Yooka-Laylee

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 265 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 136 out of 265
  2. Mixed: 50 out of 265
  3. Negative: 79 out of 265
Buy On

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Shenandoah
    Mar 20, 2021
    5
    Don’t get me wrong, I love Yooka Laylee, but the technical port of the PS4 version is just a shame. Looks like a PS3 game poorly running at locked 30 fps on a PS4 Pro. Save your money and wait of a remaster of this game or take the new „Impossible Lair“.
  2. Dr_Unk
    Oct 6, 2020
    6
    The game was OK. The controls seemed off to me, especially when you do that one roll move. One thing I hate about collectathons is when they make you go back to a previous level because you didn't have a move or item you needed. So I wasn't a big fan of going back to every level again. Also at one point, I couldn't stand the music, so I ended up muting it and keeping the SFX on..
  3. Descole
    Apr 6, 2020
    7
    Its an old school retro game. It promised not mutch and delivers much more. Its really fun to play with an retro soundtrack. If you like 90s games you will like that too
  4. lione81
    Mar 25, 2020
    0
    Cámara horrible. Controles imprecisos. Fallos y bugs aleatorios. Control de colisiones malo.
  5. OwtDaft
    Feb 14, 2020
    8
    + Story is very basic with some funny dialogue.
    + The 5 worlds and hub are very well designed and a lot of fun to explore.
    + Some of the mini games and challenges are frustrating but most are fun. + In the game you have many abilities to help you do everything in the worlds. + The game has a variety of game play elements, including an isometric area in one. - Rextro mini games you    + Story is very basic with some funny dialogue.
    + The 5 worlds and hub are very well designed and a lot of fun to explore.
    + Some of the mini games and challenges are frustrating but most are fun.
    + In the game you have many abilities to help you do everything in the worlds.
    + The game has a variety of game play elements, including an isometric area in one.
    - Rextro mini games you have to play to get pagies, would of been better had these been easier.    … Expand
  6. Vapor96
    Dec 29, 2019
    6
    While the game has a lot of charm and personality, Yooka-Laylee is so true to its genre roots that it tells the player pretty much nothing. Often playing it consists of roaming around huge areas hoping to find some challenges to beat, and this is just not my idea of fun. Add to that some grindy repetition and major camera problems, and you have yourself a throwback that falls right intoWhile the game has a lot of charm and personality, Yooka-Laylee is so true to its genre roots that it tells the player pretty much nothing. Often playing it consists of roaming around huge areas hoping to find some challenges to beat, and this is just not my idea of fun. Add to that some grindy repetition and major camera problems, and you have yourself a throwback that falls right into mediocrity, despite funny characters and a great soundtrack.… Expand
  7. Paulo969
    Oct 7, 2019
    3
    Apoiei o jogo no kickstarter. É uma confusao de desenho de niveis, nunca sabemos pãra onde ir ou o que fazer. Uma autentica trapalhada. Completamente desinspirado e hoje nao dava nem 1 euro por este lixo. Uma oportunidade de ouro desperdiçada. Kickstarter nunca mais.
  8. GamerDylan
    Sep 11, 2019
    6
    The hype for this game was so big back in 2017, but it just isn't that good. Play Banjo-Kazooie or Spyro instead of this.
  9. Platformer
    Jul 15, 2019
    10
    One of my favorite platformers of all time. Very fun game. I would recommend this game to everyone
  10. KratosKong
    Jun 20, 2019
    7
    A este juego de plataformas en 3d se le notan las costuras y tiene algun que otro problema de diseño. Pero es innegable lo divertido que es y lo gracioso de los personajes con las situaciones que generan. Si te gustan los plataformas en 3D dale una oportunidad. Aunque no haya resultado ser todo lo redondo que hubiera deseado, si hacen secuela, yo por mi parte le dare una oportunidad.
  11. smahlt
    May 9, 2019
    6
    A solid core surrounded by questionable decisions. The energy meter was a poor decision. The level design choices of having huge levels with tons of collectibles makes the game drag on. Some of the puzzles are annoying (looking at you ice castle maze). Controls are loose at times.

    As a longtime fan of Banjo-Kazooie, I'm slightly disappointed in this game, and hopeful for a sequel    A solid core surrounded by questionable decisions. The energy meter was a poor decision. The level design choices of having huge levels with tons of collectibles makes the game drag on. Some of the puzzles are annoying (looking at you ice castle maze). Controls are loose at times.

    As a longtime fan of Banjo-Kazooie, I'm slightly disappointed in this game, and hopeful for a sequel because with some improvements, we could have another fantastic BK style game.    … Expand
  12. M0NST3R_G4MING
    May 4, 2019
    7
    Yooka-Laylee is a wonderful 3D platformer, which should be fun especially for former Banjo-Kazooie or Donkey Kong players. The feeling of the old Rare-games was also conveyed in my opinion. Of course it's by far not as good as Banjo Kazooie or Donkey Kong, but Yooka-Laylee has its own charm and is a lot of fun! Yooka-Laylee's main goal are the veterans of the old Banjo Kazooie games.
    I    Yooka-Laylee is a wonderful 3D platformer, which should be fun especially for former Banjo-Kazooie or Donkey Kong players. The feeling of the old Rare-games was also conveyed in my opinion. Of course it's by far not as good as Banjo Kazooie or Donkey Kong, but Yooka-Laylee has its own charm and is a lot of fun! Yooka-Laylee's main goal are the veterans of the old Banjo Kazooie games.
    I decided to give Yooka-Laylee 7/10 points because there are still some mistakes that could have been avoided with today's technology.

    First of all I would like to go into the game world. It looks very nice. Especially the first world I liked very much. You are mostly free and can explore this world at your own discretion. In the world one looks for as collecting objects "feathers" and "Pagies". If one has already found many feathers in a world and therefore only few are missing, then these are difficult to find. This can be very frustrating.
    In addition there are different tasks in each world to get Pagies. Most of the tasks are actually simple - except for the mini-games. If you want to play Yooka-Laylee at 100% you will despair. The mini-games are so frustrating. In addition there is often the spongy control of the minigames. This makes the mini-games often unplayable and it is annoying to play them in every world again and again.
    Another point that really bothered me was switching between worlds. You couldn't "teleport" as you know it from other games: No, you had to go back to the upper world and search for the entrance to the desired world. This was also very annoying - and especially frustrating if you didn't find the entrance to the world.
    The controls are really good for a 3D platformer. You could execute the different learnable moves well and without any problems. But what I didn't like at this point was the camera work. It was terrible in many situations, especially in confined spaces. A big problem was that objects didn't become transparent.
    I really liked the dialogues in Yooka-Laylee. It was just the typical rare humor! There were always those funny noises, which were different with every character. These give each character its own charm.

