Microsoft announced that May 2022 games with gold are Yoku’s Island Express, The Inner World – The Last Wind Monk, Hydro Thunder Hurricane, and Viva Piñata: Party Animals.
As revealed on Xbox WireThe four games with Gold will be available to anyone with Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, with Yoku’s Island Express and Hydro Thunder Hurricane available starting May 1.
Yoku’s Island Express is an open world pinball game with Metroidvania and platforming elements. Players take on the role of Yoku, a pint-sized postman who turns into a hero while in transit and works to save the island of Mukumana.
We named it among the top ten Metroidvania games (that aren’t Metroid or Castlevania), and in our 8/10 review he said, “Yoku’s Island Express is a new hybrid Metroidvania-pinball game that stands out as something completely unique and incredibly fun.”
Also available May 1, but only through May 15, is Hydro Thunder Hurricane. The rocket-powered speedboat racing game from 2010 didn’t get much attention from IGN.
“Between the uninspiring references to the original game and its reliance on vintage arcade racer elements,” we said in our 5/10 review, “Hydro Thunder Hurricane is a boring, monotonous experience that shows its hand early and fails to live up to its pedigree.”
Available later May 16th is The Inner World – The Last Wind Monk, a sequel to the 2013 point and click adventure game. Players play three characters – Robert, Laura and Peck the pigeon – as they embark on an adventure to rescue their friends in a completely alien world.
Last but not least, Viva Piñata: Party Animals is available on the same day but is only available for two weeks until May 31. This is not a traditional Viva Piñata but a multiplayer game instead, featuring a number of mini-games that players engage in using the beloved characters from the franchise.
IGN didn’t like this either, as in another 5/10 review, we said: “The inherent problem with movement in the Viva Pinata’s aesthetic success is that the mini-games simply don’t stem from a fun striped design.”
Be sure to redeem Xbox games in April 2022 with Gold before they leave the service, which includes Another Scene, Hue, Outpost Kalookie X, and MX vs ATV Alive.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance translator at IGN who occasionally remembers @thelastdinsdale’s tweet. He’ll be talking about The Witcher all day long.