Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Reviews
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair has some unique and interesting ideas, but the platforming just doesn't click like it should.
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.
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
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 is a pronounced effort to recapture the magic of platformers, but its basic platforming and sharp difficulty spikes hold it back.
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
Definitely more measured than its predecessor, The Impossible Lair is a good classic platform game.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A clear improvement on the original, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a pleasant surprise. It struggles to balance difficulty, but the end result is a robust and compelling platformer. It feels much more cohesive than its older brother and, free from the need to play to nostalgia, gives the characters and the world a better identity. It isn't perfect, but it's certainly a step in the right direction for Playtonic Games.
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.
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.
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.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair dials back expectations for the better in this more focused sequel.
Yooka and Layle return with a new 2.5D twist, but their new game lacks its own identity.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
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
Side-scrolling sequel Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair has creative ideas, assuming you have the patience to wrangle with its difficulty.
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!
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.
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.
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.