Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a 2D side-scrolling platformer game was released in 2019 for PS4, XBONE, Switch and PC. It was developed by Playtonic Games and published by Team17, and it is also a follow-up title to 2017's 3D platforming game titled as Yooka-Laylee.
I've already reviewed the first game, which is a spiritual successor to N64 platforming classics such as Banjo-Kazooie, so I was expecting the game to be a true worthy successor to beloved N64 classics but sadly suffered with the flaws that I've previously mentioned on my review which kinda drags down the fun factor of the game that may be not going to impress the newcomers, so if you haven't seen my previous review that I've covered please check it out on the link down below:
Okay, moving on this review for now. I decided to give a follow-up title a shot to see if it's anything done better than what I've experienced from the first original.
The answer is yes, but kinda I guess. To be fair, I really liked how they changes the game into a 2D side-scrolling platformer similar to SNES platformer like Donkey Kong Country which is why I began to interested in playing this and see if this game are done absolutely right or maybe it could be even worse.
It's all depends on how straightforward the game's design made for this game, so stuff like those platforming obstacles, difficulties, controls, and so on which I will cover all these details further on this review.
So without go further do, let's start the review.
Presentation
The game takes place after the first game as the main villain Captain B is up to no good again, he then causing a massive deal of trouble for the Royal Stingdom and capturing all the Queen Phoebee's royal beettalion guards.
As the queen had summoned Yooka and Laylee to aid her, these duos went on their adventures to rescue numerous of the captured royal bees and put an end to Capital B's meddling.
To be honest, I find the story on this game are rather lacking compared with the first game. It did not deliver an actual opening cutscenes to know what the game are exactly about, instead it throws you right into a in-game platforming level which I was expecting a 1 min opening sequence before starting the game.
No offense, I know it's sounds like a nip-picking to you guys, but aleast they should have put more effort into a story development.
You still have Yooka and Laylee as a returning duo, while we still have several of same NPCs from the previous game such as Trowzer the red snake, Dr. Puzz the humanoid octopus scientist, Kartos the minecart, and Vendi the vending machine which are featured in top-down overworld.
The game also introduces Queen Phoebee (WHAT ANOTHER BEE IN VIDEO GAMES, YOU GOT TO BE S***TING ME!!!)
Lastly you still have a main villain such as Capital B (NO NO!!! DON'T YOU EVEN DARE MENTION THAT AGAIN!!!) looking for a trouble once again, so instead of collecting numerous of books like from the first game he then kidnaps all the royal bees members (GOD DAMN SON OF B***H!!! YOU JUST TERRORISING ME WITH THESE F***ING THINGS!!!) to threaten against the Royal Stingdom as a whole.
The presentation as a whole is just as good as the first original with similar style of settings. You have several of locations which has two variation of states starting from base to alternate universe, so what it does to the each of the location is changes the environment of the each levels affecting the in-game's design.
Stuff like capital causeway had turned a small home and downhill path into completely torned out from the ground. Factory fright filled with dozens of red buzzsaws, while it was later flooded in underwater in alternative state.
Frantic fountains had turned the towns into icy and cold environments, wild web woods has wilder forest, and windmill way has windy pressure.
I just loved their style of presentation mixes from bright to darker tone of stages which really adds the game's appeal, so there's nothing else much to say to this because it a really decent looking game entirely.
Overall, the lackluster opening story, but has great characters and good presentation design.
Gameplay
In single-player campaign, you'll start off with the overworld in top-down perspective where you can able to explore around, while interacting with stuffs such as talking with random NPCs, doing problem solving puzzles to unlock level's alternative state, discovering hidden secrets, gathering collectables tonic items, and traversing at new maps to gain access to next chapters.
When entering into a chapter stage, you'll take control of duo in 2D side-scrolling perspective as your main goal is to beat the entire level by reaching onto a finishing goal.
