Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 124 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 90 out of 124
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 124
  3. Negative: 18 out of 124
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  1. mbestvina
    Nov 19, 2019
    7
    I don't understand who this game is for. It's too dull and repetitive and the last level is way too hard to work as a casual playthrough. More hardcore players will be bored out of their minds until that last level which, even then, is more irritating and time-wasting than challenging. Finally, completionists will see the 100% quest slowly sap all the joy out of the experience until you'reI don't understand who this game is for. It's too dull and repetitive and the last level is way too hard to work as a casual playthrough. More hardcore players will be bored out of their minds until that last level which, even then, is more irritating and time-wasting than challenging. Finally, completionists will see the 100% quest slowly sap all the joy out of the experience until you're wondering why you're still playing. It seems like no matter what kind of player you are, this game will let you down in some way.

    Contrary to what many reviewers have claimed, the level design is absolutely not good in this game and this is my main complaint. Mechanics and art assets are reused liberally so all the levels really start to blend together, worsened by the fact that there are two versions of every level. It recycles the same generic factory, city, forest themes over and over. Even if you disregard the repetitive visual theming, the levels would still blend together. Donkey Kong Country had a great formula of making sure every level had a unique gameplay hook. In spite of this game being a direct homage to DKC, it does not follow that formula, as mechanics are randomly thrown together to make levels and reused throughout the entire game. Worse, each level is broken up into several discrete sections that are connected by doors. These doors are the death of this game to me. For one, they make the level design feel much less engrossing as you're randomly warped from segment to segment. They feel like video game levels and not actual places. Worse, you cannot go backwards through any of these doors, meaning that if you missed a collectible, you need to restart the entire level. The 100% quest is made awful by this one thing alone and I really recommend you ignore the coins, you only need about 50% of them to get to the end and the 100% reward is quite underwhelming.

    Next up is the difficulty or lack thereof. There is no punishment for death aside from losing your items and even that can be circumvented with an upgrade. There's even very little punishment for getting hit as you have a few seconds to grab Laylee back like baby Mario in Yoshi's Island. This can also be extended with an upgrade. What these two things mean is that the game is way too easy for its primary 40 levels. I can't remember a single time where the game got even remotely challenging and I was able to charge through like an idiot for the majority of my playthrough. It's dull and lacks the challenge factor that makes DKC and most 2D platformers so addictive. The mechanics are quite floaty as well and don't feel particularly good.

    Lastly is the eponymous "Impossible Lair," the brutal final level that you can play at any time. While the primary levels are far too easy, this level is far too punishing. I assumed that if I played all the other levels and got all health bees that this would be fairly straightforward but alas, this was not the case. Even with every upgrade, this thing took me 3 hours and a dozen tries. 4 bosses, multiple loading screens, an escape sequence, and more! It's a time sink and it can feel like beating all the other levels was a waste of time when the end still demands perfection.

    YL2's only saving grace is its hub world. It's very exploratory and will definitely scratch the collect-a-thon itch. Fans of the first game will relish their time here but it's tragically only about 20% of the game overall. This part of the game is very strong but it's just not strong enough to hold up the rest of the game.

    To reiterate, I just don't understand who this game is for. If you're looking for a straightforward platformer, the game is too dull and repetitive to hold your attention. If you're a completionist and like collecting things, say you're a fan of Yooka Laylee for instance (SARCASM), then the 100% quest will turn the game into an absolute slog. If you like challenging games, the first 80% will be far too easy and the impossible lair is more irritating and time-wasting than it is challenging. If you don't like challenging games, then the impossible lair will slap you in the face after 10-15 hours and deny you from completing the game! It just doesn't work for anyone! Even if they fixed the difficulty curve, the floaty jumping and repetitive level design would still render this a mediocre platformer. This game may be more polished than the first Yooka Laylee but it sure isn't as compelling.    … Expand
  2. PikachuRebelde
    Oct 9, 2019
    6
    Okay, but doesnt ground breaking. Although i like the music and graphics, the gameplay is nothing special.
  3. alan2pc
    Oct 15, 2020
    7
    This game plays a lot like Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze with similar level design, box busting rolls, roll jumps, and collectibles. You gather up beetalions, saving one at the end of each level, which serve as 1 more hit you can take in the impossible lair. You can access the impossible lair or not so impossible lair at any point in the game. That’s not a joke. There are 2This game plays a lot like Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze with similar level design, box busting rolls, roll jumps, and collectibles. You gather up beetalions, saving one at the end of each level, which serve as 1 more hit you can take in the impossible lair. You can access the impossible lair or not so impossible lair at any point in the game. That’s not a joke. There are 2 different lairs, and that’s what they are called. When you feel you are ready, you go to the lair and try to beat the game. You will quickly learn that the more beetalions the better. Overall, I thought Donkey Kong was an 8/10, so I gave this one 7/10. Its the next best thing.… Expand
  4. Robertinho123
    Jan 25, 2020
    5
    I enjoyed 90% of this game, and for most of it I was doubting between 8 and 9. It has a few too many design flaws to be a 9, so 90% of this game is a solid 8. The thing I really like is that you can customise the game to fit your play-style, you can modify it to make it easier or harder and you can make it fit your visual style as well.

    And then the 'final' level comes in. This is a 30    I enjoyed 90% of this game, and for most of it I was doubting between 8 and 9. It has a few too many design flaws to be a 9, so 90% of this game is a solid 8. The thing I really like is that you can customise the game to fit your play-style, you can modify it to make it easier or harder and you can make it fit your visual style as well.

