Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Reviews

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
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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7.4 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a work of great courage and respect for the platform genre. It is not revolutionary but manages to be a simple, but refined pastime made with all the trappings of the genre.

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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.

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7.5 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Side-scrolling sequel Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair has creative ideas, assuming you have the patience to wrangle with its difficulty.

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8.1 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossibile Lair is a competent platform game, full of ideas and funny characters.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9.5 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is essentially a spiritual successor to Donkey Kong Country that ends with a difficult Super Mario Maker-like dungeon. It friggin' rocks.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair marries a variety of platforming mechanics in a meaty campaign with tons of challenges ahead. It’s as polished as it is focused and as true to the genre as you can get. Now, sign me up for the next one.

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9.5 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

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.

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Oct 3, 2019

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.

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David Jagneaux
Top Critic
8.7 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

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.

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Unscored
Oct 3, 2019

On the whole, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a carefully designed platform game that rewards repeat play and trial-and-error.

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4 / 5.0
Oct 3, 2019

In many ways the first Yooka-Laylee felt like the developers were trying to make up for lost time and bring audiences the Banjo Three-ie everyone wanted. With this follow-up, you get a distinct sense that the game has been allowed to breathe and find its own identity, and it’s an overwhelmingly positive thing.

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8.5 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

This time around, Playtonic has swapped out the retro 3D stylings of the original for something that plays more like a Donkey Kong Country sequel, offering a variety of levels where skill and strategy are necessary to succeed.

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GameXplain
Top Critic
Liked-a-lot
Oct 3, 2019
Can Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Top Tropical Freeze?! - REVIEW (Switch) video thumbnail
7 / 10.0
Oct 3, 2019

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.

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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

A much more inventive and thoughtful affair than the duo's previous outing, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is the closest you'll get to Donkey Kong Country on PS4 and you should embrace it with the accordant warmth.

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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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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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