Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 53
  2. Negative: 2 out of 53
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  1. Apr 4, 2017
    90
    Yooka-Laylee is the triumphant return of the true platform games. Playtonic has managed to mix everything good of this genre and turn it into something fresh and wonderful.
  2. Oct 19, 2017
    87
    Yooka-Laylee at times feels more like a remake of Banjo-Kazooie than a completely new game, that's how much they are alike. But in this case it is only meant in a positive way. The world needs more games likes this, you know.
  3. Apr 4, 2017
    87
    Yooka-Laylee is a 3D platformer like those we had in the past and a great successor to Banjo-Kazooie. The gameplay is almost the same, just putting a chameleon and a bat in the place of the bear and the bird. The true Rare is now called Playtonic Games.
  4. Apr 4, 2017
    86
    Like turning on your Nintendo 64 or your first PlayStation, time freezes and you're stuck in front of your screen for several hours of gameplay mechanics and charisma that are pure joy and in color. Yooka-Laylee is great in almost every respect, in a trip of typical worlds, backtracking with lots of jumps, trials and minigames. It's lengthy, and takes good advantage of Unity engine. Playtonic has been successful: this game evokes the best of Rare.
  5. Apr 4, 2017
    85
    It might not be as good as your vague memories of the hallowed games of Rare, but Yooka-Laylee has a little bit of that old lovable magic in it. It may be made for children, but there is a little something that can make the old and miserable smile again. That alone is worth it.
  6. Apr 5, 2017
    81
    Minor annoyances aside, Yooka-Laylee is a solid 3D buddy platformer that's full of variety, humour, and a fantastic cast of characters all wrapped in a laid back adventure. Who knew a chameleon and a bat could have so much fun together?
  7. Apr 10, 2017
    80
    Anachronistic both in a good and a bad way, Yooka-Laylee recaptures the charm of the 32-bit era collectathon platformers. It definitely is rough in some places, and the overall design would benefit from a little more polish, but it's also a love letter to a forgotten genre that sets a solid starting point for Playtonic Games.
  8. 80
    Yooka-Laylee is a fun retro styled 3D platformer with the buckets of wit and charm that made Rareware games so much fun to play, but along for the ride is a somewhat combative camera system that occasionally gets in the way. If you can overcome this then Yooka-Laylee is an excellent trip down memory lane for fans of Banjo-Kazooie and similar titles.
  9. Apr 6, 2017
    80
    A very enjoyable platformer that leans on old-school gameplay, a colourful universe and a lot of content. You really can't go wrong with this one.
  10. Apr 4, 2017
    80
    Yooka-Laylee is the perfect tribute to the 90's 3D platforming videogames, a very fun experience for new players and an exciting return of the genre to its roots for the veteran players. Long, fun and very funny, its camera becomes a tougher enemy than Capital B, the game's main villain.
  11. Apr 4, 2017
    80
    The game isn’t interested in coasting on nostalgia, but in establishing brand-new memories for the next generation.
  12. Apr 4, 2017
    80
    Colourful characters, and enough adult humour to keep you wondering how this is a G rated game.
  13. Apr 4, 2017
    80
    Yooka-Laylee liberally shatters the fourth wall by acknowledging its own existence as a game. Each time dialogue happened between characters, I eagerly awaited jokes about other games. You even get herded through quiz-style sequences; thankfully, these don't serve as roadblocks as much as they do fun allusions to games like Banjo-Kazooie. I laughed out loud at these silly references on multiple occasions, and some of the fun story moments are just as amusing as the gameplay.
  14. 80
    Yooka-Laylee is a breath of fresh air. Playtonic Games knows platforming, and knows it well. The incredibly precise reactions needed by players, coupled with the lack of some of the genre’s more modern conveniences may turn some newer/younger gamers off. But for those looking for a deceptively deep collect-a-thon that has an entertaining story and wonderfully-crafted world, look no further. With an asking price of $39.99, this is an easy recommendation for platforming fans.
  15. Apr 4, 2017
    80
    Yooka-Laylee is a celebration of classic games like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong. If you have ever played those games you will be the happiest person in the world playing Yooka-Laylee. If not, you might be bothered too much by its flaws.
  16. Apr 10, 2017
    79
    Huge nostalgic jump&run marathon with cleverly integrated abilities and puzzles. But towards the end this old school 3d-platformer lacks fine tuning.
  17. Apr 4, 2017
    76
    Yooka-Laylee captures the feeling of Rare platformers in an impressive way, but stumbles over flaws with camera and controls.
  18. Apr 8, 2017
    75
    Yooka-Laylee is a love letter to 3D platformer of twenty years ago. It is everything a fan of the best RARE works can expect, the real Banjoo-Kazooie spiritual successor. Despite some camera issues and the not so smooth controls, it deserves your attention.
  19. Apr 6, 2017
    75
    Yooka-Laylee doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. It's an extremely classic 3D platformer yanked out from the Nintendo 64 glory days and as such it doesn't quite fit into today's standards. But it's not a bad game - despite an old soul, Yooka-Laylee can provide lots and lots of fun.
  20. Apr 4, 2017
    75
    Yooka-Laylee is a good classic 3D platformer which is better in its first hours and levels when you are discovering the wide array of activities and challenges that you have in this retro colectathon. The rest of the time you can suffer with some weak design decisions to prolong the time required to complete the game.
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  1. Apr 4, 2017
    Yooka-Laylee stays true to its '90s platformer roots, even to its detriment. But there are just enough modern touches and excellent platforming to make it more than just another nostalgia play.
  2. Apr 10, 2017
    This love letter to 'Banjo-Kazooie' feels rushed, despite nailing the wit and sharing talent with the original.
  3. Apr 11, 2017
    Tearing away all of the bloat, Yooka-Laylee is a challenging and satisfying platformer. When it focuses on the basics, it succeeds with considerable flair. Yet, these moments arrive in short bursts that are padded out by confusing and hostile design. They point towards a far more enjoyable game than the complete package. The parts are significantly greater than the whole. There’s fun to be had but it doesn’t come easily. And if I never have to collect another shiny again, it’ll be far too soon.
  4. Apr 8, 2017
    I'm not basing my reaction off of nostalgia. The earlier titles had their flaws, but they were well-constructed. I would gladly give all of Yooka-Laylee's visual polish for level geometry that teased secrets, high peaks that demanded climbing, worlds that felt good to move through.
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 269 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 79 out of 269
  1. Apr 11, 2017
    8
    Despite some camera issues and maybe some fps problems in the console versions (of which i've experienced none of the PS4 so far),Despite some camera issues and maybe some fps problems in the console versions (of which i've experienced none of the PS4 so far), Yooka-Laylee is truly the "rarevival" the developers were going for.

