Yoku’s Island Express Switch NSP XCI Free Download Romslab

Yoku’s Island Express Switch  Free Download  It’s safe to say that Yoku’s Island Express is the first pinball-Metroidvania game we’ve ever played. We sincerely hope it’s not the last. Swedish indie studio Villa Gorilla has produced an improbable mash-up that succeeds through an uncommon combination of charm and inventiveness. Beyond all that, though, it’s just brilliant fun to play.ROMSLAB.COM Best Switch Games

Yoku’s Island Express Switch NSP XCI Free Download Romslab

You play the part of Yoku, an adorable little beetle who washes up on the mystical island of Mokumana just as things start falling apart. The island’s lumbering god-figure has been attacked by a mysterious assailant, throwing its tribes into turmoil. Not only is Yoku tasked with filling the vacant postmaster role, but he also has to deliver the entire island from impending calamity. No pressure, then.

Pinball

The pinball influence goes further than mere traversal mechanics, with each instance of what you might call a dungeon – where all of the game’s key puzzles, trials and bosses are contained – essentially playing out like a fully-fledged pinball table. There are targets to hit, sequential switches to flip, slots to land in, and loads of bonus fruit currency to collect. It sounds like an unusual mix of ingredients, for sure, but it somehow never feels contrived. At no point did we wish we were playing a more conventional Metroidvania with regular 2D platformer controls.

Yoku’s Island Express Switch NSP XCI Free Download Romslab

Yoku’s Island Express isn’t a particularly vast game, but exploration and discovery are at its heart. Heading to your next location on the map, you’ll invariably encounter several tantalising distractions with the potential to divert your attention. Whether that’s a secret room, a curious new character, a goody-filled treasure chest or one of the game’s many collectable knick-knacks, your curiosity is always rewarded.SteamWorld Heist: Ultimate Edition Switch 

Pikmin Magic

We’ve hinted at it already, but the thing that really knits the game’s disparate elements together, and that stays with you in between playing sessions, is the beauty of its world. Mokumana has a gorgeous hand-painted feel to it, while its animalistic denizens are a wonderful mish-mash of shapes and sizes. It feels like some fantasy collaboration between Jim Henson and Studio Ghibli, with a little Pikmin magic stirred in.

Yoku’s Island Express Switch NSP XCI Free Download Romslab

The sound design is also tip top. Each creature has their own distinctive babble, which cuts through a background of gentle birdsong, pitter-pattering rain, or the harsh winds of an exposed mountainside. Accompanying all of this is a range of memorable analogue ditties, which we guarantee will find their way into your head at various points throughout the week.Super Magbot Switch NSP 

Frustration

Indeed, the biggest points of frustration in Yoku’s Island Express come with getting about the world. There’s a very handy (and highly entertaining) shortcut system that slowly unfurls, but figuring out exactly how to get from A to B in the early to mid-game stretch can feel like groping around in the dark. It can especially grate on the odd occasion that you find yourself drawn back into an extended pinball section that you’ve already encountered. You’re often not quite sure whether you’re wasting your time in an area.

Yoku’s Island Express Switch NSP XCI Free Download Romslab

The amazing thing is that none of these flaws really matter in the final reckoning. There’s just so much love and skill and charm on display here that complaining about a few navigation issues seems churlish. After the credits roll, all you’ll be left with is a warm sense of satisfaction and a strong desire to experience your second pinball-Metroidvania game as soon as possible.Touhou spell bubble Switch NSP 

Add-ons (DLC): Yoku’s Island Express Switch