A fusion of pinball and metroidvania aimed at younger players. It's a unique idea and has potential but Yoku only implements the obvious, keeping things relatively short and sweet.

The core game is enjoyable enough. Each area hosts a variety of enclosed pinball play areas which are interconnected with pistons and rails themed as platforming sections. The pinball rooms are fun but not too challenging and many of these areas are accompanied with some unique mechanic that acts as a progress gate - be it a boss fight or simply unlocking the exit.

Sadly the longer you play the faster the novelty wears off. The quests and achievement's are largely filler, the increasing need for precision becomes frustrating, and there's very few mechanics so the boards get very samey despite layout changes. Navigation around the world can also be tedious as the island isn't really that big and you do a lot of backtracking.

The stand out part of the game is the gameplay which presents an innovative idea, it's just not explored very deeply which is a shame because it is fun to start with. The rest of the game's substance - the story, characters, and music are serviceable but aren't doing anything special, it's just game filler and padding to get you from one board to the next. Overall good for a single play through but the 100% didn't feel worth the effort.

Reviewed on May 18, 2024


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