Yooka Laylee Reviews

Yooka Laylee is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.5 / 10.0
Jan 19, 2019

Entertaining a 3D-Platformer that's reminiscent of the genre's best

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7 / 10
Feb 26, 2018

Yooka-Laylee is a tribute to 3D platforming games, especially to those that involve collecting a lot of things. It succeeds at that job, as it will certainly invade some players with overwhelming feelings of nostalgia. It doesn't quite do the job of creating a platformer that would be up to the highest standards of today, as it's demonstrated by some frustrating sections, camera issues and a combat system that is far from being exciting but overall, Yooka-Laylee is a pleasure to explore and it's full of delightful details.

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games(TM)
games™ Team
Top Critic
6 / 10
Jan 19, 2018

Competent and charming, if a little disappointing

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6.7 / 10.0
Jan 4, 2018

Playing through Yooka-Laylee is fun. It has plenty of rough patches, but it's a fun journey if you ignore its shortcomings. It may be tough, it's not a pure joy ride, and it isn't the best collect-a-thon, but there are plenty of charming characters and incredibly goofy dialogue. Genre fans who loved Banjo will find things to like in Yooka-Laylee. Here's hoping that Playtonic revisits the world it has created in Yooka-Laylee and develops it further in a sequel that has some fresh new ideas and a more polished approach.

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6 / 10
Jan 3, 2018

The 3D platforming genre is sadly dying out, but it’s one of the reasons why Yooka-Laylee was so highly anticipated in the first place. It, unfortunately, doesn’t hit all the right notes and I think that everybody that has followed this game from the very beginning, expected a little bit better. Maybe it is indeed us that have hyped this game up too much, but I also think that when you label your game as a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, you’re kind of adding that hype up yourself. It’s not a bad game by any means, however. By following the Banjo blueprint already set out, the fundamental gameplay elements on offer are superb and Yooka-Laylee is still fun, mostly. It’s a solid start for Playtonic, I just hope that with their next game, they let their talents run wild rather than sticking too close to the subject matter.

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70%
Dec 19, 2017

To me, it speaks volumes that despite pretty much completing Yooka-Laylee on Xbox One, I've felt compelled to play the game on Switch whenever I've had a spare moment. [Richard Seagrave separately reviewed the XB1 (60%) and Switch (80%) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]

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6 / 10.0
Dec 17, 2017

When Yooka-Laylee was originally announced as a Kickstarter project by former Rare developers, it gave fans of the 3D platformer hope that a nearly dead genre could return to its former glory. It's unfortunate, then, that Yooka-Laylee is no more than a mediocre attempt to capture nostalgia from the days of yore. In a year that has given us some truly innovative and special 3D platformers that pushed the genre to new heights, I can only really recommend pushing through Yooka-Laylee's pedestrian campaign to the most enthusiastic of old Rare's fans.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 16, 2017

With Yooka-Laylee I think there are two distinct audiences that need to be spoken to for the summary. For major fans of the classic Rare look and feel there are a lot of joyful notes that Yooka-Laylee hits and as long as you don’t set your expectations too high you should enjoy it. For people who are less familiar or enamored with classic collect-a-thons it’s a bit harder to recommend, especially now that the long shadow of Mario Odyssey is hard to ignore. Even if it may not be everything I was hoping for Yooka-Laylee is an earnest title that shows a lot of love and reverence for the classic Rare titles that have obviously inspired it, I just wish it had done more to additionally forge out its own path.

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Adam Riley
Top Critic
8 / 10
Dec 16, 2017

Absolutely sublime platform action from the team behind Banjo-Kazooie, et al. Yooka-Laylee is everything fans have been waiting for, transporting gamers back to the 3D adventure heyday of the Nintendo 64, but bringing a wealth of updates with it to help it feel not just familiar, but also equally fresh. Between Super Mario Odyssey and this, Nintendo Switch owners are certainly being given some amazing treats in the first 12 months of the system's lifespan!

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65%
Dec 16, 2017

Yooka-Laylee is a game which brings us back to the 3D platformer retro roots and brings all of what made those games from the 90s great with it. In doing so though, it also brought with it most of the faults which should have been ironed out a long time ago. I have mentioned the camera a few times, but it really hampers what otherwise could have been a great experience and makes the challenge more frustrating than it otherwise should have been. I love a challenge, but I want it to be a fair one and not hampered by game design issues. If you are after a 3d platformer which harks back to the 90s and brings all of the good and bad points from that era, then this might be for you. Yooka-Laylee are certainly adorable characters, the writing is quite funny, the visuals are nice and the music is lovely. It's a shame the gameplay doesn't quite marry up due to persistent niggles.

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Dave Aubrey
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Dec 15, 2017

Yooka-Laylee is a fun throwback to a simpler time, but in the process some things got lost in translation. Whether it's rose-tinted specs or just modern game design sensibilities, something doesn't feel right with Yooka-Laylee, even if it runs great on Switch. I guess it just can't compare to the likes of Super Mario Odyssey.

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Dec 15, 2017

The extra time taken to bring Yooka Laylee to the Nintendo Switch has been worth it. The game runs extremely well on the Switch and feels well polished. A few design issues, however, means that this spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie is good but not quite great!

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87 / 100
Dec 14, 2017

A true classic platform game. It plays and feels like some Rare masterpieces such as Banjo Kazooie or Conker BFD. It seems that Nintendo Switch was designed for games like Yooka-Laylee.

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7.9 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2017

Yooka-Laylee is the perfect tribute to the 90's 3D platforming videogames, a very fun experience for the new players and an exciting return of the genre to its roots for the older users. Long, fun and very joking, its camera becomes a harder enemy than Capital B, the game's main villain. [Jose Rodríguez separately reviewed the PS4 (8.0) and Nintendo Switch (7.8) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]

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8.3 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2017

While it doesn't quite stand as tall as the Mario Odyssey masterpiece, Yooka-Laylee is a game every Switch owner should consider. Fantastic fun for all ages, and tons of content to boot. [William Murphy separately reviewed the Switch (8.5) and PC (8) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]

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9 / 10.0
Dec 14, 2017

Although it does not bring anything new compared with previous versions, Yooka-Laylee is perfect for Nintendo Switch and its type of gameplay will make you stay playing this fun game for lots of hours.

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8 / 10
Dec 14, 2017

All told, Yooka-Laylee is a worthy modern tribute to the collectathons of yore, and it is highly recommended for Switch owners. This feels like a game that belongs in 1996, but with all the quality improvements of a game made in 2017, making for an excellent blend of new and old. Though it can be a little uneven at times, the game as a whole manages to succesfully achieve its goals.Do yourself a favour and give this one a go; it may not have been too well received to begin with, but Playtonic has polished it up quite nicely; it is a worthy addition to the Switch library.

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Recommended
May 23, 2017

The Level design of the actual worlds is great with both the large levels and the interesting ability to morph the levels. Each world is inhabited by an eclectic cast of humorous supporting character and gives the worlds a distinctive feel with a fantastic soundtrack that is just the icing on the cake of nostalgia.

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7 / 10.0
May 15, 2017

Yooka-Laylee is a fun game, but its controls, plot and somewhat plentiful bugs hamper the experience. 3D platformer veterans will find something to like here, but others might be turned off.

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7 / 10
May 14, 2017

Overall, Yooka-Laylee is a game with a ton of retro-inspired heart, but a definite lack of polish may disappoint fans who expected the quality of their previous Banjo-Kazooie titles.

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