Pushing the left stick or d-pad button to move the duo around, hitting the cross button to jump, the square button to use whip attack, while pushing left stick or d-pad button forward then tapping the square which allowing these duo to perform roll attack which not only just attacking on enemies, but also speeds up their traversing through the levels.
You can also do twirl jump by hitting the cross button then press the square button which makes them float through the platforms in mid-air.
You can perform a buddy slam move by hitting the cross button then pressing the left trigger button which not only attacks enemies on ground, but also hitting the mechanism switch to activate stuff around levels.
You can press right trigger to use Yooka's tongue to pick-up and throw objects such as bombs and keys,
and in underwater you'll swim around by pushing the left stick or d-pad button while hitting the square button allowing them to dash forward to traverse faster, so these are the controls scheme that I've mentioned above are quite straight-forward to play which doesn't really need to add more complicated actions, so it's simplistic and easy to learn things.
During the in-game stages, you'll be discovering several of hidden secrets and bonuses which rewards you with numerous of quills as well as coins.
These coins will be discovered on either on top-side corner or somewhere under the stage in right-side bottom depending which chapters you're playing on which I really liked how they kept these in hidden that no one able to see it until they able to find one.
You'll need these coins to give it to someone like Trowzer the red snake, so that he can allow you to gain access to new map in overworld.
You'll be encounter with these colourful ghost-feathers somewhere in the in-game stage acts as an time-puzzle bonus where you had to solve the problem before the time runs out, so it awarded you with numerous of quills.
These quills acts as currencies which you'll be spending on various of unlockable tonics ability such as you can perform dash attack on underwater, move even faster in climbing and rolling, a magnet item that attracts quills, using slow-mo to slow things down for short time, adds more or less checkpoints, and made the duo twirl-spin three times and slow down their descents in mid-air.
Be really careful to use these tonic slots which can sometime result gaining or losing many quills multipliers after beating the stage depending on which any of these tonic item you just equipped on these slots.
Beating entire stages will rewards you with captured royal bees after rescuing them. You'll be needing these royal bees to recruit with you, so these will act as shield protection to make you feel less vulnerable which you'll be using them in final boss stage.
So far, I've managed to get past through the levels as well as being able to gather all collectables which took me about 15 to 20 hours to beat it as full completion.
What I've liked about the game is that each of the stages will change environments starting from base to alternative state, so I have mentioned the locations on presentation before which is really adds up a level variation such as taking a new route of stages, and changes the hazardous objects to make platforming obstacles harder to get pass through, which I really liked the idea of switching the level in between two universe are actually interesting in this game doesn't mean it adds the innovation to its genre because there are some of the side-scrolling platformers had done it from the past decade before this when it's comes with taking place in two different universe in same location, but overall it's a good effort which I believe they wanted the game to be unique, so I have respect on their work and effort they putting on this indie side-scrolling title they had delivered.
I also want to praise the game's design itself because it's a solid balance of difficulty and challenge which is reliant on those platforming obstacles and patterns, so stuff you see on each stages filled with several of hazardous objects such as disc-like buzzsaw, diagonal-flames, deadly spikes, and other dangerous mechanical stuff around the levels is all about focusing on evading these hazards and avoiding taking damage really adds up the fun part of the game.
The stuff that I did not like in the game that kinda pisses me off the most that ruin the fun part is that after taking damage from the enemy's projectile, that bloody Laylee, which you'll need her to perform twirl and buddy slam for some parts or use her as 2 hit player's health point, keeps flying around like a maniac which I had to catch her back before she's flies away, but she keeps moving into a uneven spot that I'm not being able to reach her back which is why she flies off way too quick meaning without her I could take one more hit to die in stage makes it quite frustrating to playthrough.
I also wanted to point out chapter 20 as the weakest part of the game because there are endless stage segment that scrolls forward where you need to reach at the end of the level while evading these chain-ball, but the problem is that you have these annoying flying enemies that shoots out projectile in halfway through which is fine, but when reaching onto the platforms then shoots me down that made Laylee flying around that I can't get back to her with empty platform spaces are just downright cheating which took me more than 30 to 45 tries to beat it.
