Yooka Laylee Reviews
For the most part the Yooka-Laylee has succeeded in meeting expectations, though a few specters from that bygone era decided to make the journey too.
Of all the potential hurdles to snag on in creating a 3D platformers in the style of the late nineties classics, Playtonic deftly avoids the most egregious ones by far. At its very core, Yooka-Laylee succeeds in reviving a format long forgotten and does so with such vigor and passion. However, players shouldn’t expect it to reinvent the genre.
Yooka-Laylee is an old school platform game. It looks good, it's fun to play, but the developers didn't come with any new ideas. Although the mix works, it's not the year 1998 anymore when Banjo-Kazooie was released and players who weren't there back then probably won't be convinced.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Yooka-Laylee is the perfect collectathon game for veterans of the N64 and a true spiritual successor to the spectacular Banjo-Kazooie. It is exactly what people were hoping it would be, but there are a few critical flaws that are impossible to ignore. It feels like a title taken from the N64 and polished up to this generation, but games have changed a great deal since that era. Arguably, had this incorporated some of those changes, it could have been even better, but instead it has embraced its concept and stayed true to its roots. Regardless, the low price point, inviting gameplay and pure fun of the game means this is one that everyone should try.
At its best, Yooka-Laylee reminds me why I fell in love with colourful platformers, it's a love letter to childhood nostalgia. At its worst, Yooka-Laylee reminds me why we moved away from platforming games: odd design choices and occasional bugs sour the experience.
Yooka-Laylee shows there’s room for nostalgia-flavored 3D platforming in today’s market by reminding us of the joys of well-built, colorful worlds, and daft, fun characters. Unfortunately, the good work put in by Playtonic to modernise the stagnant genre is hamstrung by glaring technical issues that dull the vibrancy, and cloud over your enjoyment.
By not holding up Banjo-Kazooie as the last bastion of platformers, Playtonic was able to turn Yooka-Laylee into an overall improvement on the formula it so closely mimics. We’re coming up on a relatively dry patch of 2017, and, if I’m counting on Yooka-Laylee to be my own personal flying lizard to carry me, I don’t think I could be in better hands.
Yooka-Laylee is the triumphant return of the true platform games. Playtonic has managed to mix everything good of this genre and turn it into something fresh and wonderful.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It perfectly fulfils its brief of being a new Banjo-Kazooie game in all but name, but Yooka-Laylee’s reliance on nostalgia may struggle to find new fans.
Yooka-Laylee is a breath of fresh air. Playtonic Games knows platforming, and knows it well. The incredibly precise reactions needed by players, coupled with the lack of some of the genre’s more modern conveniences may turn some newer/younger gamers off. But for those looking for a deceptively deep collect-a-thon that has an entertaining story and wonderfully-crafted world, look no further. With an asking price of $39.99, this is an easy recommendation for platforming fans.
Yooka-Laylee is a real treat for fans of platformers – especially those who remember the 90s. The game has some flaws, but they all are bearable.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Reflection upon Yooka-Laylee raises a genuine smile in a way that few video games ever do these days. Undoubtedly, this will sound like the stereotypical ramblings of a Banjo-Kazooie fan drunk on nostalgia; it's true that when Rare slipped into obscurity, setting to work on other types of projects, they left a massive void for this brand of quirky, humorous, collection-heavy platforming adventure. Playtonic has recognised and rectified this, reminding the gaming world that this sub-genre has fallen out of favour for far too long. While it leans on a unique contextual crux, considering the team's history and the Kickstarter origins of the project, the end result is something truly delightful in its own right. A brilliant successor that perfectly channels the creative energies of the N64 platforming era.
Banjo Threeie is probably never going to happen, but after playing Yooka-Laylee I'm fine with that for the first time in 17 years. Playtonic's first foray is rough around the edges, but the center is so full of heart that it'll melt away the more you play it. How much of that roughness you can put up with entirely depends on your history and mental fortitude for mascot platformers. For some of you that threshold is pretty low, but for me, it's as high as Laylee can fly.
Yooka-Laylee’s camera wants to constantly reset itself behind the characters when moving and this drove me nuts early on
An enjoyable and varied experience that brings back the feeling of 90's platformers even if admittedly it doesn't add much new. Some flaws here and there don't stop it from being a recommended purchase both for platformer veterans as well as newcomers.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
It may look like a game for children but this primary coloured, Kickstarter-funded platformer is catnip for 30-somethings who came of age with Banjo-Kazooie
Yooka-Laylee is a heartfelt tribute to the best of Rare on Nintendo 64. It's a challenging game, with a steep difficulty level (like old times!), always fun to play. If you're a fan of old-school platforming, you won't be disappointed.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Yooka-Laylee is simply a great quality platformer with few technical issues, a distinct presentation and a wacky world to run around in.
Yooka-Laylee is built out of the heart, soul, guts, and bones of Banjo-Kazooie. It's exactly what fans of Rare's classic 3D wanted. Unfortunately, technical issues stick to it like bat guano.
Yooka-Laylee is both a joyful ode to Rare’s heyday and a polished platformer that stands head and shoulders above what few contemporaries exist in the genre.