Recent reviews by Help I'm Stuck

It's like Dwarf Fortress and The Sims had a child. And the expansions just add more dimensions/flavours on how your wee little ant colony can die spectacularly.

I've only put a few or so hours in it as of writing, still haven't even gotten off-world. (But... why would you want to?) We'll see how it goes.

It's pinball! It's a Metroidvania! What more could one want‽

PRESENTATION: The game doesn't overstay its welcome (5.5 hours for the main story to 11 hours to 100%, according to HLTB). The painterly art and world design are fun and well-lit, and music is enjoyable and fits the tone of each area. (Except the final boss track, which is... an interesting choice. It's not a bad piece, just unconventional.) The story is generic and the dialogue, while cute and sometimes humorous, isn't anything standout. The animations for NPCs and the world are simple and limited, but by no means feel stilted; they get the job done.

MECHANICS: The pinball mechanics themselves are straightforward enough for anyone to grasp, though hardcore pinball enthusiasts may find the tables' challenges/puzzles to be too simple. The additional mechanics (e.g. the exploding slugs) are shown, not told, to the player. The map is divided into a lot of small, discrete table areas, rather than having large and complicated tables akin to what one would find in an arcade. I like this aspect, as it means the goals of each table/area are very easy to read. It definitely feels like an appropriate balance of pinball and adventure, than if it were made as one genre with the mechanics of the other shoehorned in. The abilities one gains aren't numerous, which may be a good thing (less backtracking to weird areas) or bad (simpler game overall). Mechanics are shown, not told, to the player, and the player is forced to use new abilities immediately in low-stress areas. The physics can be pretty forgiving in certain places, serving to make the player's life easier. Even when it's noticeable that the physics are doing impossible things, it serves to help the player get where they want to go, rather than randomly punishing them for slight mistakes. I am only mediocre at pinball, and the difficulty felt just right; overcoming a challenge is a proud accomplishment, but tables aren't so hard to make one shut off the game. The difficulty of the Metroidvania exploration/collectible-hunting is similar, with no items in such weird or hard-to-reach places that make one think "How was I supposed to figure that out?". (Well, there is one exception, because the game doesn't really ingrain in players that tooting the horn pops slugs, making one item seem unobtainable.)

MINOR, POSSIBLY IRRELEVANT THOUGHTS: Games should make the simple act of moving the character around to be entertaining. I can't deny that I delighted in watching poor Yoku get yanked around by the ball; the physics driving the beetle's movements are fun to watch, but not distracting from the ball's movement. Also, dung beetle. So cute. I got really frustrated at the grappling-hook mechanic when item-collecting. However, I'm bad with that same movement mechanic in other games, so I cannot say that it was implemented poorly here. There is no true fast travel, making backtracking mildly annoying. The world isn't so large, though, that it takes terribly long to get to a destination. The map is just a zoomed-out version of the regular screen, with vibrant and easy-to-read icons, which makes it easier to see areas one would want to revisit without having a glaring 'unopened doorway here' sign. The game does not allow key binding changes. It's perfectly playable with a keyboard, but the controls take a little longer to get used to than if using a controller.

SUMMARY: Just a satisfying game. It set out to be a unique blend of two seemingly disparate genres and it balanced them well, all wrapped in an endearing package. If you're at all a fan of video-pinball, Metroidvanias, game design regarding how quirky mechanics can be done well, or just want a fun little video game, Yoku's Island Express will be a worthwhile experience. I can't recommend it enough.

The spiritual successor to the old-school Harvest Moon games. It's calming, interesting, and a labor of love from its sole developer.

Words don't exist for how pleasant this game is. It's helped me be a calmer, less neurotic person.