Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Reviews

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Recommended
Oct 8, 2019

Playtonic tightens up its nostalgic take on platforming and turns its eyes to the future.

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David Jagneaux
Top Critic
8.7 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair brings the dynamic duo down to a 2.5D perspective to deliver one of the best platformers we've seen in years.

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Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Oct 9, 2019

A polished, challenging and colourful 2D platform game that recalls the best of Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, even if it doesn't really move beyond it.

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8.5 / 10.0
Oct 8, 2019
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair - Easy Allies Review video thumbnail
8.5 / 10.0
Oct 16, 2019

The Impossible Lair may receive top billing, but the entire journey leading to that titular final challenge is rewarding

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6 / 10
Oct 6, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a pronounced effort to recapture the magic of platformers, but its basic platforming and sharp difficulty spikes hold it back.

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Unscored
Oct 3, 2019

On the whole, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a carefully designed platform game that rewards repeat play and trial-and-error.

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Oct 3, 2019

After the huge whiff last time around, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is undoubtedly an improvement — a small one, but an improvement nonetheless. But an improvement doesn’t guarantee greatness and this game makes that clear.

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7 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair neatly captures the essence of Yooka-Laylee and reimagines it as a new type of game. It's a distillation and a simplification, but it's effective. Then, as its grand finale -- a necessary conclusion that looms over the whole game -- it turns uncharacteristically punitive. It's rewarding, that much is undeniable. But it also leaves you feeling like all those hours spent beekeeping never really prepared you for the final challenge. Those bees just afford more leeway over the course of a very long struggle. It's kind of a buzzkill.

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7 / 10
Oct 8, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a game for those who adore the genre and want something bright, colourful and full of self-referential puns to end a long day at work. However, you have to be able to overlook some game design and quality-of-life flaws that can make the game frustratingly hard.

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Areajugones
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2019

Playtonic Games has hit the key again, and we predict new Yooka-Laylee license projects, both in 2D and 3D. It is a new brand of the genre of the platforms that we love, with its own personality, and that in its passage to the two dimensions, has managed to get totally airy.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

86 / 100
Oct 2, 2019

After inheriting the Banjo-Kazooei's 3D enviromental platforming DNA, now Yooka y Laylee goes behind the 2D skin of Donkey and Diddy Kong. The chamaleonic Playtonic proves their mastery going back to its Rare legacy, offering a very sweet and enjoyable platform game that tastes like classic honey.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

IGN Spain
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair manages to surpass its predecessor in almost every aspect. The change to the two dimensions has been great.

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8.1 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossibile Lair is a competent platform game, full of ideas and funny characters.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Oct 23, 2019

Even with plenty of superb 2D platformers releasing in recent years, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair easily belongs alongside the best the generation has to offer thanks to excellent level design and platforming that is evocative of past classics from the genre.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 8, 2019

Dare I say it, the Switch version is the best way to play a game that is well worth your time - even in the currently crowded market.

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is one of the best 2D platformers available. If you're looking for something filled with refined gameplay and fun levels, this is it.

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Game Rant
Top Critic
Oct 6, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair has some unique and interesting ideas, but the platforming just doesn't click like it should.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
10 / 10.0
Oct 28, 2019

While I hope they give the 3D platformer another fair shake, I will be more than happy if Playtonic does more sidescrolling platformers in the future because The Impossible Lair is impossibly good.

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91 / 100
Oct 12, 2019

With charm, wit, and brimming with positivity, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a fantastic new direction for Playtonics dynamic duo.

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