A genuinely really well made 2D platformer completely inspired by Donkey Kong, that very well comes close to rivaling many of the titles in quality. In a drought of new DKC content, this was exactly what I needed.
Esse jogo realmente é divertido, um dia eu terminarei ele
The 2D platforming was excellent and, for obvious reasons, felt similar to DKC. But the 2.5D world exploration felt tiresome after a while. Still a well-made game.
Esse é um dos jogos com Level Desingne, tanto de mundo quanto fases, mais inteligentes que eu já vi na industria, GENIAL
Most of the game is a solid (if unspectacular) platformer with great visuals and music, a fun little overworld to explore, and an interesting gimmick of altering levels through things like freezing them, or reversing them, or shooting a stream of monsters into them...
Unfortunately, then comes the titular Lair, which feels like playing a Mario game only for Bowser's Castle to suddenly be a Kaizo level. Despite the mechanic of collecting bees in the rest of the game so you can take hits, nothing in the rest of the game really prepares you for the Lair. It feels incongruous - like it should be an optional challenge or DLC separate from the main game, and it tanked my enjoyment of the game completely. After trying to force myself to have fun, I decided to call it a day.
I have other minor issues too - the controls felt a bit sluggish to me and the humour hasn't evolved at all since Banjo-Kazooie, but excepting the Lair this would be 4 stars as it was a fun romp up until that point.
Unfortunately, then comes the titular Lair, which feels like playing a Mario game only for Bowser's Castle to suddenly be a Kaizo level. Despite the mechanic of collecting bees in the rest of the game so you can take hits, nothing in the rest of the game really prepares you for the Lair. It feels incongruous - like it should be an optional challenge or DLC separate from the main game, and it tanked my enjoyment of the game completely. After trying to force myself to have fun, I decided to call it a day.
I have other minor issues too - the controls felt a bit sluggish to me and the humour hasn't evolved at all since Banjo-Kazooie, but excepting the Lair this would be 4 stars as it was a fun romp up until that point.
Kind of an odd gimmick to have all the levels just there to collect hit points for the final level (which you can attempt at any time), and I'm not sure that aspect really helps the game at all. However, the levels and platforming are wonderful, definitely reminiscent of DKC. The interactive overworld is a nice touch too.
In Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, each level you play has five collectibles. And in each level you play, it is absolutely possible to get every one of those collectibles in your first visit in a level.
That might sound like a weird point to start off the review on, but you need to understand that this kind of thing makes or breaks these kinds of platformers to me. In games in this vein, like New Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Country, Sonic Colors, Crash Bandicoot or Kirby, actually beating whichever stage you're on can often be more of a trivial matter compared to getting the collectibles within. In my eyes the fun of these games is not to just beat them, but to show mastery of them, both mastery of their movement systems as well as of their general level design philosophy. Yet in so many of these instances, they just screw the process up in one or three ways: Sonic, for instance, can't collect all his Red Star Rings in Colors without first unlocking all of the Wisps, which arbitrarily locks half of the games' collectibles behind beating most of the game. Crash Bandicoot and the original Donkey Kong Country, despite the attention they both place on collecting, make so many of their objectives unnecessarily cryptic, removing most of the fun of feeling like you've solved the game.
I could go on, but my point here is that Playtonic's first endeavor into 2D platformer design absolutely NAILS collectible pacing. Levels are straightforward enough to where you'll always be able to find detours toward collectibles with a keen eye, and the controls of the dynamic duo in question lend themselves beautifully to moving around the environment in fun ways.
I feel like Playtonic is a studio not just made up of people who worked on some of the best platformers of the 90s, but of people who want to recapture the feel of those games without the hassle and standards of todays gaming world. Whilst I have little experience with Yooka and Laylee's first game, you can definitely feel that energy in this one in a lot of ways beyond just the excellent level and collectible pacing. Dedicating a solid 40% of your game to the space used to navigate between levels sounds like a disasterous idea by the standards of today, for instance, as things distracting from the "main gameplay" in many new games today become deephasized further and further, but in Impossible Lair they stuck to their guns and knew how good the team were at making it feel exceptionally well paced. This isn't a situation like Wind Waker where the space inbetween gameplay feels like a waste of time, rather that the developers gave just as much love and attention to the thing breaking up the pace of the main game as the main game itself.
