Yooka Laylee Reviews
Yooka-Laylee wears its influences on its sleeve, but gamers with nostalgia for the Nintendo 64 era will find plenty to enjoy — even if others are left cold.
Playtonic's tribute to Banjo is a gentle, irreverent platformer let down by spotty handling and a slight shortage of genius.
Yooka-Laylee contains all the pieces needed for a fun, enjoyable throwback to the 3D collectathons of the 64-bit era. The characters are charming and funny, your set of abilities is vast and entertaining, and four out of five of the worlds are fun playgrounds to explore. While it lacks the heart and polish of some of its incredible predecessors, it’s a good reminder that this genre, once thought to be dead, still has some life left in it.
A decent revival of the N64-era 3D platformer, but with all the flaws that carries, as well as some new ones of its own.
Evoking the essence of late-'90s platforming without significantly modernising it, Yooka-Laylee is a game with noble aspirations, grounded by clumsily flawed execution.
Full of fun exploration, exciting encounters, and tons of collectibles, Yooka-Laylee is a modern take on a classic genre
A new coat of paint can't fix Yooka-Laylee's old design problems
Yooka-Laylee delivers on nostalgia but is held back by outdated gameplay and underwhelming levels.
The parts are significantly greater than the whole. There's fun to be had but it doesn't come easily. And if I never have to collect another shiny again, it'll be far too soon.
Yooka-Laylee stays true to its '90s platformer roots, even to its detriment. But there are just enough modern touches and excellent platforming to make it more than just another nostalgia play.
Technical issues aside, there’s little to argue against Yooka-Laylee doing a fine job identifying just what makes 3D platformers such a joy to invest in aesthetically.
I'm far less sure of how someone without that attachment to the originals will perceive the mix of flaws and strengths. For me the chance to revisit one of my first game infatuations did reduce the annoyances, or at least they became part and parcel of going back – you take the irritants with the joys because without it it wouldn't be the same.
All told, Yooka-Laylee is a worthy modern tribute to the collectathons of yore, and it is highly recommended for Switch owners. This feels like a game that belongs in 1996, but with all the quality improvements of a game made in 2017, making for an excellent blend of new and old. Though it can be a little uneven at times, the game as a whole manages to succesfully achieve its goals.Do yourself a favour and give this one a go; it may not have been too well received to begin with, but Playtonic has polished it up quite nicely; it is a worthy addition to the Switch library.
Yooka-Laylee could have been the start of a new generation of 3D platformers, but its design leaves it firmly stuck in the past.
Yooka-Laylee would fit right into the late 90s with its vague puzzles, wakka-wakka voices, and confusing levels. Time has moved on since the N64, and while there are a handful of bright spots, this sadly isn't the catalyst for a 3D platformer revival.
Yooka-Laylee is the perfect tribute to the 90's 3D platforming videogames, a very fun experience for the new players and an exciting return of the genre to its roots for the older users. Long, fun and very joking, its camera becomes a harder enemy than Capital B, the game's main villain. [Jose Rodríguez separately reviewed the PS4 (8.0) and Nintendo Switch (7.8) versions. Their scores have been averaged.]
Review in Spanish | Read full review
I imagine there will be people who won't find this kind of flavor appealing, who might consider the game to be dated and maybe even outright pandering, but I'm not one of them.
At the end of the day, Playtonic accomplished exactly what they set out to achieve with Yooka-Laylee and proved that 3D platformers can still be relevant in 2017. Yooka-Laylee is a fun, familiar, and nostalgic trip to a genre from the past that still holds up incredibly well in the present. It certainly proves that there is a place in the current landscape for games of this genre. If you miss the mascot platformer of yesteryear, then Yooka-Laylee will almost certainly give you your fill and make you feel warm inside.
A true classic platform game. It plays and feels like some Rare masterpieces such as Banjo Kazooie or Conker BFD. It seems that Nintendo Switch was designed for games like Yooka-Laylee.
Review in Spanish | Read full review