Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Reviews

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
5.8 / 10.0
Oct 2, 2019

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.

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Oct 3, 2019

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.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

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.

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9 / 10
Oct 4, 2019

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 Yooka-Laylee no longer represents the 3D collectathons of the late ’90s, but rather the unapologetic 2/2.5D Platformers akin to the Donkey Kong Country series while still being and feeling like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!

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8 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2019

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.

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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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8.3 / 10.0
Oct 9, 2019

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.

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Liked-a-lot
Oct 10, 2019

Playtonic and Yooka-Laylee are successful in the second attempt and with one dimension less: The search for the Beettalions is a wonderful jump'n'run adventure that can keep up with Donkey Kong Country in its best moments and sets new standards in the genre with a great world map. What a positive surprise!

Review in German | Read full review

8.4 / 10.0
Oct 14, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a great 2D platformer that provides some neat ways to mix-up the experience, and it felt like such a breath of fresh air in a crowded genre.

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6 / 10.0
Oct 11, 2019

Abrupt difficulty spikes and the lack of any interesting gameplay elements turn Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair into a mediocre platformer that really doesn't have anything new to offer.

Review in Persian | Read full review

9 / 10
Oct 4, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is one of the biggest surprises of the year and an absolute must-play. Rare are back. Wait. Playtonic have arrived. There we are.

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B+
Oct 9, 2019

Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair is one of those rare games where the development team makes a substantial change that completely works in its favor. The platforming levels are a blast to play, and each level is colorful and unique. The Lair itself is very challenging, which encourages you to play through all the levels and their variations. If you are a fan of 2.5D platformers, then you really need to add this to your collection.

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8.6 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a brilliant direction for the young series, effortlessly mixing classic, 2-D platforming with an adventure style overworld without one negatively affecting the other.

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8.3 / 10.0
Oct 27, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair is fun, beautiful and challenging and although sometimes it reminds a lot of other titles, perhaps too much, it includes enough homegrown additions for the game to gain its own accord.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

10 / 10.0
Nov 4, 2019

Wrapping up, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a fantastic game and well-deserving of high praise. Between the goofy dialogue, lovely cartoony art style, and super-smooth gameplay. I’m ecstatic to be able to award them with the Thumb Culture Platinum Essential award. If you own a Nintendo Switch, you don’t want to miss out on this gem of a platformer. Available now on the Nintendo eShop for £24.99, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is every bit worth your time and money.

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Essential
Oct 21, 2019

This is a most exciting game indeed. Yooka-Laylee is a classic and is fun for all ages. In this adventure we have two ways of playing. Platformer mixed with Open World 3D. The first thing someone will notice is that we start off in a platformer style genre, but after completion you will get a whole lot more out of the game than just running back and forth while jumping and rolling around obstacles.

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7.5 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair dials back expectations for the better in this more focused sequel.

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8.8 / 10.0
Oct 11, 2019

If I wasn’t a fan of Yooka-Laylee before, Playtonic has converted me. If they continue to deliver experiences like these, I’m all in for Yooka-Laylee. Playtonic has done a fantastic job here.

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7 / 10
Oct 3, 2019

Definitely more measured than its predecessor, The Impossible Lair is a good classic platform game.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Dec 4, 2019

The fun thing is, you can try to take on the Impossible Lair as many times as you like and each time you die, the game leaves a little marker indicating how far you got.

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