It’s no secret that the initial Yooka-Laylee game from Playtonic was not quite what everyone expected or wanted, despite being almost exactly what it originally promised. Nostalgia is a fickle maiden that makes things seem better than they actually are, mostly because of fond memories surrounding it. Luckily, the devs didn’t give up on the chameleon and bat duo, but decided to go the 2D route for their second outing.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is proof that mediocre reviews don’t mean you need to start from scratch. Of course, this game is very different from the previous one in terms of level design, but a lot of things that were successful carry over. The game brings back many familiar faces and is sure to reference it, and there’s still plenty of fourth wall breaking dialogue. Early in Yooka even mentions how this game is better than the last, which is amusing but undoubtedly true. To be quite honest, the game is very much the same, it’s just presented in a different and more welcoming manner. Many issues I had with the first are no longer present, as 2D levels take much less work to QA. That’s not to say each level is perfect, but this a much more polished experience overall.

The story here is pretty simple: stop Capital B’s nefarious plan of taking over the world with mind control. Easy enough when you’re given a shield of bees, right up until the point that he steals them with the very power that you’re trying to stop. After escaping the book (read: level/portal) that he’s in, the queen takes all the bees out and they are separated into their own books. It’s your job to liberate these bees from the different books by traversing a hub world where you’ll meet the cast of characters from the last game while finding secrets and solving puzzles. You’ll need to use the collectible T.W.I.T. coins you find in the levels to progress past Trowzer’s paywalls, but these are simple enough to collect if you’re taking the time to explore and utilize enemies as platforms. You’ll also find the game’s tonics which you can use by spending quills to alter the way a level is played. This can be as minute as a filter or as difficult easing as more frequent checkpoints. There are many different tonics to find, each with their own unique experience.

One of the more intriguing aspects of the level design here is that they are developed in a way that you’ll experience them differently depending on something done on the hub world. The first time you experience this is during level four or five when you freeze a book, making all the water in the level ice. Another will require you to flood the surrounding area to create an underwater level – seeing what can be done to each book and how it affects the level you already played is truly a big part of the charm. And each change that’s made to a book means that another bee can be rescued, adding one more hit point to you as you traverse the Impossible Lair.

Something to note is that if you’re skilled enough, you can beat this game in a matter of minutes. The final level of the game is open to you from the very beginning, but for many, completion will require the collection of the beetallion. And honestly, who wants to skip the rest of the game? There’s so much charm here, it’d be a shame to do so, although it’ll make for some fun speed runs. For most people, even with the beetallion, the final level will provide a challenge as it is aptly named.

Playtonic choosing to go the route of Donkey Kong Country in the sequel was a bold move, but one that ultimately paid off. Controls don’t always feel as tight as the game’s inspirations, with the protagonists feeling a bit sluggish at times, especially when being stopped in their tracks due to enemies being impervious to certain attacks. At times the game feels like it wants to be Sonic with speed, blowing through the level as a green and violet blur, but then an enemy you jump into leaves you dead in the water trying to collect Laylee before he flies away. Admittedly, this is a bit jarring and I would’ve preferred a more consistent experience; at the very least have the levels themselves be dedicated to this type of experience opposed to having small sections heed to different rules from the next. However, the overall experience is one that feels more unique to itself than attempting to mimic something from the past, regardless of this going further back in time for gameplay.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is what you’d expect from a new Nintendo first party platformer. There’s style, there’s substance, and there’s some unique ideas that other games could benefit from using. Following up the less than stellar first game, this shows the team has plenty of talent and ideas hidden up its collective sleeve, and there’s lots to come in the future for this chameleon and bat. I only wonder what format we’ll see the duo in for their next adventure.

9 out of 10

Pros

• Hub World Level Alteration
• Real Sense of Challenge
• Deep Puzzles
• Tonics

Cons

• Some Platforming/Controls
• Inconsistent Level Speeds

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair was developed by Playtonic Games and published by Team17. It is available on NS, PC, PS4, and X1. The game was provided to us for review on PS4. If you’d like to see more of Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, check out the publisher’s site.

 

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