    Conclusion: I like Yooka-Laylee very much despite some technical problems. I had a lot of fun walking through the different worlds and collecting feathers and pagies. The only big problem was some technical problems (which I discussed in more detail above). I can recommend Yooka-Laylee to anyone who enjoyed the old Donkey Kong and Banjo Kazooie games. Don't expect too much, though. That would be a mistake.
    I would be looking forward to a successor without these technical problems!    … Expand
  13. KatRat
    May 3, 2019
    9
    An undervalued game that will not disappoint. The creators of Banjo Kazooie really live up to the expectations revolving around this game. It is really a shame that this game is not as known as other platformers.
  14. leetl1
    Mar 4, 2019
    6
    I love Banjo Kazooie, but this game is lacking because the controls suck and the game feels even more flawed than Banjo Kazooie, which is sad because this is a 2017 game.
  15. Neper
    Jan 27, 2019
    6
    Unfortunately, I have to say that I didn't enjoy this game too much. I was a backer in Kickstarter so I played it with lots of interest, but Y-L kept disappointing me. It has some good ideas here and there, but sometimes its worlds feel dull and empty, with no really fun platforming most of the time. There's almost zero challenge to it as well, which adds to the overall 'meh' feeling IUnfortunately, I have to say that I didn't enjoy this game too much. I was a backer in Kickstarter so I played it with lots of interest, but Y-L kept disappointing me. It has some good ideas here and there, but sometimes its worlds feel dull and empty, with no really fun platforming most of the time. There's almost zero challenge to it as well, which adds to the overall 'meh' feeling I get.

    tl;dr I had some fun with Yooka-Laylee, but it feels old and clunky and it gets boring as well as a bit frustrating towards the end. Only for hardcore fans of nostalgia.    … Expand
  16. MarcosAlejandro
    Jan 11, 2019
    8
    Old School Adventure, excelent Graphics, super Gameplay, Story is fine, if you liked Games Like Banjo- Kazooie from N64, this is it. I don´t give this game a ten (10) just becouse the unbelievable "Campaign COOP MODE" (This is really something unacceptable on a game of this quality... it would be much better if programmers never add this CO-OP option and system ) . Any way you have otherOld School Adventure, excelent Graphics, super Gameplay, Story is fine, if you liked Games Like Banjo- Kazooie from N64, this is it. I don´t give this game a ten (10) just becouse the unbelievable "Campaign COOP MODE" (This is really something unacceptable on a game of this quality... it would be much better if programmers never add this CO-OP option and system ) . Any way you have other "Mini Games" MODES where you can play with up to tree Friends more and they are good, Veredict: This is a Great Single Player Adventure !! It worth it !… Expand
  17. peehsehterb
    Nov 25, 2018
    4
    I have never had such a bad time playing a game. I originally bought it almost purely for the art style, since it's incredibly appealing, but when I started playing, I slowly lost all form of interest. The game is weighed down by poor controls (with Flying and the camera for example), a camera that glitches out after death, levels that are so frustrating to navigate that I'm surprised thatI have never had such a bad time playing a game. I originally bought it almost purely for the art style, since it's incredibly appealing, but when I started playing, I slowly lost all form of interest. The game is weighed down by poor controls (with Flying and the camera for example), a camera that glitches out after death, levels that are so frustrating to navigate that I'm surprised that there's no map (Tribalstack Tropics being the one exception to me), and arcade games within it that are too poor, slippery, and unfair to play/control- This game just overall provides a frustrating experience and it's just not fun to play.… Expand
  18. KayVen17
    Sep 26, 2018
    6
    Deutsche Review - Kritik Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. RegelnDeutsche Review - Kritik Der folgende Test ist in 5 Kategorien zusammengefasst. Diese 5 Kartegorien ergeben die Gesamtpunktzahl von 0 - 100 Punkten. Um einen passenden Userscore zu geben wird auf oder abgerundet. Bei 84 Punkten ergibt das einen User Score von 8. Bei 86 einen von Userscore von 9. Falls eine 85 kommt entscheide ich ob ich es eher positiv oder negativ nehme. Regeln verstanden? Dann sind hier meine Punkte. Mein persönlicher Score = 64/100 Mein User Score = 6/10… Expand
  19. TatsMcGee
    Sep 8, 2018
    5
    This is probably going to go down as one of the biggest disappointments of my life. At least the gaming part of my life. I love Banjo-Kazooie, its one of my favorite games of all time (definitely top 5) so when I heard that the makers of Banjo-Kazooie were making a spiritual successor. I lost my mind and was convinced that this was going to be my favorite game of all time. I know that’sThis is probably going to go down as one of the biggest disappointments of my life. At least the gaming part of my life. I love Banjo-Kazooie, its one of my favorite games of all time (definitely top 5) so when I heard that the makers of Banjo-Kazooie were making a spiritual successor. I lost my mind and was convinced that this was going to be my favorite game of all time. I know that’s putting a lot of pressure on this game but all I wanted was it to be Banjo-Kazooie but with upgraded graphics and better controls. The controls weren’t going to be too hard because all it had to do was not be on the Nintendo 64 and that not so great controller.

    So yes I had high hopes for this game but all I wanted was an updated Banjo-Kazooie but what we got was Donkey Kong 64. The major problem with the game is, there are too many collectibles and at a certain point. It just starts to feel tedious and it stops being fun which is incredibly disappointing because this game has a lot of charm.

    Looking at this game, I love the way it looks. It so much fun to look at this game and look at the characters and the worlds. I also love the music, this is probably music of the year. So this game probably wins 3 categories this year, best-looking game, best music and most disappointing.

    This is going to be a shorter review because I can’t talk about this game too much. It breaks my heart when I think about it. I do want to be clear about one thing though. This is not a bad game, it’s just too much of a collectathon for me. So I burnt out halfway through and I don’t see myself finishing.    … Expand
  20. Luvs2sploog
    May 25, 2018
    8
    Yooka-Laylee is such a nostalgia trip to the days of Banjo-Kazooie in every little aspect, both good and bad. The good part of the game is how it's an easy pick-up and play 3D platformer that has a decent skill curve. The bad part is going to be the camera controls and it's over-reliance on nostalgia to fulfill the cravings of us aging gamers. The concept of expanding worlds to recreateYooka-Laylee is such a nostalgia trip to the days of Banjo-Kazooie in every little aspect, both good and bad. The good part of the game is how it's an easy pick-up and play 3D platformer that has a decent skill curve. The bad part is going to be the camera controls and it's over-reliance on nostalgia to fulfill the cravings of us aging gamers. The concept of expanding worlds to recreate them seems like an attempt to enforce replayability where it would have been just fine having the fully expanded worlds where our skills could be utilized without revisiting the worlds such as in the OG Banjo Kazooie.… Expand
  21. MathewMatrix500
    May 20, 2018
    10
    Este juego me sorprendio bastante me hizo recordar a banjo & kazooie y banjo tooie con unos gráficos animados muy bien cuidados
  22. mrnice
    Apr 8, 2018
    5
    Creative enough to appeal to genre fans. The cheery presentation and characters deserved a more fun game. For example, I laughed out loud at my own frustrations during a mini-game about driving a mine kart through an obstacle course. The minigame was reused five times in the game, one of which had a bossfight locked away behind the minigame. So I had to beat it although I wanted toCreative enough to appeal to genre fans. The cheery presentation and characters deserved a more fun game. For example, I laughed out loud at my own frustrations during a mini-game about driving a mine kart through an obstacle course. The minigame was reused five times in the game, one of which had a bossfight locked away behind the minigame. So I had to beat it although I wanted to ragequit and get rid of the Yooka Laylee disc. The minigame exemplifies much of the annoyances with the overall game. It looks like fun, and it should be fun... but somehow, it's just tweaked a bit towards annoying the player. When it works and it doesn't annoy, then there are some great moments of basic platforming fun. But the joys are spread thin and the game has a lot of backtracking and confusingly laid-out mission 'hunt'... where the player can go look for next mission, but find that it requires better power-ups, only to have to return to earlier levels and try to find something there, and then traverse all the way back to newer levels with the required power-ups... etc.. I see no reason why the game shouldn't have been a linear, laser-tight experience without the gimmicky filler content. The game has enough ideas for an epic campaign, but the gameplay is spread out in a slightly confusing way, and technically the game does not assist the player in an enjoyable way, rather it can sabotage some moments spread throughout the game.

    I fondly remember Banjo-Kazooie, and Goldeneye... but it seems like the classic studio took a long time off and didn't keep their skills sharp... so naturally when they reunited to build Yooka Laylee, their resources didn't really fit the ambitions very well.