The stuff that the game did it right is the final boss segments which fills with 4 stages of doom, which I got to be honest it's much more better than the ones in first game. They got the boss's patterns right which makes the strategy seems easier to evade and attack on boss without pushing more further on the stress level.
Thankfully you can select any of these two options such as "not so impossible lair" which adds 3 checkpoint system and saving some remaining royal bees shields makes it easier to traverse and beating stages, where as the "impossible lair" has no checkpoints and taking 2 hit damage makes it impossible to beat the final boss stage as a whole.
So far, I did manage to enjoy the game as a whole which I am happy the way they designed these stages kept it well intacted and some difficulty challenge that are kept it balanced nicely which is why the entire stage chapters and explorable overworld filled with collectables adds up the replay values.
Overall, it has straight-forward controls and solid game's design.
Graphics
The graphics is looking quite decent for its visuals environments which I really liked the looks of the 3D background layout with the use of parallax scrolling, and I also liked the use of colours and boldness to its environmental stages that are great mix of bright and dark settings in each chapter feels much closer to Donkey Kong Country series.
The texture-mapping are looking smoother on several of objects and layouts on side-scrolling foreground, as well as the use of special effects on some parts like water, flames, and winds are just looking incredible as a whole.
The character's design has lot of wacky animations and has cool cartoonish personality which makes them quite appealing in the game.
The game just ran really well with 60fps with no sign of slow-downs which is quite good on the PCs and modern console platforms.
Overall, it has decent environmental stages, smooth textures, and cool character's animation.
Music and Sounds
The original soundtrack are just amazing to hear, as it's sounds pretty quite close to the Donkey Kong Country series with similar style of jungle music. It was composed by an ex-Rare members such as Grant Kirkhope and David Wise did such an outstanding job that gave the game a justice.
The sound effects does shares with same wacky sound design and some atmospheric noises in some areas, and of course it still has a gibberish dialogue like from the first game which again you can sometime change it to short dialogue voice in options menu only if you want too.
Overall, it has outstanding music and wacky sound design.
Special Features
The game has several of cool stuff like unlockable tonics which also has screen-size options such as screen ratio changes to 4:3 aspect to stretched to 3:1 aspect, and colour screen display has film, comic, dot-matrix, GB colours, and VHS.
Overall, a yet decent features.
Advantages
Great characters
Good presentation design
Straight-forward controls
Solid game's design
Decent environmental visuals
Outstanding soundtrack
Disadvantages
Lackluster opening story
Laylee's faffing around
Chapter 20 are the weakest stage
Final Verdict
Presentation 7/10 - lackluster opening story, but has great characters and good presentation design.
Gameplay 7.5/10 - straight-forward controls and solid game's design.
Graphics 8/10 - decent environmental stages, smooth textures, and cool character's animation.
Music and Sounds 8.5/10 - outstanding music and wacky sound design.
Special Features 8/10 - Numerous of unlockable tonics.
Instead of taking a Banjo-Kazooie route from the first game, this is a nice 3D to 2D transition which is why the game's design and difficulty challenge are kept it well intact to make it an enjoyable 2D side-scrolling title.
Even though the opening story and some minor stuff are kinda the low point of the game, but it also delivers the good numbers of replay values, several of great single-player stages, and has top-down overworld to interact stuff is what made this game quite fun to play.
My second opinion is that you can't beat the Nintendo's platforming masterpiece like Donkey Kong Country series which I rather much preferred over this, but don't get me wrong because Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is still a good game which I am grateful to see having the indie 2D platformer like this being on the PCs and modern console platforms, so kudos to Playtonic Games did a fine job on this game which I am happy that it turned out to be quite better than the first Yooka-Laylee game.
The physical copies are worth between £10 to £15, where as the digital releases cost £25 which is better off wait until the sale goes down.
Is it definite recommendation for everyone? I say it's all depends on whether if they can handle the game's difficulty or not, if so then you might want to give it a go.
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