Yoku’s Island Express is an innovative platformer that takes the underlying video game mechanic of a genre which hasn’t really meshed with others, and transplants it into a completely different gameplay environment. Pinball is mixed with Metroidvania platforming in this colourful fantasy title, which stars a cast of anthropomorphic animals, soon launching on Steam.
The game presents itself as a vibrant, visually striking 2D platformer with a mythic, painterly style reminiscent of so many other indie platformers of late, but opts for a high saturation, realistic cartoon vibe instead of some highly stylized aesthetic. The game is a narratively driven, non-linear open world platformer, which seems like an odd feature set to pair with pinball mechanics. The way the game pulls this off is by populating the maps with paddles in set up in various locations, and having the protagonist be attached to a ball via rope at all times.
If that last part made you raise an eyebrow, Yoku’s Island Express is that kind of weird game. Yoku is a dung beetle, who in this world of humanized animals works as a postman. He arrives to the seemingly idyllic tropical island of Mokumana for an easy life, but because this is a video game, he ends up helping the locals awaken dormant deities to restore the balance. The title’s official description names rebuilding the post-office and reawakening an old god as Yoku’s two objectives… well, it will probably make sense in the game.
If the storyline and unique gameplay of Yoku’s Island Express has you interested, you needn’t wait long until the game is released - the developers have announced that the title will be launched on Steam on the 29th of May. Upon launch, Yoku’s Island Express will feature full controller support, Steam achievements and trading cards.