    It's a pretty long game, at 15+ hours for reaching the final boss. Getting there requires 100 small missions/tasks. I spent the last few hours of my game time 'scrambling' for decently fun missions to beat. It didn't get too stale or desperate... but I did feel the good content was already used and the only option was to think strategically about where the last few good missions could hide.    … Expand
  23. Comfortnumb
    Mar 8, 2018
    10
    I don't understand what's with all the hate with this game, but having played Banjo-Kazooie as a child, I have to say the developers really gave the fans something special. If i could give this game more than i 10 i would. Reminded me of Banjo-Kazooie, but with a twist. Thanks Team 17 for the good times.
  24. playstation94
    Feb 11, 2018
    9
    Although it had its flaws, the overall game play was exactly what I expected and was hoping for. As someone who grew up on Jak&Dexter, Rachet&Clank, even Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon, Yooka-Laylee makes me feel like a kid again. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the game, the story, or the graphics, It's what I wanted, what I hoped for, and was not disappointed,

    The    Although it had its flaws, the overall game play was exactly what I expected and was hoping for. As someone who grew up on Jak&Dexter, Rachet&Clank, even Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon, Yooka-Laylee makes me feel like a kid again. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the game, the story, or the graphics, It's what I wanted, what I hoped for, and was not disappointed,

    The reason I only scored 9/10 instead of 10/10 is because of the lack of a map, no current 'task' in the pause screen (i.e; during Kratos being able to pause and double check how many gems you need), and the controls can be a bit over-touchy. It's easy to get turned around in the worlds, as many characters throughout look the same. It would be nice to pause, and have a chance to look at what tasks you've unlocked through the world and what you're working on. Such as the knights, or amounts of gems. The controls seemed touchy to me, but that could just be me. Other than those small details, this game was completely awesome and not disappointing.    … Expand
  25. SOLIDSNAKEN64
    Jan 19, 2018
    6
    As a Banjo-Kazooie fan who has found memories of playing it back on my N64 as a kid. I was really stoked when i found out that the creators of the franchise decided to make a spiritual successor since they couldn't make a squeal. I do love platformers but this game was just ok to me, the story doesn't really pull you in and make you want to read every dialogue box. I do like the mainAs a Banjo-Kazooie fan who has found memories of playing it back on my N64 as a kid. I was really stoked when i found out that the creators of the franchise decided to make a spiritual successor since they couldn't make a squeal. I do love platformers but this game was just ok to me, the story doesn't really pull you in and make you want to read every dialogue box. I do like the main characters and there are a lot of memorable NPCs. The world designs are decent but the main world design was terrible trying to figure out where the next tomb is was more of a challenge then some of the in-world puzzles. Speaking of puzzles they ranged from really easy to hard, and I can say I enjoyed solving them and exploring the different tombs that you have to unlock by collecting the Gold Pagies. Environments ranged from really cool looking, detailed and unique to dull and lifeless. The enemies are more annoying than threatening, they could really use a more verity of enemies as well. Controls definitely need work and tightened up, camera was atrocious, never pointing in the direction that i need even when im the one directing it. The final boss is a cheating piece of **** I was about ready to rage quit! I feel like if platonic decides to create a sequel to YL there is plenty of room to improve on.… Expand
  26. gambetta69
    Jan 16, 2018
    8
    SUCH A GREAT GAME! very fun, more dificult than banjo or Mario 64 and many hours to play (35-45 hours to 100%) just that i want.

    For a negative site: we don't have a map, please launch a DLC that includ it.
  27. raineye
    Dec 2, 2017
    10
    Rare can do yet. Donkey Kong and Banjo Kazooie..and Yooka Laylee!!
    It's cool and funny game. most people are not good at them? Why? I don't exactly know, but the people rating it low for combat are not very smart.
  28. Arma15
    Oct 29, 2017
    10
    Honestly I do not understand the other reviews, the game is amazing and really fun, and even if it was developped by a much less budget as banjo it is really fun as banjo.
  29. dubloon7
    Oct 16, 2017
    9
    Date: 14 October, 2017

    Gameplay time: 26.5 Hours Completion: 100% Pros: 90's inspired 3D platforming collectathon; world variety, puzzle variety, minimal music variety; tonic usage Cons: Minigames (garbage cart tracks, and terribly design Rextro arcade games), World 4 Boss, minimalistic enemy variety; minimal music variety; too much openness in each world with nothing going on    Date: 14 October, 2017

    Gameplay time: 26.5 Hours

    Completion: 100%

    Pros: 90's inspired 3D platforming collectathon; world variety, puzzle variety, minimal music variety; tonic usage

    Cons: Minigames (garbage cart tracks, and terribly design Rextro arcade games), World 4 Boss, minimalistic enemy variety; minimal music variety; too much openness in each world with nothing going on but a few enemies scattered here and there (would recommend to put more collectables/enemies in the worlds)

    HIGHLY RECOMMEND!    … Expand
  30. Contempt
    Sep 6, 2017
    5
    First and foremost this game was released incomplete and the consequences to my experience was dire.

    I bought this software upon release with the idea that I would 100% complete the game with no hesitations. This resulted in me being stuck on the Casino level looking through every pixel to find the very last Pagie. After a frustrated Google search I came to find that it was in fact    First and foremost this game was released incomplete and the consequences to my experience was dire.

    I bought this software upon release with the idea that I would 100% complete the game with no hesitations.

    This resulted in me being stuck on the Casino level looking through every pixel to find the very last Pagie. After a frustrated Google search I came to find that it was in fact the programmers fault as it was a glitch keeping me from enjoying the final Pagie. I put the game away and over the months it collects dust.

    After approximately three months the news of a massive patch is released for Yooka-Laylee, with reluctant persistence I place the CD back into the Ps4 and try again. After a few hours I get to the final boss and defeat him after many attempts, most of which being from dying from the buggy controls rather than a lack of platformer precision.

    After the boss is defeated I am enthralled as I assume I will be able to unlock the final tonic, the one that makes the game look like it has N64 graphics. How hip I think to myself as I rush to the nearest tonic dispenser. However, the tonic is still locked away. Despite having a score of 100% on the PlayStation network.

    After another angry Google I am to find the tonic is still locked away as the developers have yet to complete to mode in question. Sorry; am I old fashioned or am I in my rights to be experiencing an anger blackout over this situation? Why have the promise of the tonic in the game if it cannot be unlocked?

    So to this day I have searched every pixel and completed Yooka-Laylee as far as humanly possible but the constraints of lazy programming have not once but twice stunted my gamer experience. Imagine if classics such as Bloodborne or Mario Kart needed to be patched before you could enjoy the fruits of your labour? This is not a direction in which we want our hobby, the humble console gamer to be going in. We as a community must make sure that we never ever fall into the trap of rewards being 'Coming Soon' as this will surely put off future generations of platforming fans. if the reward is in the making then do not have any hint in the product until the entire mode is unlockable.

    Regards,

    Panther.    … Expand
  31. ignore78
    Sep 3, 2017
    8
    This game is not a 6.0 its a 8.0. it is really fun to play and looks great. I can bet that those who thinks this game sucks is a teen. Because they dont understand the old school 3d platforming formula. All of the games was like this when i was young. The best.
  32. CanadianYeti
    Jul 17, 2017
    4
    Yooka’s main goal is to remind players of how great Banjo-Kazooie was back in the day, and I feel it accomplished that with me. In my entire time playing I found I’d much rather be playing Banjo than this worse homage to it.
  33. FromKanga
    Jul 12, 2017
    6
    Yooka-Laylee was okay, as a fan of Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's bad fur day, I must say I am dissapointed in this game, it's not as bad as other people said but it's still pretty weak.

    The story is ridiculous but charming, it feels like the good old days were the stories were simple but funny enough to keep you playing. The game's downfall is the gameplay, the camera is annoying and the    Yooka-Laylee was okay, as a fan of Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's bad fur day, I must say I am dissapointed in this game, it's not as bad as other people said but it's still pretty weak.

