Looking for a break from the constant stresses of daily life? Then do I have a super chill game for you! Yoku’s Island Express, made by Stockholm-based developer Villa Gorilla, is one of the most colorful and carefree gaming experiences I’ve had in a long time.

The game stars Yoku, an cheerful little dung beetle, who sets out to become the new postman of a tropical island. Gameplay is an inventive blend of exploratory platforming and pinball mechanics, as the ball that Yoku pushes about—and he is tethered to—gets flung around by pinball flippers and bumpers and launchers, etc. If this premise reminds you a lot of Sonic Spinball, don’t worry; this is much better game.

Mokumana Island, the game’s setting, is filled with colorful characters for our hero to meet. The quirky interactions with Yoku, and their myriad silly requests, make for a fun story. And the way that any and all obstacles can be overcome with some pinball’ing is a real treat.

One thing about this game that I find interesting is the discussion around it being a “Metroidvania” game. Like, would you really call this a Metroidvania?

Here we have a sprawling 2D world, complete with backtracking, that our hero can transverse more and more of incrementally, each time he unlocks a new ability. That description certainly sounds like a Metroidvania, and yet, there is something about it that doesn’t feel quite right to me. Maybe it’s the fact that all exploring and all platforming is done via pinball. Or maybe it’s just because Yoku’s tone and atmosphere is a complete 180 from what we’ve seen in every Metroid, and in every Castlevania—and in every other similar game—that I can’t bring myself to put this one into the same category.

In the end though, Metroidvania is just a label, so it doesn’t really matter. This is an exploratory adventure/pinball game, and your options on Super Metroid or Symphony of the Night aren’t particularly relevant to it.

All in all, I highly recommend Yoku’s Island Express. It’s just so clever and very a fun time, and the game is bursting with positivity. Especially during COVID times, this dung beetle’s journey was a breath of fresh air.