Yooka-Laylee

Yooka-Laylee is both a joyful ode to Rare’s heyday and a polished platformer that stands head and shoulders above what few contemporaries exist in the genre.

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"Yooka-Laylee is a 3D platforming game featuring the duo Yooka and Laylee in their mission to thwart capitalist snake Trowzer and expand their pageland. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes a digital manual, art book, and soundtrack, offering insights into the game's creation and showcasing the work of renowned composers. Explore vast worlds, solve puzzles, and collect items to unlock new abilities and progress through the game's challenges."

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Play Modes

Reviews

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,749 reviews

music447 positive mentions

grinding135 negative mentions

Yooka-Laylee captures the nostalgic magic of Banjo-Kazooie with its vibrant graphics, charming characters, and engaging gameplay.
The game features a variety of abilities and collectibles, providing a fun exploration experience across its expansive worlds.
The humor and writing in the game are enjoyable, with witty dialogue and clever puns that add to the overall charm.

The camera controls are often frustrating, making navigation difficult and leading to many unintended falls.
Worlds can feel too large and empty, resulting in tedious backtracking to find collectibles and complete tasks.
Boss fights, particularly the final one, are overly long and can feel unfair, with no checkpoints or healing options during the encounters.

music
892 mentions
50 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The music in "Yooka-Laylee" has received mixed reviews, with many praising the nostalgic compositions by Grant Kirkhope and David Wise, reminiscent of classic titles like "Banjo-Kazooie." While some tracks are celebrated for their catchy and vibrant melodies, others are criticized for being forgettable or repetitive, lacking the memorable quality of earlier works. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a highlight of the game, contributing significantly to its charm and appeal, despite some players feeling it doesn't quite reach the heights of its predecessors.
- “The music is fantastic, as one would expect.”
- “The music is a blast from the past, a straight throwback to all these game's great soundtracks.”
- “The music, design, and characters take me back to the N64 days of yore.”
- “The music feels the same too, which is a bit of a bummer because the track for the first world was actually pretty good, but everything else was forgettable.”
- “The music is a mixed bag; some tracks are okay, but others are not good, and I hate when the music is intense while you are walking around the level.”
- “The soundtrack is a mixed bag - some of the tracks are really great and memorable, while others are bland and repetitive.”
gameplay
821 mentions
27 % positive mentions
65 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Yooka-Laylee" is a nostalgic homage to classic 3D platformers like "Banjo-Kazooie," featuring a collect-a-thon structure with vibrant worlds and a variety of mechanics. While many players appreciate the fun and charm of the gameplay, criticisms arise regarding clunky controls, a frustrating camera, and some outdated mechanics that can detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game offers enjoyable exploration and challenges, appealing primarily to fans of the genre.
- “It's a wonderful spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie with great music, nice graphics, and fun gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is top-notch, quick and responsive.”
- “The worlds are gorgeous, the mechanics are fantastic and the puzzles are just challenging enough to keep me guessing.”
- “The bee guards and, to a lesser extent, the eyes that possess objects have confusing mechanics - you get hurt unexpectedly when attacking them sometimes.”
- “Gameplay is tedious, level design is counterintuitive, sometimes it's hard to find where you need to go, even the main hub feels too complicated to traverse.”
- “The gameplay is slow-paced and sometimes even repetitive (for example, every world features always the same enemies in different costumes).”
graphics
615 mentions
47 % positive mentions
51 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Yooka-Laylee" receive a mixed reception, with many praising the vibrant, colorful art style and modern polish that evoke nostalgia for classic N64 platformers like "Banjo-Kazooie." While some players appreciate the charming character designs and beautiful environments, others criticize the lack of advanced graphical options and occasional visual glitches. Overall, the game is noted for its appealing aesthetics, though opinions vary on its execution and consistency.
- “It's a wonderful spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie with great music, nice graphics, and fun gameplay.”
- “The graphics are polished.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and the music is amazing.”
- “The graphics are awful, the whole game is ugly and washed out, which is like the opposite of the colorful N64 games.”
- “The visuals are lacking.”
- “The graphics look dull and uninspired.”
humor
485 mentions
97 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The humor in "Yooka-Laylee" is a mixed bag, drawing heavily from the classic "Banjo-Kazooie" style with its quirky characters and fourth-wall-breaking jokes. While many players appreciate the nostalgic charm and clever puns, others find the humor forced or cringe-inducing, with some jokes falling flat or feeling outdated. Overall, the game offers a blend of silly, cheeky humor that appeals to both kids and adults, though it may not resonate with everyone.
- “There are a lot of hilarious moments in this game and that alone is worth it.”
- “The characters are charming, and I was thoroughly entertained by the fourth-wall-breaking humor characteristic of Rareware games.”
- “The humor is quirky and cheesy just as the old Banjo-Kazooie games.”