    The story is ridiculous but charming, it feels like the good old days were the stories were simple but funny enough to keep you playing.
    The game's downfall is the gameplay, the camera is annoying and the controls are very slippery, banjo-kazooie and donkey kong 64 had the same problems, but the levels in yooka-laylee are weaker, it has a great first level but the other levels are forgettable, it's not fun to explore the hidden places like it was in the old games.
    This game is way too forgiving with the power-ups making the game really easy (exept that final boss), it's never challenging so it takes away all the fun of the other RareWare Games.

    I do want to point out, the reason why I can forgive the camera and controls on the nintendo 64 games is because the games came out in late 90's-begenning 2000, so it's understandable, but we're in 2017 now and I expect more out of games, I hope playtronic will learn from their mistakes and make a much stronger sequel, because there is still a lot of potential here.    … Expand
  34. claytastic
    Jul 10, 2017
    4
    Yooka-Laylee isn't the worst game ever made, but in comparison to it's spiritual predecessor, Banjo-Kazooie, it's an abomination in need of euthanization. It has a couple of good levels at the start, but after that, its just poor design and missed opportunities all around.

    Some levels are super easy, while others are beyond frustrating, which is mainly because the game is harder to    Yooka-Laylee isn't the worst game ever made, but in comparison to it's spiritual predecessor, Banjo-Kazooie, it's an abomination in need of euthanization. It has a couple of good levels at the start, but after that, its just poor design and missed opportunities all around.

    Some levels are super easy, while others are beyond frustrating, which is mainly because the game is harder to control than a pack of gorillas trying to break out of a zoo, and the piece of sh*t camera doesn't make it much better. The hub world is way too big, making it near impossible to find the next level. The music, while great, fails to fit the levels or scenarios they go with.

    The character and level designs (from a visual standpoint) do stand out compared to other games. That's definitely one of the better parts of the game. Yooka and Laylee are great mascots, Trowzer is genius, and there's a bunch more great ones. There are a few problems with this, though. One of them is that none of these characters are actually interactive they're just standing in one spot the whole time with no purpose, and their dialogue is really cringey. Most of the time, they don't even fit the levels. They just end up getting recycled from previous parts of the game. It's just lazy.

    Overall, Yooka-Laylee is a massive disappointment, especially since it was developed by some of the creators of the original Banjo-Kazooie. It feels more like a fan-made early access game than a full title. My recommendation for anyone craving more collect-a-thon 3D platformers is to just buy Banjo-Kazooie on the Xbox One. Don't waste your money on this garbage excuse of a spiritual successor.    … Expand
  35. TheHumbleGamer
    Jun 28, 2017
    7
    To start, I'd like to say I was a backer of this game on Kickstarter. I won't disclose how much I backed it for here, but I'll say it was quite a lot. I'd also like to say I honestly don't regret backing this game, even though it turned out not to be as good as I (and many others) expected it to be.

    I can't say I'm not disappointed with this game, but I want to be one of the reasonable    To start, I'd like to say I was a backer of this game on Kickstarter. I won't disclose how much I backed it for here, but I'll say it was quite a lot. I'd also like to say I honestly don't regret backing this game, even though it turned out not to be as good as I (and many others) expected it to be.

    I can't say I'm not disappointed with this game, but I want to be one of the reasonable people who tells you it isn't as bad as many have said. It certainly isn't flawless, but it still has a charm to it. There are parts of the game where you can clearly see the effort that went into it. As far as I'm concerned, this game was pretty much what was promised by Playtonic, although most of us agree that may not have been the best thing now that we've played it.

    I'd like to take you through my personal quarrels with the game before telling you the things I liked.
    For starters, the story was not as charming as classic rare titles, the characters didn't really have that same importance or personality that characters had in classic titles. The game does nothing new with the 3D platformer/collectathon genre and just simply copied Banjo-Kazooie (for the most part) in its style. I think this is what ticks me off the most about this game, it's entire style is a rip-off of Banjo, and that isn't what most of us wanted. We wanted a Banjo style game yes, but we wanted something new with that formula, not the exact same stuff. The game has a neat variety of levels to explore, all expandable by using pagies you collect (this games jiggies), but here's the issue, the worlds follow the Banjo-Tooie Style and not the Banjo-Kazooie Style, they are vast expanses that can take a while to fully explore. My major issue with this mixed with world expansion starts with the fact that you don't know when you've collected and done all you can in a non-expanded version of a world, it never tells you what you can and cannot do in a non-expanded world, which makes it really difficult to know if the things your missing are in the expanded version of a world or if you can get them before expanding it and with worlds being as large as they are (and with no warp points like Banjo-Tooie), getting around them to explore and find the last few missing items in non-expanded (or even expanded) worlds is an annoying, unnecessary headache that Playtonic honestly should have realised was bad design. My last real quarrel with the game is Rextro's minigames. Whoever designed a couple of these needs to be thrown into the nearest volcano. Up N Over and Hurdle Hijinx (especially the latter). These two mingames were by far the things that angered me the most out of anything in this game. Hurdle Hijinx is especially poorly designed as a mini-game, it took me over 4 and a half hours to do because I have terrible hand/eye co-ordination. It is hugely flawed and I'm pretty sure thousands of players would agree with me.

    Now with all my personal problems with the game out of the way, I want to tell you what this game does right, starting with how I genuinely felt while playing it. As a huge Banjo-Kazooie & Banjo-Tooie fan I was really hopeful about this game and even through it's flaws I focused on what I found the most fun. For starters, I think the music in this game is fantastic. I know some don't like the tracks, but i think they all fit and are all memorable in there own right. I liked the large worlds (despite what I said above). Whenever I was exploring hunting for pagies and quills (and other secrets!) I felt just like a kid exploring the vast worlds of Banjo-Tooie, or even Spyro. it was actually fun and honestly made me feel like that kid again. The boss of each world was unique (albeit a bit silly in some cases) and were all pretty fun to fight and really reminded me of the banjo-Tooie boss fights. I Loved the hub world (Hivory Towers) and slowly getting through it was fun. Many of the pagies were extremely rewarding to collect and that feeling of success I had solving many of the harder puzzles is unrivalled in all of my gaming history.

    This game had some serious potential, and it does a heck of alot for copying the banjo formula. My hope would be that Playtonic learns from the flaws of this game and (if it makes another) decides to make something truly worthy of the title 'Rare-vival'    … Expand
  36. badgerryan19
    Jun 19, 2017
    4
    With all that money with the Kickstater this is what they come up with? This game I understand is a blast from the past kind of thing, but I should of stayed there. The controls are so unresponsive sometimes and the puzzles are downright idiotic. The glitches are ridiculous but the graphics are nice. And the voices I understand as well that its retro but they get so annoying.
  37. SuperDuck23
    May 28, 2017
    8
    For the majority of the time, I had a blast playing Yooka-Laylee. The only problem that soiled the fun were the sudden, albeit occasional, spikes in difficulty that really couldn't have done my blood pressure any good. Frustrating moments aside, this is a welcome and solid return for the collectathon genre.
  38. Broseph14
    May 14, 2017
    4
    This is one of the most disappointing games of the year. I heard mixed things but decided to take the plunge anyway. Yooka-Laylee somehow manages to get things wrong that games like Jak and Daxter 1 or even Super Mario 64 did excellently. The level design is is atrocious, everything feels like its just been thrown at a wall and left as is. The controls feel slippery and unresponsive. It isThis is one of the most disappointing games of the year. I heard mixed things but decided to take the plunge anyway. Yooka-Laylee somehow manages to get things wrong that games like Jak and Daxter 1 or even Super Mario 64 did excellently. The level design is is atrocious, everything feels like its just been thrown at a wall and left as is. The controls feel slippery and unresponsive. It is very easy to get lost in even the smallest sections of a level and since most locations lack distinctive landmarks you often end up aimlessly roaming around a level looking for the next mini-game/objective. Speaking of which a lot of the mini-games in this game are horrible. The hoop race is an excellent example of how not to implement variety into 3d collectathon platformers, especially when the controls are as bad as they are. You'd be much better off digging out your old favourite collectathons or re purchasing them instead of wasting your money on this.… Expand
  39. William91
    May 13, 2017
    9
    I much like many people my age grew up right between the jump from 2D gaming to 3D gaming. Rare in collaboration with Nintendo made the jump into the third dimension with incredible ease. Switching from the Donkey Kong Country series into games like Golden Eye, Donkey Kong 64 and of course Banjo Kazooie. Easily my favorite game as a child growing up (and for most of this blog post will beI much like many people my age grew up right between the jump from 2D gaming to 3D gaming. Rare in collaboration with Nintendo made the jump into the third dimension with incredible ease. Switching from the Donkey Kong Country series into games like Golden Eye, Donkey Kong 64 and of course Banjo Kazooie. Easily my favorite game as a child growing up (and for most of this blog post will be used as a comparison) it was a huge shock to me when Rare and now Microsoft released a glorified cart racer in the place of Banjo Thriee. So admittedly since the announcement of Yooka Laylee back in 2014 I was watching it like a hawk. So did the former Rare team now Playtonic Games capture the magic of the originals? Here is my review of Yooka Laylee for PS4 (also available on Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch sometime in the near future) Full Review here http://wp.me/p8GO4V-i… Expand
  40. Lucius_13
    Apr 30, 2017
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. its worthy of being a successor to Banjo-Kazooie (which I'm a huge fan of I still play the first two games to this day on my N64), The Game is beautiful, Huge and The Characters Are Great (although I think Capital B. isn't as great a villain as Gruntilda Winkybunion) as of writing this review I'm not very far into the game but I'm enjoying it, the controls can be sticky at times and the camera does occasionally bug out but that kind of stuff can be fixed with a patch so I'm not concerned about that.

