Yooka-Laylee

1. SporadicDeviant

   Mar 29, 2020

   10

   I finally took the time to 100% this game. I earned every pagie, found all the quills, round up all ghost writers, and even collected theI finally took the time to 100% this game. I earned every pagie, found all the quills, round up all ghost writers, and even collected the hidden pirate treasures. An I did it all without any help from a guide, wiki, or any other outside help. The game's intention was to recreate the style and feel of games like Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, and Donkey Kong 64 while also having an identity of its own. After spending 21 hours completing the game, I can say, from where I'm standing, Yooka Laylee more than accomplishes its goal.
   The game controls smoothly. Navigation is more open than most platformers of the past. The music and art style is amazing. The characters are charming with clever (if somewhat cheesy) writing. Collecting the majority of the various macguffins feels rewarding to do with how each world changes the pace so that the game doesn't get stale. The overall package is a great experience.
   The fact that the game got a relatively mixed reception from critics and certain fans just baffles me to no end. It's not that I think that everyone should like the games that I like, it's that the majority of criticisms thrown this game's way either, don't apply to the game anymore after the patches (camera and framerate), are mostly false (how are worlds with this many collectibles/challenges "empty" to some?), or stem from a misunderstanding of the genre of collect-a-thon 3D platformers. Games like Yooka Laylee are designed to test the player's knowledge of the layout of each world and how to navigate them. The fact that a lot are complaining that they get lost shows that the game is succeeding in challenging the player in that aspect. Saying that a 3D platformer like Yooka Laylee should have features like a mini-map, or any kind of map, is like saying that a RPG like The Elder Scrolls should only provide the player with a prebuilt character to play as.
   That's not to say the game is perfect (no game truly is if we're being honest here). The Rextros minigames are hit and miss and the fact that each world makes you repeat each minigame for the full completion feels like padding. The pagies earned with Kartos felt very much like trial and error, although it never got to the point of irritation but I understand if it was frustrating for others.
   If I were to compare Yooka Laylee to the collect-a-thon platformers that Rareware made for the N64, I would say that Yooka Laylee isn't AS good as Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64, but I think it's just a tad better than Banjo Tooie.
   My overall score for the game is between a 9 and 10, however, due to the game succeeding in recreating the feel of old school 3D platformers of the late 1990's/early 2000's, I'll bump up my User Score slightly and give Yooka Laylee a 10/10.… Expand

   • 2 of 4 users found this helpful
2. GagzGaming

   Feb 23, 2018

   10

   Excellent game. Game did exactly what developers promised, which was to be a spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie. While it would have beenExcellent game. Game did exactly what developers promised, which was to be a spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie. While it would have been better to have a couple of additional worlds, the world's there were absolutely gorgeous and well designed. There were complaints that the game felt too empty; I think this criticism is misplaced. The game's world's were massive with a ton to do. While Banjo Kazooie had 10 jiggies per world, and 100 notes, these game world's had 25 pagies (equivalent of jiggies) and 200 quills (equivalent of musical notes). Interestingly, the game had a lot of influence from Banjo Tooie as well. For example, in Banjo Kazooie, you have to collect many "mumbo skulls" for each transformation, whereas in Tooie, it was just one Glowbo (similarly, in Yooka, it was one DNA molecule thingy). The music was very fitting, and the presentation was crisp, with a lot of attention to detail to the characters. I would have preferred more variety in terms of enemies, but again, just a little nuisance. In my 55 hours of gameplay, I probably had a total of 2-3 minutes cumulatively where the camera gave any issues (and even then, nothing big, just annoyances). Overall, the game truly was a successor to Banjo Kazooie (and Tooie) and it delivered on all fronts. The quizzes that people complained about literally lasted a couple of minutes. Kartos minecart sections were tough, but doable and the music was great. The one area I probably would have eliminated or gone differently was the mini games from Rextro. The controls on those were clunky and it just didn't add any value. But they're not mandatory, hence, they won't affect score. Overall, excellent game with great level design and music and characters.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
4. RawserJr

   Nov 19, 2019

   9

   Buen juego con mucha nostalgia, se siente por completo la inspiración de Banjo Kazooie y es realmente entretenido

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
5. greninjaX

   Dec 1, 2018

   8

   this game has gotten a bit of a bad reputation online, but this is NOT another mighty number 9. yooka laylee is not a bad game, and if you'vethis game has gotten a bit of a bad reputation online, but this is NOT another mighty number 9. yooka laylee is not a bad game, and if you've already gotten 100% completion in Mario odyssey but you still want more 3D platforming action on your switch, this is the game to buy.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
6. Onioncreature

   Jan 27, 2022

   7

   A flawed but still generally pleasant spiritual successor to the Banjo-Kazooie series. My biggest complaint is that the worlds lack the levelA flawed but still generally pleasant spiritual successor to the Banjo-Kazooie series. My biggest complaint is that the worlds lack the level of density that the made the game Yooka-Laylee is based on so enjoyable, and as a result finding collectibles can become a bit of a slog. The controls are passable, but not nearly as smooth as you'd want in a modern 3D platformer. Fortunately, the game has a very enjoyable art direction and comedic tone, which helps to make up for it's various shortcomings. The music is also quite good, though not quite at the level of Banjo-Kazooie. While the end result isn't the most impressive product, the passion from Playtonic, the development team, is quite evident, and they've proven to be committed to improving the quality of the series through quality of life updates to the Switch version and a far superior 2D spin-off. I hope to see more from the series moving forward, as there's quite a lot of potential here that sadly wasn't realized with this original release.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
7. Mattdark

   Sep 20, 2021

   6

   Yooka Laylee tries to recapture the feel of old Rare titles like Banjo Kazooie. But in its attempts to relive the teams glory days, the gameYooka Laylee tries to recapture the feel of old Rare titles like Banjo Kazooie. But in its attempts to relive the teams glory days, the game suffers from more issues than it replicates old fun.
   
   The game itself starts off fairly strong. Controls mostly seem responsive, the characters are well animated. But a few worlds in, and you quickly start to notice issues come in. A janky camera that can get stuck on the environment, unsual hit-boxes or collision detection when can have you taking damage for no real reason or falling off platforms you were easily within reach of.
   
   While this has the look and feel of an old Rare game, it had none of the heart and soul.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. Phuz

   Apr 3, 2021

   0

   Played the demo. The whole play on words got on my **** from the get go. It lacked character and charisma and I just thought I would rather bePlayed the demo. The whole play on words got on my **** from the get go. It lacked character and charisma and I just thought I would rather be playing anything else right now.
   
   Is it bad, no but it is also not remotely good in a world with 10's of 1000's of video games to choose from. Honestly, a game of Solitaire would have been more fun.… Expand

   • 0 of 6 users found this helpful

See all 36 User Reviews