Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

A cartoony feast for the eyes and ears, with a great overworld and lovely design. The platforming could be better, but it’s engaging enough to be worth your time. [Issue#168, p.79]

It’s evolution through devolution for Playtonic, going back to 2D platforming from the 3D design of the first Yooka-Laylee, a change that is definitely for the benefit of the franchise. The Impossible Lair is much more competent, offering a fulfilling experience through its breadth of levels, and a cleverly designed overworld map which is a game within a game. Nevertheless, we hope that in their next endeavor the British developers will create something with its own personality and avoid being so overtly “clingy” in the Donkey Kongs or Banjo-Kazooies of the past.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a game for those who adore the genre and want something bright, colourful and full of self-referential puns to end a long day at work. However, you have to be able to overlook some game design and quality-of-life flaws that can make the game frustratingly hard.

A clear improvement on the original, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a pleasant surprise. It struggles to balance difficulty, but the end result is a robust and compelling platformer. It feels much more cohesive than its older brother and, free from the need to play to nostalgia, gives the characters and the world a better identity. It isn't perfect, but it's certainly a step in the right direction for Playtonic Games.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair ends on a puzzlingly frustrating note that heightens its most egregious errors that consist of its imperfect controls and stymied progression system. The botched finale doesn’t make those stumbles any more forgivable and mainly just points them out, but that doesn’t undo its positive qualities.