That sense of flow really is the main takeaway I have from this game: The music is quite good, the level design is quite good, the overworld puzzles are fun to crack but not anything to write home about and the trademark Funny Dialogue is servicably Funny, but it really is the quick clip at which all of this is strung together that really elevates it all. The controls are a big reason for this of course, Yooka and Laylee have a fantastic moveset that lets you weave through levels crazy fast yet with enough weight to it to where it feels like you need to properly earn that good-feeling speed. Enemies make satisfying KER-PLUNK - sounds when hit on the head, launching the characters way high, and you can blast off at top speed right after your ground-slam move, and so on. The controls just strike that perfect balance, not just being nimble to let you skip everything to eliminate all actual challenge - though that has its benefits, go read my reviews on the Sonic Boom 3DS games to learn more - yet also not giving you so much restraint for the sake of balancing as to make moving around feel basic and uninteresting.
I feel like the Tonics are the best representation on all of these key points summed together, the pacing, the developers' mindsets and the prominent overworld. Essentially, they're little modifiers that you can equip a handful of to change your gameplay experience: Some flip the screen upside down, some give enemies more health, and some just give Yooka a really big head. There's no consistency to their use, be they difficulty modifiers or silly cheat codes, yet they all have the same value as a set of collectibles. They're one of the main reasons the game has such a great pace, as you're never too many steps away from a new Tonic and a new satisfying reward jingle for unlocking it. It gives the overworld a greater sense of purpose than it probably otherwise would have, and their varied effects makes each one a fun time to find since you never know what to expect. There's a Tonic for every type of player: Me personally, I put on the Tonic that halves checkpoints for a more engaging challenge.
Many of these tonics feel like they'd be toggleable by default in other games, or found in some plain shop, or god forbid sold as DLC, but here they're little fun bonuses to reward you for still playing the game, like a new set of surprises after each level. The game feels like one that respects your time, that wants you to have fun and be genuinely engaged with completing the game, and it was an offer I couldn't help but comply with: I 100%ed this game in a nice and tasty 20 hours and am really glad I did. Even if the individual parts aren't remarkable, and I've seen many aspects of it done better elsewhere, the remarkable flow of it all makes it one of the easiest recommendations for an uncomplicated fun time I could offer.
Also like, yeah, obviously, the music is amazing.
[Playtime: 20 hours]
[Key Word: Pacing]
That might sound like a weird point to start off the review on, but you need to understand that this kind of thing makes or breaks these kinds of platformers to me. In games in this vein, like New Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Country, Sonic Colors, Crash Bandicoot or Kirby, actually beating whichever stage you're on can often be more of a trivial matter compared to getting the collectibles within. In my eyes the fun of these games is not to just beat them, but to show mastery of them, both mastery of their movement systems as well as of their general level design philosophy. Yet in so many of these instances, they just screw the process up in one or three ways: Sonic, for instance, can't collect all his Red Star Rings in Colors without first unlocking all of the Wisps, which arbitrarily locks half of the games' collectibles behind beating most of the game. Crash Bandicoot and the original Donkey Kong Country, despite the attention they both place on collecting, make so many of their objectives unnecessarily cryptic, removing most of the fun of feeling like you've solved the game.
I could go on, but my point here is that Playtonic's first endeavor into 2D platformer design absolutely NAILS collectible pacing. Levels are straightforward enough to where you'll always be able to find detours toward collectibles with a keen eye, and the controls of the dynamic duo in question lend themselves beautifully to moving around the environment in fun ways.
I feel like Playtonic is a studio not just made up of people who worked on some of the best platformers of the 90s, but of people who want to recapture the feel of those games without the hassle and standards of todays gaming world. Whilst I have little experience with Yooka and Laylee's first game, you can definitely feel that energy in this one in a lot of ways beyond just the excellent level and collectible pacing. Dedicating a solid 40% of your game to the space used to navigate between levels sounds like a disasterous idea by the standards of today, for instance, as things distracting from the "main gameplay" in many new games today become deephasized further and further, but in Impossible Lair they stuck to their guns and knew how good the team were at making it feel exceptionally well paced. This isn't a situation like Wind Waker where the space inbetween gameplay feels like a waste of time, rather that the developers gave just as much love and attention to the thing breaking up the pace of the main game as the main game itself.
