Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Reviews
Playtonic tightens up its nostalgic take on platforming and turns its eyes to the future.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair has some unique and interesting ideas, but the platforming just doesn't click like it should.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair brings the dynamic duo down to a 2.5D perspective to deliver one of the best platformers we've seen in years.
The Impossible Lair may receive top billing, but the entire journey leading to that titular final challenge is rewarding
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a pronounced effort to recapture the magic of platformers, but its basic platforming and sharp difficulty spikes hold it back.
On the whole, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a carefully designed platform game that rewards repeat play and trial-and-error.
Delightful a package this ends up being — with a surprising glee to be had when it comes to fiddling about with the many game-altering tonics on show — it's by no means an argument for Playtonic to ditch altogether the idea of revisiting traditional 3D for a hypothetical "Twooka-Laylee" follow-up.
Donkey Kong Country fans rejoice: this is the spiritual successor you've been waiting for. The worst thing you could say about it is that the overworld exploration may prove to be too involved for those who are in it purely for the runny-jumpy stuff, but those who are happy to mix platforming with top-down adventuring and don't mind adapting to the constantly changing pace will find the best of both worlds here. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a fantastic sophomore effort that pays tribute to Rare's past and establishes Playtonic as one of the UK's most exciting studios.
Dare I say it, the Switch version is the best way to play a game that is well worth your time - even in the currently crowded market.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is one of the best 2D platformers available. If you're looking for something filled with refined gameplay and fun levels, this is it.
Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair manages to surpass its predecessor in almost every aspect. The change to the two dimensions has been great.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Side-scrolling sequel Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair has creative ideas, assuming you have the patience to wrangle with its difficulty.
A polished, challenging and colourful 2D platform game that recalls the best of Donkey Kong Country on the SNES, even if it doesn't really move beyond it.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a game for those who adore the genre and want something bright, colourful and full of self-referential puns to end a long day at work. However, you have to be able to overlook some game design and quality-of-life flaws that can make the game frustratingly hard.
Playtonic Games has hit the key again, and we predict new Yooka-Laylee license projects, both in 2D and 3D. It is a new brand of the genre of the platforms that we love, with its own personality, and that in its passage to the two dimensions, has managed to get totally airy.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
After inheriting the Banjo-Kazooei's 3D enviromental platforming DNA, now Yooka y Laylee goes behind the 2D skin of Donkey and Diddy Kong. The chamaleonic Playtonic proves their mastery going back to its Rare legacy, offering a very sweet and enjoyable platform game that tastes like classic honey.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossibile Lair is a competent platform game, full of ideas and funny characters.
Review in Italian | Read full review
After the huge whiff last time around, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is undoubtedly an improvement — a small one, but an improvement nonetheless. But an improvement doesn’t guarantee greatness and this game makes that clear.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair neatly captures the essence of Yooka-Laylee and reimagines it as a new type of game. It's a distillation and a simplification, but it's effective. Then, as its grand finale -- a necessary conclusion that looms over the whole game -- it turns uncharacteristically punitive. It's rewarding, that much is undeniable. But it also leaves you feeling like all those hours spent beekeeping never really prepared you for the final challenge. Those bees just afford more leeway over the course of a very long struggle. It's kind of a buzzkill.