Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Reviews

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8 / 10
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair ironically does justice to the impossible task of living up to the name of great platforming games like Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Country, and Rayman Legends. It's a joy to play, feeling simultaneously modern and yet nostalgic. The odd omission of boss battles and some issues with variety aside, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a game any self-respecting platformer fan should play.

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5 / 5.0
Oct 26, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair may have made it into one of the best games of 2019!

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8 / 10
Oct 7, 2019

Blessed with the charm, wit, and fun factor you’d expect from such a talented group of creators, this should be a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 7, 2019

By incorporating some of the classic 2D design of previous generations this once N64 throwback has matured and grown into its own slice of platforming gold.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

I love Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. It feels fresh while keeping some of the great traits of the first game. The changes may even change the minds of players which did not enjoy the game that preceded it. It controls very well, looks great, sounds great and is a lot of fun. Just give it a shot, I think you will like it.

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Spaziogames
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Despite a strong game structure change and the presence of 2.5D levels, Yooka-Layle and the impossibile Lair has nothing to envy to the previous chapter.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Thanks to its tough-but-fair challenge, Playtonic has made a very rewarding game.

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GameSpew
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

I’ve had a lot of fun with Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. It’s challenging, humorous, beautifully designed and offers a surprising amount of variety.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
9 / 10
Jan 21, 2022

A love letter to the Donkey Kong Country series, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair goes beyond a standard homage, and crafts something beautiful of its own. Fantastic challenging platforming, spanning across 40 imaginative levels, and a charming graphical art style. This is an essential 2D platformer that should not be missed, even more so by the fact that it is being sold for budget point.

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10 / 10.0
Dec 19, 2019

Playtonic has absolutely smashed it with Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. It builds on the team's experience with platformers and manages to improve on its predecessor in every way. One of the best platformers I've played in years.

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7.5 / 10.0
Oct 17, 2019

Yooka and Layle return with a new 2.5D twist, but their new game lacks its own identity.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

TrueGaming
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Oct 15, 2019

It is really rare to have a platforming game this well-designed outside of Nintendo's offerings, this game more than makes up for the first one's shortcomings.The Impossible Lair does inspire from the best, while also introducing unique ideas of its own to build something truly unique. this is one of the best platforming games for this console generation.

Review in Arabic | Read full review

8 / 10
Oct 13, 2019

A polished 2D platformer rich in content and ideas, and show the developer capable of iterating on what they started earlier in their career.

Review in Arabic | Read full review

Oct 6, 2019

If you've always wanted a platform game on PC that was as good as Donkey Kong, here it is.

Review in Turkish | Read full review

87 / 100
Oct 7, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a great platform game that seeks to please Donkey Kong Country fans. It's a relatively long, challenging title with a lot of collectibles and some special stages. The overworld has some very interesting puzzles. However, the camera has some problems and the damage system is like the one in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and it isn't very good.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Where this game shines is in the sum of its parts. The individual levels might not be outstanding, but combining those with alternate versions and a light and engrossing overworld make the whole package that is Playtonic's second game a thrilling one. They might not have regained the crown from Retro Studios in the realm of Donkey Kong Country-like games, but they certainly retained the googly eyes.

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8.5 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

As a huge fan of the original game, I'm amazed by how much more fun Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is.

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8.5 / 10.0
Oct 8, 2019

Retro games or those that attempt to recapture a certain vintage feel can be a tricky business and there’s no doubt that in such an oversaturated market with abundant choices hitting just the right notes must be tough...

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7 / 10.0
Oct 4, 2019

The cartoonic Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair is funny experience you certainly should give a try. The game delivers lots of addictive gameplay and collectibles. This adventure isn't flawless however.

Review in Dutch | Read full review

Oct 28, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair may not be impossible, but it is a wonderfully fun and challenging retro platformer. Though it still has much of that compulsive collector DNA from the first game, I found it much less bothersome in this format. For $29.99, you get a lot to explore in this expansive world. Though I spent around 13 hours to beat the game, I still have plenty to uncover. And that’s not even touching upon the many super secret treasures still deftly squirreled away. I would strongly encourage most gamers to check this out. With the use of Tonics, you’re able to tailor the experience to your ability level, so really it’s hard to turn it down. A fantastic and worthy follow up to the original Yooka-Laylee from the fine folks at Playtonic Games. Here’s to looking forward to whatever they cook up next!

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