Yooka-Laylee

 Switch
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. FNintendo
    Feb 26, 2018
    70
    Yooka-Laylee brings back some of the action platforming magic that was so successful in the late 90s in an effort that is full of nostalgic bliss. Being more of a retro-looking work than a trailblazing new platformer, it could use some improvements regarding certain sections that turn out to be too frustrating for its own good, as well as its combat mechanics and the way the camera moves but none of this prevents Yooka-Laylee from striking a chord with the fans of classic 3D platformers.
  2. Switch Player
    Dec 18, 2017
    70
    The extra time taken to bring Yooka Laylee to the Nintendo Switch has been worth it. The game runs extremely well on the Switch and feels well polished. A few design issues, however, means that this spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie is good but not quite great!
  3. Wccftech
    Dec 15, 2017
    70
    Yooka-Laylee is a fun throwback to a simpler time, but in the process some things got lost in translation. Whether it’s rose-tinted specs or just modern game design sensibilities, something doesn’t feel right with Yooka-Laylee, even if it runs great on Switch. I guess it just can’t compare to the likes of Super Mario Odyssey.
  5. Vooks
    Dec 14, 2017
    70
    Yooka-Laylee has a ton of heart put into it. The team at Playtonic know how to make 90’s platformers and they’ve done it here. The problem is that not everything in those games was great then and they’re not great now. The game’s world is filled with a wonderful and funny cast, it’s just spread a bit thin in huge but empty worlds. The nostalgic soundtrack luckily fills those vast spaces. Yooka-Laylee is a terrific throwback to an era long dead. Let’s just have more of the good parts and keep the bad parts in the past.
  6. Worth Playing
    Jan 4, 2018
    67
    Playing through Yooka-Laylee is fun. It has plenty of rough patches, but it's a fun journey if you ignore its shortcomings. It may be tough, it's not a pure joy ride, and it isn't the best collect-a-thon, but there are plenty of charming characters and incredibly goofy dialogue. Genre fans who loved Banjo will find things to like in Yooka-Laylee. Here's hoping that Playtonic revisits the world it has created in Yooka-Laylee and develops it further in a sequel that has some fresh new ideas and a more polished approach.
  7. InsideGamer.nl
    Dec 27, 2017
    67
    If you love platform games, Yooka-Laylee really is a game you want to love. However, after a few hours you will notice that this game fails at really offering the same quality as other games in this genre.
  8. Gamer.nl
    Dec 14, 2017
    65
    The Switch version of Yooka Laylee already includes the important updates of the other platforms, meaning that the game is a smooth play without any bugs. It is a great genre to play on the go, though the game itself does not really offer enough originality.
  9. NintendoWorldReport
    Dec 18, 2017
    60
    When Yooka-Laylee was originally announced as a Kickstarter project by former Rare developers, it gave fans of the 3D platformer hope that a nearly dead genre could return to its former glory. It’s unfortunate, then, that Yooka-Laylee is no more than a mediocre attempt to capture nostalgia from the days of yore. In a year that has given us some truly innovative and special 3D platformers that pushed the genre to new heights, I can only really recommend pushing through Yooka-Laylee’s pedestrian campaign to the most enthusiastic of old Rare’s fans.

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Best Switch Game of 2017
39
#39 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
66
#66 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 167 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 103 out of 167
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 167
  3. Negative: 31 out of 167
  1. Coolamanen50
    Dec 14, 2017
    9
    Yooka laylee is the Banjo Threeie i have always waited for but my problem is that it feels like a small budget game.

    Let's start with the    Yooka laylee is the Banjo Threeie i have always waited for but my problem is that it feels like a small budget game.

    Let's start with the good parts, controlls are good i love the characters. The rare charm is still there and i like the dialouge. The only problem is with the dialouge is that they spoil many stuff in the game with 4th wall jokes. I like the expand mechanic. Overall the game is Banjo kazooie and it's really fun.

    But i can't avoid to realise how low budget the game feels compared to Banjo kazooie. Like you can go to many areas which you are not even supposed to be in and experience some weird glitches.