    And then the 'final' level comes in. This is a 30 minute level with no checkpoints and it's just so hard it stops being fun. I played through the entire game with relative ease, using no modifiers to make it easier, got all 48 beetallions and still can only make it to 47% of the final level. Every run takes about 15 minutes before I die as well, so it's not like I can easily trial and error this.

    The entire concept just goes out the window, the entire game you can customise the difficulty level and then they end it off with this. I'm disappointed. I'd say I'm probably an average gamer and without a buttload of practice, I'll never be able to finish this game. Four bossfights, impossible platforming and no checkpoints, there's just no point to even keep trying.

    Games are supposed to be fun and for almost the entire game before this point, this game was just that, customisable fun. It's sad they threw that whole concept out of the window for the last level.    … Expand
  5. mtkf
    Nov 29, 2020
    6
    I want to love this game but I don't. It's good for what it is, a knockoff Donkey Kong style game. Some of the levels are fun, but it becomes boring and starts to feel like a chore. I might be halfway through the game and I don't think I'll finish it, esp since the last level is apparently very difficult and I've already lost interest in getting that far.
  6. Gontrand00
    Dec 7, 2020
    7
    Even if this game has some great qualities, it kinda feels rushed. Another game that could have being amazing but was a little bit wasted.

    +Nice universe, we can see the touch of people who worked with Rare before +Kinda funny, relaxing and quirky +First quarter of the game feels nice, well balanced +Lot of collectibles, which I always enjoy +The overworld which is fulled with good    Even if this game has some great qualities, it kinda feels rushed. Another game that could have being amazing but was a little bit wasted.

    +Nice universe, we can see the touch of people who worked with Rare before
    +Kinda funny, relaxing and quirky
    +First quarter of the game feels nice, well balanced
    +Lot of collectibles, which I always enjoy
    +The overworld which is fulled with good ideas

    -Frustatingly hard starting the half of the game, for no apparent reason other that ''the game needs to make you suffer''
    -Not the best gameplay either : Yooka can roll but it's not as precise as in Donkey Kong, the character also feels like it's weighing a ton since it doesn't jump well, the platform sometimes are slippery for no reason (and you die because of that)
    **** = this is the worst part and makes the game being unfun at some point. You can never really go fast because the way the ennemies are programmed is that they are always **** with your flow, you cannot even dodge half of them or you'll die. Which is pointless since it doesn't even give you a chance to dodge them if you are good enough.
    -The collectibles are also a bad thing in this game : the 5 coins to find in every level are not that bad to find for the first quarter, but after chapter 10 they are insanely hard and unfair. You need to die several times to get to know how to reach a specific coin. But the thing is that you also need them to progress.
    -The way to move in the overworld feels so sluggish by moments. You can have nice puzzles to solve and that really add some fun to the game, instead of just being levels after levels, but it really need more polish.
    -The loading time at the beginning, every time you start the game. It litterally takes a MINUTE everytime to load the game. That's not possible anymore.

    All in all a good game, but you need to be sadistic to finish this game 100% because it's actually not fun to do. With more polish, better gameplay and a better difficulty-curve, this could have been as good as the DK series for sure. I really hope the devs are gonna make another game like that but without those flaws.    … Expand
  7. poggomobile
    Apr 24, 2022
    6
    The game is nicely animated and fun to play... Main issue is you are constantly stopped from playing with various conversations you have to click though, and cut scenes that take up more time than they are worth.... Trim the fat, and find a way to tell the player what's happening without locking everything up and this game would be a lot better.
  8. Pdvz
    Feb 1, 2023
    6
    No geral, o game é bom! A jogabilidade é decente, os gráficos são legais, e destaque para a ótima trilha sonora. Porém, senti uma falta de originalidade, pois tudo se parece uma mistura de Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong e até mesmo dos antigos Zelda. Além disso, vários levels possuem uma dificuldade desbalanceada, e há um excesso de colecionáveis desnecessários, como em DK 64, que tornam oNo geral, o game é bom! A jogabilidade é decente, os gráficos são legais, e destaque para a ótima trilha sonora. Porém, senti uma falta de originalidade, pois tudo se parece uma mistura de Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong e até mesmo dos antigos Zelda. Além disso, vários levels possuem uma dificuldade desbalanceada, e há um excesso de colecionáveis desnecessários, como em DK 64, que tornam o jogo muito exaustivo... os tônicos, por exemplo, ficam escondidos de maneira totalmente sem sentido e dificilmente são úteis. Entretanto, apesar dos problemas, o game tem muito a oferecer e vale a pena dar uma chance; mas me diverti menos do que esperava.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Best Switch Game of 2019
40
#40 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Universo Nintendo
    Jun 4, 2020
    90
    It’s such a shame that Nintendo have little interest in developing a sixth DKC, but at the same time it’s incredible how Playtonic nailed the formula so well. Fun levels, on point difficulty, visuais and soundtrack very well executed and a slew of new ideas really makes The Impossible Lair feel like a sequel to a series that we like so much, and not just a cheap knock-off.
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  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 29, 2020
    90
    I had doubts concerning Playtonic's ability to evolve past their '90s game design mentality, but they've proved this naysayer wrong with a strong rebound performance! [Issue #43 – November/December 2019, p. 18SH]
  3. Attack of the Fanboy
    Oct 23, 2019
    90
    Even with plenty of superb 2D platformers releasing in recent years, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair easily belongs alongside the best the generation has to offer thanks to excellent level design and platforming that is evocative of past classics from the genre.
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