all you want, but unless you get the Gravity Suit from a different area it's inaccessible. To complete the game, there's a mostly set order you have to collect the power-ups, often requiring backtracking.

This isn't the case with Yoku. While your Symphony of the Nights swamp you with powerups and items, Yoku only has a handful of upgrades. Instead of gating with items, it focuses more on developing the pinball aspect. I was much more inclined to explore the island, and actually went into some areas early by virtue of just looking around.

Another frustration with other Troidlikes is the penalty for death. Say you happen to explore Brinstar and get some upgrades, only to stumble into an area with tougher enemies who kill you. Back to the last save point, gotta do that all again. Not the case with Yoku! In fact, there's barely a fail state at all. Falling in some brambles will take away a few fruits, which can be replenished in seconds. Other than that, you're launched right back onto the table where you can try again. Even when falling in more open areas, the island is small enough that you can easily get back to where you were.

And there's no planet destroying-bomb or bizarre fucking pop ballad to end the game. Once you see credits, you're told to go explore the island as much as you want. Finish up those sidequests and get those collectibles to your heart's content. There are still some things I've yet to do, and it's nice to know I can if I want.

Travelling with pinball is lots of fun, but sometimes I wish the bumpers were a little more precise. I'd often find myself going through the same pathways when trying to get to a different one. It was mildly annoying, but the lack of a fail state alleviated much of the frustration. And who can get annoyed with such cute characters and groovy music?

Yoku's Island Express is a pretty short game, so I don't have a ton to say about it. But it takes something pretty special to "fix" a genre I usually don't care for. Kind of makes me wonder what else would be improved with pinball... RTS? FPS? Visual Novel? Anyway, even if you're not a Troidlike fanatic, Yoku offers a chill pinball experience that's perfect for handheld mode. Check it out!