    I'll give the game a 8.5/5 which makes the metacritic score 9/10    … Full Review »
  2. SporadicDeviant
    Mar 29, 2020
    10
    I finally took the time to 100% this game. I earned every pagie, found all the quills, round up all ghost writers, and even collected theI finally took the time to 100% this game. I earned every pagie, found all the quills, round up all ghost writers, and even collected the hidden pirate treasures. An I did it all without any help from a guide, wiki, or any other outside help. The game's intention was to recreate the style and feel of games like Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie, and Donkey Kong 64 while also having an identity of its own. After spending 21 hours completing the game, I can say, from where I'm standing, Yooka Laylee more than accomplishes its goal.
    The game controls smoothly. Navigation is more open than most platformers of the past. The music and art style is amazing. The characters are charming with clever (if somewhat cheesy) writing. Collecting the majority of the various macguffins feels rewarding to do with how each world changes the pace so that the game doesn't get stale. The overall package is a great experience.
    The fact that the game got a relatively mixed reception from critics and certain fans just baffles me to no end. It's not that I think that everyone should like the games that I like, it's that the majority of criticisms thrown this game's way either, don't apply to the game anymore after the patches (camera and framerate), are mostly false (how are worlds with this many collectibles/challenges "empty" to some?), or stem from a misunderstanding of the genre of collect-a-thon 3D platformers. Games like Yooka Laylee are designed to test the player's knowledge of the layout of each world and how to navigate them. The fact that a lot are complaining that they get lost shows that the game is succeeding in challenging the player in that aspect. Saying that a 3D platformer like Yooka Laylee should have features like a mini-map, or any kind of map, is like saying that a RPG like The Elder Scrolls should only provide the player with a prebuilt character to play as.
    That's not to say the game is perfect (no game truly is if we're being honest here). The Rextros minigames are hit and miss and the fact that each world makes you repeat each minigame for the full completion feels like padding. The pagies earned with Kartos felt very much like trial and error, although it never got to the point of irritation but I understand if it was frustrating for others.
    If I were to compare Yooka Laylee to the collect-a-thon platformers that Rareware made for the N64, I would say that Yooka Laylee isn't AS good as Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64, but I think it's just a tad better than Banjo Tooie.
    My overall score for the game is between a 9 and 10, however, due to the game succeeding in recreating the feel of old school 3D platformers of the late 1990's/early 2000's, I'll bump up my User Score slightly and give Yooka Laylee a 10/10.    … Full Review »
  3. hawkeye369
    Dec 16, 2017
    6
    Yooka Laylee is an enjoyable experience that feels uncertain on what it desires to be. It seemingly relies on its predecessor, Banjo, moreYooka Laylee is an enjoyable experience that feels uncertain on what it desires to be. It seemingly relies on its predecessor, Banjo, more than it should really. Disclaimer, I have never played any Banjo game and rating this game on its own merit.

    To begin, I'm going to start out positive. I just adore Yooka and Laylee together. I love how they're animated and their relationship to one another. Yooka is pretty level headed while Laylee is a bit of a **** sometimes, which I love. Bad puns are thrown left and right along with 4th wall breaks that'll make you chuckle. The collectibles are satisfying to collect; the pagies, quills, ghosts, and other unique collectibles. These aren't just given to you, sometimes you'll have do a little side quest, a race course, a mini game, and puzzle solving. With each world you unlock, you unlock a new move that can not only be used to get to the world, but also be used in previous worlds to collect other collectibles you couldn't before. There is a strong sense of progression and for each world is a boss that isn't a three hit knockout (except for one). These bosses and how you defeat them vary tremendously from one another, which is a lot of fun.

    However, this game has many faults. For instance, the camera doesn't go through walls meaning if there is a rock in the way of your camera, it isn't going anywhere. You will be fighting the camera through the whole game and be forced to work around the problem to make it work. I've missed a few jumps before because I couldn't get the angle I wanted. Furthermore, characters from previous worlds are reused in others and the new characters you do meet aren't fleshed out as little as not at all. Earlier I said you will unlock new abilities that can be used to collect other pagies and such in previous levels. This would be fine, however, the game doesn't tell you if a particular pagie or other collectible is out of your reach! You may find yourself wasting time on a particular part without realizing it's something to collect for a later time, which really can be infuriating. And the quiz levels, oh how I abhor the quizzes... There are sections in the game when you are progressing through the next world, Mr. Quack will stop you in your tracks and force you to answer at least 10 questions right (5 if you answer the questions fast enough) and I can't help wonder if they had made a boss fight in these sequences instead. The quizzes usually come down to how many collectibles do you have, what's this character's name from the previous one or two worlds, etc. These quizzes are just boring and goes back to what I said about this game not knowing what it wants to be, because apparently Banjo had quizzes, too. Naturally, the devs felt compelled to do the same, but in reality, they would be off so much better without them. Also, the soundtrack is the most inconsistent I've ever heard. Either it's underwhelming or overwhelming according to where you are and what you're doing. The hub world, for example, is overwhelming. The music is loud af and you're not doing anything. You're in the hub world for crying out loud! Tone it down two notches or something.

    Overall, this game is slightly above average. HOWEVER! Despite your perception of how you view 6's, I recommend playing this game. Like I said in the beginning, I 100% this game. I didn't do it because I just wanted to say I did it. I played through and saw everything because I was having fun. I felt accomplished clearing a world of all it had to offer. I genuinely enjoyed playing the game and I really wanted to give this game a 7, but with all its faults, I couldn't do it. If you're wondering whether you should buy this game or not, you should ask yourself if you can deal with the issues I presented like I've dealt with them. There really is an enjoyable experience to be had here, and considering it's $40 instead of $60, I can tell myself it was money well spent without a shadow of a doubt. I may play it again after a little while when I forget where everything is. I hope you've found this review helpful.    … Full Review »
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