- “The comedy was so eye-rolling and unfunny that I felt like I sat through 4 hours of bad dad jokes.”
- “This is especially true with Laylee and Capital B, who have unfunny and long banter.”
- “The humor in this game is just not funny at all, mostly because it just tries way too hard.”
story
427 mentions
17 % positive mentions
74 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The story of "Yooka-Laylee" is generally perceived as simplistic and lacking depth, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. While some players appreciate the nostalgic references and humor reminiscent of classic platformers like "Banjo-Kazooie," many criticize the plot for being forgettable and the characters for lacking development. Overall, the game is seen as a fun collectathon with charming aesthetics, but its story does not significantly enhance the experience.
- “The characters and story feel 'alive'; I love how they stuck with the Banjo-Kazooie dynamic, specifically Laylee's sarcasm when Yooka and Laylee interact with the other characters.”
- “The story is simple: Yooka (the lizard) and Laylee (the bat) have their supposedly valuable book stolen by Capital B, a power-hungry executive from the Hivory Towers.”
- “The game is packed with humor and style, and these aspects go a long way in taking the player from a state of 'collecting things because the game told you to' to actually feeling compelled to explore the world, gather things, and see the story play out.”
- “The story is forgettable and the characters, while they look charming, their dialogue makes them not.”
- “The plot line is straightforward but I honestly didn't care for it much.”
- “The story is forced and trite, with nothing really interesting or original to show for itself in the slightest.”
grinding
138 mentions
1 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of "Yooka-Laylee" is widely criticized for being tedious and frustrating, with players noting that the expansive and often empty worlds make exploration feel like a chore. Many reviewers highlight the repetitive mini-games, convoluted level design, and excessive backtracking required to collect items, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game. While some elements of gameplay are appreciated, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grind becomes a significant barrier to fun, leading to a lack of motivation to continue playing.
- “The mini games can be a little challenging; the minecart is sometimes frustrating, but they're not tedious. The boss fights are similarly challenging, and you'll probably die a few times, but you'll eventually figure out the patterns and create a strategy from there.”
- “The collectibles are fun to find and often have enjoyable challenges behind them, not tedious and bothersome like some games can be with their collectibles.”
- “I find it tedious and chaotic trying to figure out where and what I’m supposed to be doing next.”
- “Gameplay is tedious, level design is counterintuitive, sometimes it's hard to find where you need to go, even the main hub feels too complicated to traverse.”
- “The game is very fun, until you reach level 2 and it just starts to fall apart with tedious collectibles, boring level design and mini-games, and it just starts to feel like Banjo-Kazooie, but in a bad way.”
optimization
97 mentions
19 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
22 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance and beautiful graphics, others experience significant stuttering and inconsistent frame rates, particularly on older hardware or specific platforms. Some users have noted that the camera controls and certain gameplay mechanics could be better optimized, leading to frustration during play. Despite these issues, many players with mid-range or higher systems report a solid experience with minimal performance problems.
- “For what I played, it’s well optimized and looks very beautiful.”
- “The game looks great and is well optimized, so even lower-end systems should be able to run the game fairly well.”
- “Everything's vibrant, colorful, and animated with little to no lag or optimization issues I could find in any open world or secret inner areas.”
- “In one boss battle, there is major stuttering, and how that didn't get fixed is beyond me.”
- “The 2 issues I do have with the game are the rather bad performance it has; it is a good-looking game but nothing that would demand so much of hardware like it does. It certainly became my poster card to why people shouldn't use Unity.”
- “Putting all the nostalgia aside, though, the real issue with the game is in fact its performance. It's simply not optimized very well.”
stability
73 mentions
11 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
89 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting a variety of bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as camera issues, softlocks, and graphical anomalies. While some users experienced minimal problems or none at all, others found the game to be a "buggy mess" that detracted from their overall enjoyment. Overall, the game appears to require further polish to address these persistent stability issues.
- “Seems very stable and bug free.”
- “Great so far, runs great!”
- “The game runs great, I have yet to come across the FPS problems a lot of other players have complained about.”
- “I really wanted to like this game, but sadly, it's a buggy mess.”
- “A very large case of 'expectations don't meet hype', as well as a buggy launch getting the best of a good game.”
- “But, because this apparently wasn't done, we're left with an occasionally buggy and frustrating to play game that made me ask 'what the hell were you guys thinking?' over and over.”
character development
72 mentions
39 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the character designs for their charm and creativity, reminiscent of classic Rareware titles. However, some players find the designs inconsistent or lacking cohesion, leading to a perception of them as either delightful or bizarre. Overall, while the character designs are often highlighted as a strong point, the depth of character development and narrative is generally considered secondary to the gameplay experience.