    Pros:

    - Gorgeous Game The Levels Are Beautiful And Huge
    - The Voice Acting While A Bit Annoying Gives A Banjo-Kazooie Feel To The Game
    - The Characters Are Well Designed
    - Nostalgia Overdrive

    Cons:

    - The Camera Angle Can Be Bad At Times
    - The Controls Are Sticky At Times

    Graphics-10/10
    Gameplay-8/10
    Level Design-8/10
    Characters-7/10

    Overall-8/10

    I recommend this to fans of Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie or just those looking for something to play besides the millions of shooters we get every damn day lol    … Expand
  41. fykins
    Apr 25, 2017
    0
    This game is not worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as banjo kazooie. There are just so many reasons not to get this game, just another early access game that turned to trash. Oh sure they took your money upfront and that's exactly why they don't need to deliver at launch time.

    Play Rachet and Clank instead.
  42. roundtablegamer
    Apr 20, 2017
    8
    Playtonic & Team 17's debut's their game on the shelves, a kind of game we do not get often in this generation of consoles. Yooka laylee a 3d platformer that gives us a flashback to the 90's to Banjo Kazooie, Mario 64 and Conkers bad fur day; which would make sense because it has been developed by some former employees of the hit company Rare. Does team 17's debut game hold up today orPlaytonic & Team 17's debut's their game on the shelves, a kind of game we do not get often in this generation of consoles. Yooka laylee a 3d platformer that gives us a flashback to the 90's to Banjo Kazooie, Mario 64 and Conkers bad fur day; which would make sense because it has been developed by some former employees of the hit company Rare. Does team 17's debut game hold up today or should it have been left in the past? let's find out.

    Story: You play as a lizard named Yooka and bat named Laylee, who are out to collect 145 golden pages that have been scattered throughout the five worlds; and this is all thanks to the evil Capital B and his lackey Dr. Quack as they try to make money from all the world's books and keep the money for themselves.

    Gameplay: Yooka laylee has a very resembling gameplay to the Banjo-Kazooie series, during your adventure you will run, jump solve puzzles, defeat enemies and complete numerous tasks to collect all the pagies they are known as in each world. During the course of the game, you will run into trouser snake to buy more moves from which will help you in your journey to take down capital B.

    Conclusion: There is a thing or two that is lackluster when it comes to a game being released in this generation. There is no talking in the game the characters just make wierd noises, back in the 90's that was ok and acceptable but now it just seems very strange to do. Yooka laylee is a very colorful, fun platforming adventure game that brings back a flash from the past, it is a game that is not meant to be beaten in a few days it will take time to collect everything. Playtonic and Team 17's debut game it's the nostalgic heart with that sense of being a gamer in the 90's again.

    Yookalaylee: 8/10

    Good Job PlayTonic & Team 17
    To Buy or Rent Yooka laylee go to Gameaccess.ca Canada's largest and number one video game rental service.

    Reviewed by ICE at Gamer's of the Round Table    … Expand
  43. UnsafeMuffins
    Apr 19, 2017
    10
    This game is everything a fan of classic Rare 3D platformers could dream of. It promised to capture the charm and humor of Banjo-Kazooie while also keeping it fresh and bringing in a new and memorable cast of characters, and it does just that. I've personally had no issues with the game whatsoever, the platforming is smooth and easy while the mini-games can be a bit challenging, it'sThis game is everything a fan of classic Rare 3D platformers could dream of. It promised to capture the charm and humor of Banjo-Kazooie while also keeping it fresh and bringing in a new and memorable cast of characters, and it does just that. I've personally had no issues with the game whatsoever, the platforming is smooth and easy while the mini-games can be a bit challenging, it's perfect for fans of the Nintendo 64 and modern gaming alike.… Expand
  44. SuperkenGaming
    Apr 18, 2017
    6
    Yooka Laylee
    From Great to disappointing
    3D platformers were all the rage in the late 90s all the way through the PlayStation 2 era and then they faded away... Of course everyone misses the good ole days, so some veterans from the banjo kazooie team brought it back with yooka laylee, a game with potential that never delivers… In yooka laylee you play as yooka the iguana and laylee the    Yooka Laylee
    From Great to disappointing
    3D platformers were all the rage in the late 90s all the way through the PlayStation 2 era and then they faded away...
    Of course everyone misses the good ole days, so some veterans from the banjo kazooie team brought it back with yooka laylee, a game with potential that never delivers…
    In yooka laylee you play as yooka the iguana and laylee the bat, you set off on an adventure to get all of the pagies and stop capital b and dr quack from snatching all of the worlds books.
    You start out in a hub, with 5 levels inside... to get to each of the 5 levels you need new powers... so to get these powers you enter the levels 1 at a time to explore these sandboxes, complete all of the tasks around the world for the initially charming characters in return for a pagie, and collect the quills to purchase new super moves from the trowzer snake
    or trowzer the snake..
    Yeah... idk, the humor is questionable in this game... I’m not sure who this game was really made for…
    The first world is the best world in the game…
    There’s heart here, nostalgia, humor, character…
    A sense of adventure…
    ghost creatures hidden in the world to collect... items to find for characters…
    fun platforming sections, a race…
    And then the game just falls apart…
    Collecting pagies is important to unlocking new levels, and the quills are important for unlocking moves to complete the tasks here…
    But pagies can also be used to extend the levels...
    These extended versions of the levels add new missions, characters and a boss battles to help you on your journey to collecting 100 pagies needed to get to the games end…
    And that journey to 100 pagies, is an uninteresting and frustrating grind…
    Sadly the levels literally get worse as you go..
    characters are recycled…
    missions are recycled…
    the levels feel like little to no effort were put into them
    the game starts to feel lazy…
    it introduces new moves in every world but nothing cool is ever done with these abilities…
    It’s just becomes a joke by the games end…
    The 2nd to last level is just a bunch of time your slam right slot machine games…
    And the final level had a space theme
    fitting because of how empty it felt.
    Yooka Laylee has good bits to it...
    The hub world is great…
    forcing you to unlock new moves and the idea that these moves will keep you coming back to past levels is great…
    there’s arcade games in here to play with friends for high scores
    The first level is great and exactly what I want out of a 3d platformer…
    But beyond level 1, the hub world, and the hook of bringing your new moves back to past levels…
    Yooka Laylee is a pretty mediocre game…
    I Give Yooka Laylee
    a 6/10    … Expand
  45. BloodyHellMate
    Apr 18, 2017
    0
    This is the result of attempting to ride the coattails of former successes from an era that has long since passed. 3D platformers dying off was a natural evolution of gaming; working backwards against that flow was bound to produce mediocre results from the very beginning.