That sense of flow really is the main takeaway I have from this game: The music is quite good, the level design is quite good, the overworld puzzles are fun to crack but not anything to write home about and the trademark Funny Dialogue is servicably Funny, but it really is the quick clip at which all of this is strung together that really elevates it all. The controls are a big reason for this of course, Yooka and Laylee have a fantastic moveset that lets you weave through levels crazy fast yet with enough weight to it to where it feels like you need to properly earn that good-feeling speed. Enemies make satisfying KER-PLUNK - sounds when hit on the head, launching the characters way high, and you can blast off at top speed right after your ground-slam move, and so on. The controls just strike that perfect balance, not just being nimble to let you skip everything to eliminate all actual challenge - though that has its benefits, go read my reviews on the Sonic Boom 3DS games to learn more - yet also not giving you so much restraint for the sake of balancing as to make moving around feel basic and uninteresting.
I feel like the Tonics are the best representation on all of these key points summed together, the pacing, the developers' mindsets and the prominent overworld. Essentially, they're little modifiers that you can equip a handful of to change your gameplay experience: Some flip the screen upside down, some give enemies more health, and some just give Yooka a really big head. There's no consistency to their use, be they difficulty modifiers or silly cheat codes, yet they all have the same value as a set of collectibles. They're one of the main reasons the game has such a great pace, as you're never too many steps away from a new Tonic and a new satisfying reward jingle for unlocking it. It gives the overworld a greater sense of purpose than it probably otherwise would have, and their varied effects makes each one a fun time to find since you never know what to expect. There's a Tonic for every type of player: Me personally, I put on the Tonic that halves checkpoints for a more engaging challenge.
Many of these tonics feel like they'd be toggleable by default in other games, or found in some plain shop, or god forbid sold as DLC, but here they're little fun bonuses to reward you for still playing the game, like a new set of surprises after each level. The game feels like one that respects your time, that wants you to have fun and be genuinely engaged with completing the game, and it was an offer I couldn't help but comply with: I 100%ed this game in a nice and tasty 20 hours and am really glad I did. Even if the individual parts aren't remarkable, and I've seen many aspects of it done better elsewhere, the remarkable flow of it all makes it one of the easiest recommendations for an uncomplicated fun time I could offer.
Also like, yeah, obviously, the music is amazing.
[Playtime: 20 hours]
[Key Word: Pacing]
really good 2d platformer, really love this game.
except the last level, not the type of difficulty I enjoy, with a bunch of long segments you have to get really good at. but it's only the last level, so I don't mind. you can play everything up to the final level and still have a fantastic time.
except the last level, not the type of difficulty I enjoy, with a bunch of long segments you have to get really good at. but it's only the last level, so I don't mind. you can play everything up to the final level and still have a fantastic time.
Easily overthrows Super Mario World as the game with the best overworld.
While the levels, graphics and music don't quite reach the heights of Tropical Freeze, they all come close enough to make this a masterpiece.
And that final level is so creative!
91
While the levels, graphics and music don't quite reach the heights of Tropical Freeze, they all come close enough to make this a masterpiece.
And that final level is so creative!
91
Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair is the Donkey Kong Country game we are desperately missing between Nintendo's own offerings. While it borrows a lot of DNA from Tropical Freeze, Impossible Lair's best qualities are uniquely its own.
Coming off the back of its Banjo-Kazooie style 3D platformer, Yooka and Laylee feel way more at home in the 2D style. The movement feels tighter, the script is funnier, and the gameplay suits this version of Retro's history. The levels are broken up into two parts, the classic version and a transformed version, fundamentally altering the level and creating double the amount of content in the game. You change the level type in the overworld map, which is one of the game's two greatest achievements. Playing like a 2D Zelda map, you traverse level to level in a puzzle-filled open world, interfacing with characters, and finding hidden secrets. It's a glorified level select, but it has so much personality that outside of the levels are equally as fun as being in them.