- “I adore the protagonists Yooka and Laylee, both for character design and personality.”
- “The worlds and character design are fantastic.”
- “Delightful, colorful, and loaded with fun character designs.”
- “The character design is fine on an individual level, they're neither cohesive nor coherent with one another or the world.”
- “Many of the character designs remind me of Sonic fan art, sort of lazy knock-offs of a style, the sort of thing someone should have sent back to the drawing board long before modeling them.”
- “The character designs don't quite fit the levels sometimes, a lot of the enemies just feel like they've been copied and pasted and given a different art style and model to fit the level, whereas Banjo-Tooie and Kazooie had very unique creatures per level.”
atmosphere
52 mentions
50 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its vibrant visuals, charming world design, and nostalgic music that evokes classic titles like Banjo-Kazooie. While many levels successfully create a fun and engaging environment, some critiques highlight a lack of depth and polish in certain areas, making parts of the experience feel somewhat shallow. Overall, the game captures a whimsical and cheerful atmosphere that resonates well with fans of the genre, despite some inconsistencies.
- “Fantastic atmosphere, whether it be the models, voice acting, artwork, you name it.”
- “The game has wonderfully large worlds that you can explore as the lizard and bat combo with wonderful charm and amazing atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are vibrant and pop out at you, the mechanics feel great, the dialogue is hilariously self-aware, the whole atmosphere fills you with childlike wonder, the story and characters are packed with the same kind of charm evoked in the Banjo games.”
- “The atmosphere is very sterile and feels like you are playing a game rather than exploring a mysterious world.”
- “That game has a beautiful island to explore, but nothing to do on it but solve mundane line puzzles on a screen, which just feel completely separated from the actual island, and take you out of the game's atmosphere.”
- “You never feel like you are discovering anything, the characters add nothing to the atmosphere, the game in general feels more like a collect-a-thon.”
emotional
31 mentions
94 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The emotional responses to the game highlight a mix of nostalgia and frustration, with many players feeling a sense of joy and warmth reminiscent of childhood gaming experiences. While some appreciate the wholesome and family-friendly aspects, others express disappointment over gameplay mechanics and storytelling that detract from the overall enjoyment. Ultimately, the game evokes strong feelings of both happiness and irritation, reflecting a complex emotional landscape for players.
- “Nostalgic and heart-warming.”
- “Yooka-Laylee is one of those games that made me feel excited and happy inside.”
- “Other 'retro revival' games in the past have left me cold and made me feel old and like the magic from these games was gone, while this one was like being a kid again.”
- “Unintuitive, one of those games where you will just get stuck and explore the same parts of the map over and over again because you missed one small detail in the remarkably boring storyline.”
- “I was hoping for something that would recapture the fun exploration of Banjo-Kazooie, but it felt like I got a reskinned Banjo-Kazooie with a really boring story.”
replayability
11 mentions
27 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it memorable and enjoyable enough to revisit due to its creativity and charm, others feel it lacks significant replay value compared to similar titles. The inclusion of unique elements, like floor-length gown tonics, adds some replayability, but many agree that it doesn't quite match the quality and replay potential of older games from the same developer.
- “But their creativity, level design, characters, and charm are what make them so memorable and replayable today.”
- “You also have floor-length gown tonics that spice it up with more replay value.”
- “The replay value of this game is strong.”
- “This game is excellent to go into blind, although it feels it wouldn't have much replay value.”
- “I am not sure about replay value, but I will say that if a sequel or other game was made by this developer, it would immediately be on my wishlist.”
- “It's not all bad, it's still amusing at times and the levels and characters had potential. However, when I look at this game and then 'A Hat in Time', I just feel like this game was a stunning-looking half-baked game compared to the much higher quality and replayability of their older Rareware titles.”
monetization
6 mentions
50 % positive mentions
-17 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its lack of in-game purchases, microtransactions, and loot boxes, offering a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic 3D platformers. However, some users feel misled by the marketing, which suggests a co-op experience that doesn't deliver, leading to disappointment in comparison to the promotional material. Overall, it is recommended for those seeking a straightforward, cash grab-free gaming experience.
- “The in-game purchases are fair and don't feel exploitative.”
- “If you grew up in the 90s and want to go back to a simpler time in gaming with no microtransactions, season passes, or day-one DLC, then this is the game for you.”
- “The monetization model is refreshing and respects the player's experience.”
- “It’ll take you around 25 hours to fully complete, without any gameplay DLC, microtransactions, or loot box nonsense.”
- “If you are like me, where your childhood was spent playing 3D platformer collectathons, and the fact that they are a dying breed makes you sad, then I'd recommend this game on sale simply because it's 'true' to the genre and not just some half-assed cash grab.”
- “If you grew up in the 90s and want to go back to a simpler time in gaming with no microtransactions, season passes, or day-one DLC, then here you go.”