Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Reviews
I highly recommend this title for everyone regardless of age and skill level. It is well worth the initial asking price. Sure, the visuals appeal to a younger demographic. But at its core lies some of the tightest platforming that hasn’t been seen since the days of a few console generations ago. That is something the young of heart will really appreciate.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair provides plenty of fun for fans of the platform genre. The game may have some small drawbacks, but it shines in most of what it sets out to do. In a world of dozens of platformers, it manages to hold its own.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is easily the best platformer I have ever played. With a character that feels great to move, level designs that look and play amazingly, an entire overworld that offers just as much fun as the main levels do and great characters and writing it’s impossible not to love this game. And of course the game’s claim to fame the Impossible Lair is refreshing and an actual challenge to complete unlike most other games these days which try to appeal to all audiences by making their games incredibly easy. Yooka-Laylee no longer represents the 3D collectathons of the late ’90s, but rather the unapologetic 2/2.5D Platformers akin to the Donkey Kong Country series while still being and feeling like its own series. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair has paved the way for so much for Playtonic and I can’t wait to see what they put out next!
Overall, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair feels a little more put-together and modern than the original game, which is a great thing. Playtonic gave players exactly what they asked for with the original — a nostalgia-fueled 3D collectathon — and they really stretched their wings with The Impossible Lair and reminded us that they can play to their other strengths within the same franchise without losing any of its charm in the process.
Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair is such a surprise hit. Featuring challenging platforming, the pacing of it keeps up. It’s allows players to consistently push against the challenge. The design of no traditional lives counter really keeps things flowing. Meanwhile the exploration aspect of the hub world offers a totally new experience all on its own, even if it’s not the focus, it’s an addition I ended up loving. While some spin off games from franchises come off feeling like an incompletely experience or lesser experience of the original, I find The Impossible Lair an excellent addition to the franchise. A platformer that clearly takes inspiration from one of the best side scrolling games ever, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, and molds it into its own. As a side scrolling fan, this is one I recommend folks not pass up. Charming, colorful, and runs extremely well on the Nintendo Switch, a perfect companion piece to the original game.
While Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a decent copy of a Donkey Kong Country it's not a patch on the real thing.