The game's other achievement is the titular Impossible Lair. The game opens taunting a nearly impossible gauntlet of platforming prowess, asking players to defeat the final boss right from the start. You can return to face this challenge at any time, but you can swing the odds ever so slightly in your favor if you beat the levels and collect each of the Bee Warriors, which grant one extra hit per level completed. It's a self-rewarding system that makes 100% completing the game feel not only valuable, but necessary, as the Lair is brutally difficult, requiring mastery of every gameplay mechanic and tight precision skill and endurance. Initially, the Lair was even too difficult upon completing all 40 levels, but Playtonic has since added checkpoints to the final level if you want to ease the tension, which are balanced perfectly and don't dampen the epic challenge awaiting you.
The presentation of the game is always charming and inviting. The soundtrack has a lot of memorable tunes, and the aforementioned overworld has a wide variety of themes and locales. It's a shame that doesn't carry over to the levels themselves, as a lot of them feel like they reuse similar design elements and ideas. Additionally, many of the hidden collectibles are more trouble than they are worth, especially some which are limited to one try per run, or you need to reset, which is unnecessarily punishing.
Yooka Laylee's second outing is a much more riveting experience. Playtonic managed to channel a different element of the platforming genre and still add bold new ideas to keep their iteration as a standout among its contemporaries. If you loved DKC: Returns or Tropical Freeze, this is a must purchase.
Coming off the back of its Banjo-Kazooie style 3D platformer, Yooka and Laylee feel way more at home in the 2D style. The movement feels tighter, the script is funnier, and the gameplay suits this version of Retro's history. The levels are broken up into two parts, the classic version and a transformed version, fundamentally altering the level and creating double the amount of content in the game. You change the level type in the overworld map, which is one of the game's two greatest achievements. Playing like a 2D Zelda map, you traverse level to level in a puzzle-filled open world, interfacing with characters, and finding hidden secrets. It's a glorified level select, but it has so much personality that outside of the levels are equally as fun as being in them.
The game's other achievement is the titular Impossible Lair. The game opens taunting a nearly impossible gauntlet of platforming prowess, asking players to defeat the final boss right from the start. You can return to face this challenge at any time, but you can swing the odds ever so slightly in your favor if you beat the levels and collect each of the Bee Warriors, which grant one extra hit per level completed. It's a self-rewarding system that makes 100% completing the game feel not only valuable, but necessary, as the Lair is brutally difficult, requiring mastery of every gameplay mechanic and tight precision skill and endurance. Initially, the Lair was even too difficult upon completing all 40 levels, but Playtonic has since added checkpoints to the final level if you want to ease the tension, which are balanced perfectly and don't dampen the epic challenge awaiting you.
The presentation of the game is always charming and inviting. The soundtrack has a lot of memorable tunes, and the aforementioned overworld has a wide variety of themes and locales. It's a shame that doesn't carry over to the levels themselves, as a lot of them feel like they reuse similar design elements and ideas. Additionally, many of the hidden collectibles are more trouble than they are worth, especially some which are limited to one try per run, or you need to reset, which is unnecessarily punishing.
Yooka Laylee's second outing is a much more riveting experience. Playtonic managed to channel a different element of the platforming genre and still add bold new ideas to keep their iteration as a standout among its contemporaries. If you loved DKC: Returns or Tropical Freeze, this is a must purchase.
They thought "what if we made a good Yooka-Laylee game?" and went hard with it.
Absolutely nailed it as a tribute to both Donkey Kong Country and top down Zelda, phenomenal level design and the overworld puzzles were actually fun too. The music ruled. Honestly my only problem with this game is the Impossible Lair itself, which was kind of a miserable slog even with every single bee.
Carrega todo o DNA que fez da série de jogos Donkey Kong Country um sucesso, mas também atualizando e inovando com mecânicas mais modernas. Diferente do seu antecessor, esse é sem dúvidas um ótimo jogo que merecia mais visibilidade!
I like how it just lets you try the hardest level in the game right off the bat, and I think that's where the game can actually be pretty thrilling, but I think experiencing it makes everything else feel dull in comparison. I'll probably just stick with the modern DKC titles since they feel better to control and are far more imaginative.
