Yoku’s Island Express was a very unique Metroidvania with a clever pinball mechanic. You play as Yoku, a dung beetle who becomes the new postmaster on the island of Mokumana. Yoku pushes around a white ball, and is unable to jump. Instead, you control pinball bumpers that can launch the ball (and Yoku) wherever you need to go.
Core to the game are the enclosed pinball sections, where you need to complete certain objectives to advance to the next area: For example, you may need to hit a crystal three times, then four or five small gems will appear in different areas, and only after collecting them all will a new path open up. Instead of being a gimmick, the pinball mechanic requires both thought and precision. I ended up getting pretty good at placing my shots by the end of the game.
Like any good Metroidvania, as you proceed through the story you gain new skills to open up new areas of the map. You get a vacuum that sucks up explosive slugs, allowing you to blast open blockages; a fish that helps you swim underwater; and a grappling hook to swing and launch yourself to high locations. There are also boss battles that require you to handle tricky pinball problems. The bosses can’t hurt you, but it takes considerable skill to figure out how to defeat each one.
The story of the game is cute (postmaster dung beetle) but also quite serious (the island’s god has been attacked by a mysterious foe). The characters you meet along the way are well developed with lively (but unvoiced) dialogue. There are side quests, secret areas, and surprises. All in all, this game was great fun and worth much more than its $4 sale price.