Yoku's Island Express Is Rayman Origins But With Pinball

It can be hard to come up with interesting or original ideas in some game genres. We’ve been trucking along for quite some time, after all. Yoku's Island Express may be one of the most intriguing ideas around pinball mechanisms since games such as Wizorb, who added roleplaying (RPG) to the equation. Here’s a small description:

Yoku's Island Express is inspired by the joy of exploration of a young child, having just found the entrance to a secret garden, or unlocked the door to an attic full of wonderful and interesting things to discover. It takes some of its direction from Studio Ghibli films, where nature is infused with spirit and life, but combined with a strong focus on painterly, hand-made visuals where all the locations are unique and hand-made.

 

 

Yoku's Island Express mixes Metroid adventure logic with an open world and pinball. Yup, open world pinball; it’s definitely an interesting idea. With its handpainted visuals, but also the curving level design, the game has a certain Rayman Origins and Legends vibe. And while Yoku's Island Express might not follow Ubisoft’s title for platform elements strictly, it is definitely a source of inspiration worth exploring.

 

 

Developer Villa Gorilla seeks to make this game with just four people in its team, one of whom is Jens Andersson, who previously released the excellent drawing tool Colors! 3D on Nintendo 3DS and various other platforms. Additional audio work will be provided by freelancers Thomas Bible and Jesse Harlin, who both previously worked on several Star Wars titles, such as The Force Unleashed and The Old Republic.

Currently, Yoku's Island Express is slated for release in late 2017 with the possibility of missing the end of the year. The announcement trailer shows that the developers will work on releasing the pinball adventure to PC, as well as Playstation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. We, for one, are absolutely ready for this idyllic breeze of fresh air.

Let us know your thoughts on Yoku's Island Express in the comments.

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed (@Daavpuke)