A game with great level design, music and just a lot of charm. There's so much content here even outside 41 levels in here, with all the fun secrets and puzzles there are in the hub world itself.
Don't let the mixed reception of the original Yooka-Laylee turn you off this game, because this is an extremely solid 2D platformer.
Don't let the mixed reception of the original Yooka-Laylee turn you off this game, because this is an extremely solid 2D platformer.
I adore this game, from the music, to the platforming, to the level design. Can be funny at times, and I like the yoshi's island influence.
Solid fun platformer with lots of unique twists. Really enjoyed the impossible lair segment at the end!
Does Yooka like dick? I’ve never seen Laylee pregnant???? He keeps losing her so obviously he isn’t giving her good d. Maybe she’s fucking Trowzer? Idk anyway Capital B and Yooka seem to have this strong hate for each other… my thought is they are both gay furries and try to hide it by trying to kill each other??? Idk anyone else have these thoughts?
Not entirely gelling with the courses, but I'm glad they're trying to salvage a great gaming universe, at least.
I great combination of Tropical Freeze's platforming and common Collecthatons. The overworld/stage selection is the best part. You can solve puzzles and explore the area as you would in similar overworlds from Banjo-Tooie and Donkey Kong 64. You can also alter stages in the overworld to a completely different level. Example: throwing an ice fruit at the entrance of beach level would cause the beach level to turn into an ice level.
However, the levels are a little too long compared to Tropical Freeze and the final level is mostly do-able the more standard levels you complete.
However, the levels are a little too long compared to Tropical Freeze and the final level is mostly do-able the more standard levels you complete.
It often feels like the spiritual successor to the Super Nintendo DKC games, sometimes even more than the official sequels. There are a lot of interesting ideas here, some more successful than others.
As much as I disliked the original, this entry seems to hit all the right notes. It's heavily inspired by the Donkey Kong Country series. The 2D controls and level mechanics are extremely creative, while slowly ramping up the difficulty with just the right pace. The over-world map is interactive, allowing you to solve puzzles to open up alternative variants of each level. These variants are so creative and had so many good ideas, that at one point I put down my controller just to sit and think about what I had manipulated in this environment. Some level variants have small tweaks, while others turn the stage in a new direction (literally in some cases). The music and stage themes compliment the game's presentation. Which feels right at home with classic DK Country games.
Some problems from the original carry over, namely an uninteresting world, bland art style, and a lack of polish. That said, this is a huge improvement, and one which I'm very glad I played. Its platforming is solid enough, while the unique overworld and structure really help it stand out. Not much else to say on this, it's just a really fun 2D platformer.
A solid Donkey Kong Country-like platformer, and more Donkey Kong Country is never a bad thing, right? Even if it feels unpolished at times.
Does so much to capture the Donkey Kong Country spirit, unironically an amazing title.
The hub world is AWESOME! The rest of the game is ok.
I just got done playing Gex 3, and decided to play another game starting a smart-mouthed green lizard which is mostly average despite one major redeeming quality which relates to the game's levels. Impossible Lair's hub world is one of the best I've ever seen. The plethora of hidden collectables is endlessly satisfying, the environmental effects are really neat and make the whole space feel alive, and the visual signs of your progression are really captivating. The hub is so great that it is almost a disappointment when you need to play the actual levels.
The core gameplay of Impossible Lair is fine but a touch too simplistic and unvaried to span the game's lengthy campaign without feeling tedious by the end. The level design is serviceable and the exterior conditions on the book(magic books are portals to levels in this game) which effect the levels are really creative, but the levels aren't distinct or memorable enough for these changes to have the impact they could. The Impossible Lair itself it a really strong core challenge to base the game around, but most of the other levels are pretty forgettable.
I think anyone whom is curious should at least give this game a fair shake; I imagine plenty will like it even more than I did. This game was a huge improvement over the original Yooka-Laylee in my opinion, and if the next game sees the same jump in quality, we could have a new platforming masterpiece on our hands.