    Between a cringe-inducing rip-off of the original DK rap which embarrassingly misses all of its strong points—its    This is the result of attempting to ride the coattails of former successes from an era that has long since passed. 3D platformers dying off was a natural evolution of gaming; working backwards against that flow was bound to produce mediocre results from the very beginning.

    Between a cringe-inducing rip-off of the original DK rap which embarrassingly misses all of its strong points—its originality at the time of its release, its large roster of characters that it discussed, and so on—the constant "t-this'll be just like those outdated 90's games you loved 20 years ago!" reminders, the forced memes and tie-ins to other games (Shovel Knight for example), etc., it's clear as day that they didn't have enough confidence in their product to market it as its own independent game. At every possible opportunity, they had to say, "Look, guys; we're just like Banjo-Kazooie!" Even the character design of the main characters reeks of this nonsense.

    Due to BSODs consistently interrupting whatever I do less than half an hour after starting my computer, I'm going to briefly summarize points that I would normally spend paragraphs describing in detail.
    The level design is as bland as anything you'd expect from a 1st generation 3D platformer. 20 years later, there's no excuse for this hot mess, and no amount of "pretty" (see: acceptable/average/"meh") graphics will make up for that. The "combat" is as bland as that in—to draw comparisons between 90's platformers—the first two Gex games, the first two Crash Bandicoot games, and Super Mario 64. The minigames won't be entertaining to anyone who isn't a minor and recognizes that they have no more depth than any given cash-grab mobile game. Difficulty? What difficulty? This game provides no challenge, and thus no sense of accomplishment for completing anything. The maps/"levels" are so few in number that I couldn't even recommend this game at a $20 price point, let alone the $40 these lunatics are asking for.

    Pick this up for a younger sibling or cousin who's easily entertained by shovelware when this goes on sale for $10 a year or two from now. Otherwise, avoid this outdated, uninspired bargain bin software (courtesy of the Unity engine! I wish I was joking.) like the plague.    … Expand
  46. josh8644
    Apr 18, 2017
    8
    If you enjoy the classic platformers, you will probably get enjoyment from the game, but don't expect anything innovating. If you're happy to just have a game made in the similar style of old then get it! If you want something new then maybe not.
  47. ByYuxiSs
    Apr 17, 2017
    8
    In if the game is very similar to a classic like Banjo Kazooie and that enchants to me.
    The game itself did not meet my expectations and I was a bit disappointed at the beginning but every time the story progresses, you get more affection for the characters, a very attractive gameplay and dialogues quite similar to that great classic.

    A game fairly well 8/10
  48. Letiste-Gaming
    Apr 17, 2017
    9
    Capturar la esencia de Banjoo y Kazooie era una tarea casi imposible, pero para nuestro asombro lo han conseguido con creces, incluso han refinado la jugabilidad para convertirlo en un mejor título si cabe. Es Banjoo-Kazooie 3 en lo bueno y en lo malo. Lo malo es una cámara que nos juega mas de una mala pasada.

    ¿Lo bueno? Todo lo demás. Sus escenarios, sus personajes, sus desafíos, su    Capturar la esencia de Banjoo y Kazooie era una tarea casi imposible, pero para nuestro asombro lo han conseguido con creces, incluso han refinado la jugabilidad para convertirlo en un mejor título si cabe. Es Banjoo-Kazooie 3 en lo bueno y en lo malo. Lo malo es una cámara que nos juega mas de una mala pasada.

    ¿Lo bueno? Todo lo demás. Sus escenarios, sus personajes, sus desafíos, su jugabilidad, su música, su rejugabilidad, su magia... Es el sueño húmedo de todo amante de los plataformas en 3D, y no menos importante, un Kickstarter de esos que uno se arrepiente de no haber contribuido.

    Un tremendo juegazo que cuesta soltar el mando una vez que empiezas, con el mimo y personalidad de antaño.    … Expand
  49. jim109109
    Apr 17, 2017
    9
    I was fully prepared to give this game a 0 because of the developers' unfair treatment of Jon Tron. But, before doing so, I felt it was in my duty to at least give it a try. Turns out the game is excellent, it's exactly the same as playing Banjo Kazooie, take that how you will. I'm the type of guy who still owns a N64 and plays that game. I ended up deleting my pirated copy and purchasingI was fully prepared to give this game a 0 because of the developers' unfair treatment of Jon Tron. But, before doing so, I felt it was in my duty to at least give it a try. Turns out the game is excellent, it's exactly the same as playing Banjo Kazooie, take that how you will. I'm the type of guy who still owns a N64 and plays that game. I ended up deleting my pirated copy and purchasing the game. And giving it a 9. Because it may be my favorite game of the year and that makes up for their PR blunders.… Expand
  50. majr
    Apr 17, 2017
    5
    While far away from a bad game, it has its fair share of flaws (mainly the camera). I would love to see a tooie and see if they can fix the issues and maybe cut back on the forth wall breaking a tiny bit.

    Well worth playing, but if you can wait out for a sell. I got mine for $30 and I feel I should of waited for a bit to get it closer to $20
  51. metachirrup
    Apr 17, 2017
    7
    This is pretty much what I wanted from the Kickstarter campaign (I'm a backer) but I feel like there was too much box-ticking and not enough vision and enthusiasm in design. Everything is there but not organised with the enthusiasm I believe they had when creating Banjo-Kazooie. I guess they just weren't inspired by this genre anymore?
  52. Sephiwolf42
    Apr 15, 2017
    10
    Yooka-Laylee is what it set out to be, a faithful recreation of the N64 era 3D Platformer/Collect-a-thon style games. So many people are giving the game low scores but this is undeserved in my opinion. I believe this is due to player expectation and misconceptions about the game before they headed into the buddy duo title.

    I can't give a full review because I've only played the first    Yooka-Laylee is what it set out to be, a faithful recreation of the N64 era 3D Platformer/Collect-a-thon style games. So many people are giving the game low scores but this is undeserved in my opinion. I believe this is due to player expectation and misconceptions about the game before they headed into the buddy duo title.

    I can't give a full review because I've only played the first two worlds but I think I'm qualified to give a good "first impressions" review so that people can at least know what they're getting into. First off people need to know this is a faithful recreation of the N64 era games, that includes the game design flaws, lack of true voice acting and inclusion of text dialogue, camera controls that can at times be a little wonky, and a lack of hand holding. Depending on the player the last item in the previous list may or may not be seen as a problem.

    My criticism of the game is really been only with a few stage design choices in the second world so far. 99.9% of this design is great but one location, "Gloomy Gem Grotto", could have been better designed. If you have the game and have not made it this far, you will understand when you get there what I'm talking about, and if you have already played it, surely you can understand my issue with this area.

    As far as the wonky camera, look this is nothing new for us who grew up with the N64 era games. For newer gamers, honestly the best advice I can give is that you just learn to adjust to it just like us older gamers did. Controlling the camera for older gamers is pretty much second nature if you grew up with N64/Playstation era.

    Some strong pros of the game are a great sense of sarcastic/snarky humor with Yooka being more of the straight man/voice of reason and Laylee being the sarcastic/witty joke delivery system. The game has a ton of 4th wall breaking which is a wonderful aspect of this game. There's also a cameo from a popular indie title. The collect-a-thon aspect of the game feels very compelling and makes you want to keep going. The stages (that I have experienced so far) have been mostly well designed with only a few questionable choices (as explained above). The music is another part of the game that is done so well, with the music being done by 2 previous Rare composers who worked on Banjo-Kazooie and DK64. The moves you get are also very reminiscent of Banjo-Kazooie and will certainly not disappoint.

