I've always enjoyed 3D platformers; so when I heard the team behind the Banjo-Kazooie was working on a new game you can bet I was excited. Although I don't have much experience with that particular series I've definitely heard that Yooka-Laylee is a lot like those games. It certainly feels like belongs in with classic platformers like Spyro and Jax. There are a lot of memorable characters, clever platforming, and tons of collectibles. Yooka-Laylee certainly checks off all the boxes but can it actually stand out on its own among these classics?
Yooka the chameleon and Laylee the bat are certainly a great fit for this type of game. Yooka has a long tongue to grab objects along with the ability to blend in and go invisible. While Laylee can help Yooka fly around and screech out sonar waves. All these abilities and more can be bought from the snake Trowser. Trowser is quite a funny looking and astute salesman. You'll need all this abilities if you wish to take down Capital B and his assistant Dr. Quack. Capital B is a greedy businessman working to steal an all powerful book. Dr. Quack has will try and slow you down with his quick fire quizzes between worlds.
The are a handful of different worlds from snow covered mountains to dark marshes. In order to unlock and expand each world you will need to collect pagies from the One Book. You can get these pages from helping the locals and completing various timed challenges. Also each world contains an optional boss which offers a bit more of a challenge. As you progress and learn more abilities you'll want to go back to previous stages as you'll be better equipped to deal with some of the tougher challenges. Also you unlock tonics from the Vendi and equip one a time for various little boosts to your abilities.
You'll also find support from Dr. Puzz and Rextro. Dr. Puzz has created a machine to transform Yooka Laylee into different forms such as plants, animals, and various vehicles. These transformations let you explore and interact with each stage in unique ways. Rextro on the other hand has a collection of arcade games for Yooka-Laylee to play. Each stage features a completely different game and offers a bonus if you can top the high score. These games range from a top-down racer, to PAC-MAN spoof, and an on-the-rails shooters.
Between the clever platforming and hunting down every last collectible there is differently fun to be had with Yooka-Laylee. For a 100% play-through you're looking a solid 20 hours of gameplay. The levels are quite a good size once expanded out. You'll certainly have to explore every nook and cranny if you wish to find everything. Although I had a lot of fun playing through this game I do wish there was more originality and surprises in the gameplay. A lot of this game feels like features rehashed from other similar games. This probably won't bother fans of platformers but if you're looking for a new experience you may want to look else where.