    The game platforming feels just right and extremely responsive, platforming is satisfying and gives you more than one way to reach certain areas. The moves that Yooka and Laylee learn feel extremely fitting and you'll find yourslef using them many times, no moves will feel useless or forgotten. On the bad side enemy variety is lacking and the most common enemies you'll meet feel more like healthpick ups than an actual threat.

    This game has a huge variety of characters that all feel unique and they'll get a laugh out of you for sure, specially Laylee. Modern gaming references and mockery is everywhere during dialogues between the characters.

    Worlds are massive, colorful and full of personality and their own gimmicks, it can get kind of hard to navigate these worlds but after a while you'll know if like the palm of your hand just like in the BK games.

    I could go on and on and on, but it would take me far too long so i'll just give you a pros and cons list:

    Pros:
    -Great and responsive controls.
    -Satisfying and sometimes challenging platforming.
    -Great use of moves to solve puzzles.
    -Progress is customizable as you can choose when to learn a move or move on to another world.
    -Massive and colorful worlds.
    -Hilarious and charming characters.

    Cons:
    -Camera can get very irritating at some points.
    -Lack of threatening enemies.
    -Not exactly a very hard game.
    Full Review »
  2. Apr 11, 2017
    0
    In hopes of cashing in their nostalgia card after its expiration date; Playtonic released a game that really no one asked for or wanted. YookaIn hopes of cashing in their nostalgia card after its expiration date; Playtonic released a game that really no one asked for or wanted. Yooka Laylee is a "love letter" to a genre of games that got married, started a family and moved on with their lives. It offers nothing new to the genre, but instead aims to cash in on old mechanics and gameplay in hopes that the rose-tinted glasses of gamers today would convince them to spend their hard earned money at such a shameless cash grab title. Everything from visuals to audio is mundane or even ear-splitting as the "mumbling" that characters do when they talk aren't in any way close to how tolerable it was in games like Banjo Kazooie. Instead, we just have someone making a bunch of grumbles and grunts and passing that off as kosher when there was no mixing or imagination put into said sound design unlike Rare's earlier titles with sound mixing. Gameplay-wise, it's as fresh as that loaf of bread you left in your pantry for a month past expiration. Sure, you can still toast it to make a hot new sandwich but you're still eating a stale, moldy experience that's way past its due date. Controls are stiff, nearly unresponsive when it comes to platforming (which is a huge deal in these kind of games) and the biggest crime of all is the final boss which is nothing more than a shameless ripoff of another famous collectathon's final boss. To conclude, that's what this game is. Shameless. It takes pride in ripping off older genres and adding nothing to them but instead slapping their "I made this" sticker on it and calling it their own. Playtonic, if this is the game you're bringing to the table, I surely hope you're ready to take it back to the kitchen and start over from scratch. Full Review »
  3. Apr 13, 2017
    5
    30FPS is horrible for this game, and makes it so much more difficult than it should be. This is a platformer--it needs to be smooth. I sold30FPS is horrible for this game, and makes it so much more difficult than it should be. This is a platformer--it needs to be smooth. I sold this version and picked up the PC version instead, and it's worlds better. I don't understand why they couldn't hit 60fps on PS4. This isn't Uncharted 4. It just feels laggy all over. Full Review »