    Final Thoughts:

    If you want exactly what they advertised, a revival of the N64 era style 3D Platformer/Collect-a-thon games, then you are certainly going to love this game. If you were expecting an updated formula with better controls, better camera and everything being "updated" for a modern gaming audience, you're going to hate it. For better or for worse (for better in my opinion), it's faithful to it's roots and that's exactly what I wanted.    … Expand
  53. RidleayRomero
    Apr 14, 2017
    9
    It may not be perfect, but it is what we were promised in the Kickstarter campaign. I'm having a lot of fun with the game, despite it's many flaws. I was somehow blown away at that the entire game runs on Unity, maybe it's because I don't see it used that much; only a few games I know of use it. The best part is having fun exploring the environments all set to music by Grant Kirkhope, theIt may not be perfect, but it is what we were promised in the Kickstarter campaign. I'm having a lot of fun with the game, despite it's many flaws. I was somehow blown away at that the entire game runs on Unity, maybe it's because I don't see it used that much; only a few games I know of use it. The best part is having fun exploring the environments all set to music by Grant Kirkhope, the only bad thing I can find so far is the Snow Plow transformation (which controls like garbage). With what they learned making this game, hopefully the next game will be more critically friendly.… Expand
  54. 200ft
    Apr 14, 2017
    4
    This game is nothing like the og. Banjo. This is just a big pile of mess. The first world is awesome, I have to give it that. but the rest are just frustrating ugly stages. Every activity you do for a pagie is so boring: fly through circles, kill a bunch of enemies and fly through circles again. Wait for a discount and then maxbe consider buying.
  55. rubencube
    Apr 14, 2017
    10
    Undoubtedly the best platform game since n64, the music is great, it gives off pure magic and beautiful gameplay, the dialogues are very well done and they have that spicy Banjo Kazooie spice, awesome game !!!
  56. ThereIsNoSpoon
    Apr 13, 2017
    5
    30FPS is horrible for this game, and makes it so much more difficult than it should be. This is a platformer--it needs to be smooth. I sold this version and picked up the PC version instead, and it's worlds better. I don't understand why they couldn't hit 60fps on PS4. This isn't Uncharted 4. It just feels laggy all over.
  57. bubblegumfuji
    Apr 12, 2017
    10
    Absolutely unique, beautiful, and a blast to play. Yooka Laylee's gameplay is centered around one simple concept: fun. You'll spend the roughly 30-40 hour quest playfully exploring giant colorful dreamscapes filled with a surprising amount of challenges and a plethora of quirky (and quite needy) characters.

    Yooka-Laylee doesn't hold your hand while forcing you along a linear    Absolutely unique, beautiful, and a blast to play. Yooka Laylee's gameplay is centered around one simple concept: fun. You'll spend the roughly 30-40 hour quest playfully exploring giant colorful dreamscapes filled with a surprising amount of challenges and a plethora of quirky (and quite needy) characters.

    Yooka-Laylee doesn't hold your hand while forcing you along a linear path--instead, it trusts you to play the game at your own pace. This freedom not only provides a fantastic and epic adventure but also a great sense of accomplishment as you see your collectable list fill up with tokens marking your achievements.

    This game is a stunning creation by a very passionate team of developers and deserves a place in gamer's hearts. An instant classic!    … Expand
  58. AltruXeno
    Apr 12, 2017
    7
    Yooka-Laylee is precisely what it promised to be: a 3D platformer for the people who grew up playing 3D platformers. If you remember Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and other collectathon games fondly, this game may be for you. If you've never heard of these games or their ilk, then its probably be best to stay away. I still regularly play N64 platformers at the behest of my 3 year oldYooka-Laylee is precisely what it promised to be: a 3D platformer for the people who grew up playing 3D platformers. If you remember Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and other collectathon games fondly, this game may be for you. If you've never heard of these games or their ilk, then its probably be best to stay away. I still regularly play N64 platformers at the behest of my 3 year old son, so I am acutely aware of what this game had to offer, both good and bad... because for better or worse, Yooka-Laylee is true to its origins:

    Pros:
    Nostalgia - Sure, not really something one might be looking for in a review but I've no doubt that if you enjoyed 3D Rare games when you were a child (as I did) that you will have fun playing this game. In almost every way this is a graphically updated version of those games.

    Visual Style - As mentioned above, this is basically a more beautiful version of an N64 platformer. The visual are stunning, the characters gorgeous, and the environments fitting. The draw distance is basically infinite and I've noticed no pop-ins or other artifacts to distract from the beauty (as a game developer myself I am sensitive to these things and unfairly find them jarring).

    Difficulty - I find the difficulty to be just enough. Most of the "Pagies" are pretty straight forward and easy to get. However, I came across a few puzzles or areas that I had difficulty completing or reaching and those are where I had the most fun. Again, I've been playing these types of games for over 20 years so any introductory puzzles or barely hidden secrets were going to get completed and found almost instantly, but I was pleasantly surprised by some of the challenges that this game presented.

    Humor - Again, if you followed this game through its Kickstarter campaign and beyond you knew exactly what to expect: cheeky characters, strange voices, and fourth wall breaking dialogue. I was, for the most part, not disappointed. Sure, there were a few places where I think they tried too hard but in most cases I gave an audible chuckle.

    Cons:
    Camera - Let's just get the obvious one out of the way. I would almost venture that the camera is WORSE than in the 64 era, but only because the Nintendo 64 restricted the camera movement more (you could typically hit the left and right C-Keys to rotate a pre-determined amount around the character). Because of the freedom allotted by the new hardware the camera often gets stuck or pushed around by objects in ways that not only take away from the gameplay, but can often break it completely (i.e. riding up an elevator and as soon as you jump off of it the camera does a full 180 and instead of moving left towards the ledge you move back towards the platform from which you jumped! If there was one thing I was hoping that this game would fix, it was the camera. I was disappointed.

    Backtracking - The worlds that you get to explore are huge and each present their own unique challenges. However, as a person who feels that they need to collect everything before moving on I often found myself trying to get to places that I could not yet reach. The game itself readily advertises that you can unlock additional moves in any order, but then proceeds to lock abilities in different worlds (essentially forcing you to go through other levels and unlock abilities to get enough resources to unlock further levels.) I often found that I would come back to earlier worlds once I unlocked new abilities, trekking through places I've already sniffed out thoroughly, only to find that the abilities that I unlocked aren't what I need. I'll have to come back a third time with a new ability to get this. A relic of the games of yore, but because the levels are much larger, and the need of almost every ability in every level, this particular case seems hyperbolic.    … Expand
  59. roo7788
    Apr 12, 2017
    5
    El juego se puede resumir basicamente como banjo kazooie 3 para el n64 realmete es un juego de n64 recrearon todo incluso los problemas que tenian los juegos de n64 en especial la camara la cual es molesta y tan eratica que lastima.
    es un buen juego y espero que solucionen el problema de la camara pero mientras no lo solucionen tiene el juego una baja calificacion por que no voy a jugar    El juego se puede resumir basicamente como banjo kazooie 3 para el n64 realmete es un juego de n64 recrearon todo incluso los problemas que tenian los juegos de n64 en especial la camara la cual es molesta y tan eratica que lastima.
    es un buen juego y espero que solucionen el problema de la camara pero mientras no lo solucionen tiene el juego una baja calificacion por que no voy a jugar algo que lastime la vista por la camara    … Expand
  60. OmegaTigerWoods
    Apr 12, 2017
    3
    The developers turned the game political, which is never a good sign. On top of that, the game is complete garbage, and devoid of the charm the original Nintendo 64 Rare games had. The levels feel emptier than Tooie, the camera jerks at the worst times and the humor is painfully unfunny.

