Yooka-Replaylee Reviews
Yooka-Replaylee works a little better in this remixed iteration, but introduces all sorts of new wonkiness along the way.
Yooka-Replaylee, in most ways, feels like the game that Yooka-Laylee was always meant to be. The core experience has remained the same, but much has been added or tweaked to make for a significantly more confident and streamlined experience.Though the technical issues hold it back a bit, at least on Switch 2 at launch, this is still a clear improvement over the original and a game that no fan of the 3D platforming genre should miss out on. Even if you played the original to completion, I'd say Yooka-Replaylee is still very much worth your time and money.
Yooka-Replaylee feels like one of the best Nintendo 64-era collect-a-thons ever, but with every bit of shine, polish, and refinement that a 2025 release allows. Each level and character design is gorgeous, the orchestral soundtrack is incredible, and there's a ridiculous amount of activities and challenges jam-packed into every single nook and cranny of the game. The whole thing handles as smooth as butter and is a top-tier platformer experience that's oozing with heart, charm, joy, fun, and humor. My hat is truly off to Playtonic for taking the foundation of their 2017 title and improving upon it tenfold in every conceivable way. This is a banger.
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For all its new flourishes Yooka-Replaylee continues to feel like a game just a touch out of time, true, yet this is largely easy to forgive thanks to how much easier to appreciate this unabashedly slavish 3D platforming throwback it now is. Don’t go in expecting an entirely different experience, but one revamped mostly for the better.
In short, Yooka-Replaylee is a brilliant remake of the original game. It expands and improves upon so many areas that it leaves the original release in the dust. It took a long wait, but Yooka and Laylee finally have a 3D platformer worthy of the Banjo-Kazooie comparisons.
Playtonic Games has reignited those nostalgic feelings with the release of Yooka-Replaylee, paying special attention to players' feedback and delivering a well-polished and entertaining gameplay experience. There are some significant changes made, including improvements to the game's visuals and controls; however, level progression remains a concern.
As the "definitive" version of its 2017 platformer, Yooka-Replaylee balances smooth controls and stunning visuals with annoying humor, haphazard levels, and underwhelming challenge.
Yooka-Replayee does make some much needed improvements to the 2017 original, but fails to fix the fundamental flaws its predecessor so divisive.
A playful, polished remake that reminds us why we missed collectathons
More than a straightforward remaster or remake, Yooka-Replaylee reimagines the original game, adding new challenges and gameplay elements while tweaking and improving others. Ultimately, it's a much-improved experience, with its worlds densely packed with things to do and its gameplay finely-tuned. This is easily one of the best 3D platformers currently available.
But it is disappointing that I can't say that more definitively. There are a lot of great quality of life updates but between stability issues and some questionable feature removal, it is hard to recommend this version without reservation. As I said at the outset, I like the original Yooka-Laylee. And I like Yooka-Replaylee. I think I can say that it probably fixes more than it breaks, but I'd rather it avoided breaking anything in the first place.
Yooka-Replaylee fixes the main flaws of Yooka-Laylee, offering a much better experience in basically everything: graphics, soundtrack, gameplay, content and fun.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Despite imprecise and frustrating controls in many sections, Yooka-Replaylee has a lot of charm. A must-play for those who enjoyed the original game, or for anyone who loves collecting items in a colourful world.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Yooka-Replaylee is full of lighthearted platforming goodness that keeps it old-school while also managing to feel fresh. If you're a genre fan or simply want to explore and complete fun challenges at your own pace, you absolutely need Yooka and Laylee in your life. 📃
Yooka-Replaylee is a massive upgrade on the original that finally lives up to the duo's potential as successors to Banjo-Kazooie.
Yooka-Replaylee is a charming and colourful 3D platformer remaster that delivers polished visuals, smooth performance, and a nostalgic experience, but, unfortunately, with very basic and rather generic platforming and gameplay in general.
Yooka-Replaylee is a solid platformer, even if it does feel like some of its original vision has been dissected away in favor of improving the overall feel of the game. With the conveniences of a map, fast travel, and better controls, some of the original’s flaws can creep up, but honestly, they rarely got in the way. While it is certainly not looking to compete with the platformers of today, I still love that Playtonic spent the time to improve a game they were so deeply passionate about.
Yooka-Replaylee is the game I wish had been released in 2017! A complete revamp of the genre, which not only maintains what made games like Banjo-Kazooie so charismatic and special, but also modernizes them and adds its own unique twist.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
As a great remake, Yooka-Replaylee is a well-deserved second chance for a game from 2017 that hadn't quite reached its true potential. Besides the graphic improvement, Playtonic has successfully modified the campaign for the better, removing obstacles for a more fluid, open, and fun progression.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review