I just got done playing Gex 3, and decided to play another game starting a smart-mouthed green lizard which is mostly average despite one major redeeming quality which relates to the game's levels. Impossible Lair's hub world is one of the best I've ever seen. The plethora of hidden collectables is endlessly satisfying, the environmental effects are really neat and make the whole space feel alive, and the visual signs of your progression are really captivating. The hub is so great that it is almost a disappointment when you need to play the actual levels.
The core gameplay of Impossible Lair is fine but a touch too simplistic and unvaried to span the game's lengthy campaign without feeling tedious by the end. The level design is serviceable and the exterior conditions on the book(magic books are portals to levels in this game) which effect the levels are really creative, but the levels aren't distinct or memorable enough for these changes to have the impact they could. The Impossible Lair itself it a really strong core challenge to base the game around, but most of the other levels are pretty forgettable.
I think anyone whom is curious should at least give this game a fair shake; I imagine plenty will like it even more than I did. This game was a huge improvement over the original Yooka-Laylee in my opinion, and if the next game sees the same jump in quality, we could have a new platforming masterpiece on our hands.
I have now beaten this game on two different occasions. The first time, I got to 90% complete before beating the game, and the second time I 100% it.
The game is very good, but on my first playthrough, I decided I would 100% the game after beating it. However, the impossible lair is exhausting to beat on your first play though. I believe it took me about 18-25 attempts to beat it (can't remember for sure) and this level is well over 10 minutes long. By the time I was done, I didn't want to play anymore. The impossible lair is amazing, but it should really be reserved as the last thing you do in the game. As the final test of skill in the game, it is great and so rewarding when you finally do beat it.
On my second playthrough about a year later, I completed everything before the last level (took about half the time as the first playthrough), and the last level only took me 6 attempts to beat. It was good, and not as exhausting because it was a bit easier for me now. Still difficult though for sure.
I love this game, but just know that when you finish the last level, you are most likely ready to shelve it (for a while at least).
The game is very good, but on my first playthrough, I decided I would 100% the game after beating it. However, the impossible lair is exhausting to beat on your first play though. I believe it took me about 18-25 attempts to beat it (can't remember for sure) and this level is well over 10 minutes long. By the time I was done, I didn't want to play anymore. The impossible lair is amazing, but it should really be reserved as the last thing you do in the game. As the final test of skill in the game, it is great and so rewarding when you finally do beat it.
On my second playthrough about a year later, I completed everything before the last level (took about half the time as the first playthrough), and the last level only took me 6 attempts to beat. It was good, and not as exhausting because it was a bit easier for me now. Still difficult though for sure.
I love this game, but just know that when you finish the last level, you are most likely ready to shelve it (for a while at least).
Um excelente DKC modernizado e muito criativo nas fases duplas de plataforma e na exploração do Hub World com puzzles e segredos. Os tônicos alteram o jogo ao seu estilo, mantendo o ENORME desafio que dá nome. Faltaram chefes, mas os colecionáveis e a variação relevam. Must-play.
I feel genuinely very proud of myself for finishing this game! When I started it I was nervous that I would hate the overworld but after a short while it became the reason I wanted to complete more levels, so I could do more of those lovely little puzzles. I would happily play an entire game of that overworld (I'm guessing I need to play one of the top down zelda games then), I thought the change of pace worked really nicely against the intense platforming levels, they complimented eachother well and helped me appreciate just how well designed this game is. I think the only problem with the game really is the fact that the Impossible Lair section of the game is such a huge spike in difficulty compared to the rest of it, I get that it's supposed to be 'impossible' and all that but it felt like the difficulty increased as the game goes along and then absolutely skyrockets at the end. I felt genuinely angry playing the impossible lair level at times which is not how I felt at any other point of the game, and I don't know if I like that! This is such a joyful experience and then at the end I felt like screaming. It just felt incongruent with the rest of the game I think, even if it was satisfying when I finally beat it! But yeah this game still definitely deserves the high rating I'm giving it, if they released a whole load more levels I would 100% play them!!!!!!
Very cute graphics style in Donkey Kong style game. It is pretty good however it doesn't do anything special. Many of the levels have annoying elements to them. While the levels and bosses are good, none are super memorable sadly.