    Don't waste your time with this rubbish. There are better games out there.
  61. vgmkyle
    Apr 11, 2017
    10
    First off this is a platformer, and most people are not good at them? Why? I don't exactly know, but the people rating it low for combat are not very smart.

    We all knew what the critics were going to say before they said it: "The combat is no good" and "It's too much like Banjo-Kazooie." If you are saying this -- you are the exact reason why the game industry has become as mundane as it    First off this is a platformer, and most people are not good at them? Why? I don't exactly know, but the people rating it low for combat are not very smart.

    We all knew what the critics were going to say before they said it: "The combat is no good" and "It's too much like Banjo-Kazooie." If you are saying this -- you are the exact reason why the game industry has become as mundane as it has. The people saying this are the same people playing Call of Duty and Dark Souls year after year.    … Expand
  62. Marchbaby
    Apr 11, 2017
    10
    When Playtonic games says there were going for a Rarevival they were telling the truth. Yooka Laylee feels every bit as amazing as their classic platformers on the N64. The sound effects used for the voices may be off putting for some but for old school fans of rare they are one of the many beautiful touches added to make it feel at home with Rare's best days. The music is fantastic asWhen Playtonic games says there were going for a Rarevival they were telling the truth. Yooka Laylee feels every bit as amazing as their classic platformers on the N64. The sound effects used for the voices may be off putting for some but for old school fans of rare they are one of the many beautiful touches added to make it feel at home with Rare's best days. The music is fantastic as well and it would fit into Banjo's games no problem at all. Even the visuals have that fun, cartoony look that reminds me of yesteryear.

    The only real quirk I had was the camera being a bit funky but beyond that no issues. Even the frame rate was steady minus 1 or 2 dips while streaming a 3 1/2 hour session to showcase the game. All in all if you grew up loving Banjo, Conker, or Donkey Kong 64 more than likely you will love this game. For those who are not a fan of those kinds of games this is not for you as it is so similar to them that it will not change your mind.

    Above all else I will say this Rarevival was years overdue and I am so glad I helped back this game so it could come to life. We may not longer have Banjo but Yooka Laylee is the next best thing.    … Expand
  63. L0rzee
    Apr 11, 2017
    10
    Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country 64 (Wich is also a big part of this game. People tend to forget that) are two of my all time favourite Videogames. The time i spent in those games as a kid trying to get every thing their is to get in the game and that time times 10 as an grown up laughing about the wonderful british Humor and apreciate the wonderful music by Brent Kirkhope and DavidBanjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country 64 (Wich is also a big part of this game. People tend to forget that) are two of my all time favourite Videogames. The time i spent in those games as a kid trying to get every thing their is to get in the game and that time times 10 as an grown up laughing about the wonderful british Humor and apreciate the wonderful music by Brent Kirkhope and David Wise.

    Yooka-Laylee is everything i've hoped it would be! it's not just another banjo title just with another skin. It's a brand new rare game with all i love soooo much. Everything is their! The Wonderful Score by Brant Kirkope in the main levels in cooperation with David wise for everything in beetween and that tropical freeze esk Minecart theme. The Collectibles that are their again with the feathers, Pagies etc. the transformations and God allmighty the sounds characters make when you talk to them is just delightful! i haven't had that much fun in years!
    And by the way i have no peformance issues what so ever with my copy... Maybe because i have a Playstation 4 PRO? :/ idk the PC Version (that i also own) runs very good though    … Expand
  64. KarmaCharmeleon
    Apr 11, 2017
    8
    Despite some camera issues and maybe some fps problems in the console versions (of which i've experienced none of the PS4 so far), Yooka-Laylee is truly the "rarevival" the developers were going for.

    The game platforming feels just right and extremely responsive, platforming is satisfying and gives you more than one way to reach certain areas. The moves that Yooka and Laylee learn feel    Despite some camera issues and maybe some fps problems in the console versions (of which i've experienced none of the PS4 so far), Yooka-Laylee is truly the "rarevival" the developers were going for.

    The game platforming feels just right and extremely responsive, platforming is satisfying and gives you more than one way to reach certain areas. The moves that Yooka and Laylee learn feel extremely fitting and you'll find yourslef using them many times, no moves will feel useless or forgotten. On the bad side enemy variety is lacking and the most common enemies you'll meet feel more like healthpick ups than an actual threat.

    This game has a huge variety of characters that all feel unique and they'll get a laugh out of you for sure, specially Laylee. Modern gaming references and mockery is everywhere during dialogues between the characters.

    Worlds are massive, colorful and full of personality and their own gimmicks, it can get kind of hard to navigate these worlds but after a while you'll know if like the palm of your hand just like in the BK games.

    I could go on and on and on, but it would take me far too long so i'll just give you a pros and cons list:

    Pros:
    -Great and responsive controls.
    -Satisfying and sometimes challenging platforming.
    -Great use of moves to solve puzzles.
    -Progress is customizable as you can choose when to learn a move or move on to another world.
    -Massive and colorful worlds.
    -Hilarious and charming characters.

    Cons:
    -Camera can get very irritating at some points.
    -Lack of threatening enemies.
    -Not exactly a very hard game.    … Expand
  65. Roybusa
    Apr 11, 2017
    9
    Excellent game, it is so old school, I don't understand why people argue because the gameplay or voices, this is why people asked for, an real old school game, maybe this will be the beginning of the new old era of video games
  66. MrReviewerMan
    Apr 11, 2017
    0
    In hopes of cashing in their nostalgia card after its expiration date; Playtonic released a game that really no one asked for or wanted. Yooka Laylee is a "love letter" to a genre of games that got married, started a family and moved on with their lives. It offers nothing new to the genre, but instead aims to cash in on old mechanics and gameplay in hopes that the rose-tinted glasses ofIn hopes of cashing in their nostalgia card after its expiration date; Playtonic released a game that really no one asked for or wanted. Yooka Laylee is a "love letter" to a genre of games that got married, started a family and moved on with their lives. It offers nothing new to the genre, but instead aims to cash in on old mechanics and gameplay in hopes that the rose-tinted glasses of gamers today would convince them to spend their hard earned money at such a shameless cash grab title. Everything from visuals to audio is mundane or even ear-splitting as the "mumbling" that characters do when they talk aren't in any way close to how tolerable it was in games like Banjo Kazooie. Instead, we just have someone making a bunch of grumbles and grunts and passing that off as kosher when there was no mixing or imagination put into said sound design unlike Rare's earlier titles with sound mixing. Gameplay-wise, it's as fresh as that loaf of bread you left in your pantry for a month past expiration. Sure, you can still toast it to make a hot new sandwich but you're still eating a stale, moldy experience that's way past its due date. Controls are stiff, nearly unresponsive when it comes to platforming (which is a huge deal in these kind of games) and the biggest crime of all is the final boss which is nothing more than a shameless ripoff of another famous collectathon's final boss. To conclude, that's what this game is. Shameless. It takes pride in ripping off older genres and adding nothing to them but instead slapping their "I made this" sticker on it and calling it their own. Playtonic, if this is the game you're bringing to the table, I surely hope you're ready to take it back to the kitchen and start over from scratch.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

56
#56 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
78
#78 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 53
  3. Negative: 2 out of 53
  1. Power Unlimited
    Oct 19, 2017
    87
    Yooka-Laylee at times feels more like a remake of Banjo-Kazooie than a completely new game, that's how much they are alike. But in this case it is only meant in a positive way. The world needs more games likes this, you know.
    Read full review
  2. Wired UK
    Aug 30, 2017
    50
    When the original is so readily available, and still so thoroughly playable, Playtonic's recreation of the recipe can't help but fall flat.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Jul 7, 2017
    70
    Much more fun than it is frustrating, and don’t go in expecting evolution. That said, this is still a quill in the cap for a genre that is slowly making a comeback. [June 2017, p72]
See all critic reviews »