Yooka-Laylee

 Switch
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

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  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 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    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    … Expand
  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 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 ofI 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.    … Expand
  3. GagzGaming
    Feb 23, 2018
    10
    Excellent game. Game did exactly what developers promised, which was to be a spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie. While it would have been better to have a couple of additional worlds, the world's there were absolutely gorgeous and well designed. There were complaints that the game felt too empty; I think this criticism is misplaced. The game's world's were massive with a ton to do. WhileExcellent game. Game did exactly what developers promised, which was to be a spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie. While it would have been better to have a couple of additional worlds, the world's there were absolutely gorgeous and well designed. There were complaints that the game felt too empty; I think this criticism is misplaced. The game's world's were massive with a ton to do. While Banjo Kazooie had 10 jiggies per world, and 100 notes, these game world's had 25 pagies (equivalent of jiggies) and 200 quills (equivalent of musical notes). Interestingly, the game had a lot of influence from Banjo Tooie as well. For example, in Banjo Kazooie, you have to collect many "mumbo skulls" for each transformation, whereas in Tooie, it was just one Glowbo (similarly, in Yooka, it was one DNA molecule thingy). The music was very fitting, and the presentation was crisp, with a lot of attention to detail to the characters. I would have preferred more variety in terms of enemies, but again, just a little nuisance. In my 55 hours of gameplay, I probably had a total of 2-3 minutes cumulatively where the camera gave any issues (and even then, nothing big, just annoyances). Overall, the game truly was a successor to Banjo Kazooie (and Tooie) and it delivered on all fronts. The quizzes that people complained about literally lasted a couple of minutes. Kartos minecart sections were tough, but doable and the music was great. The one area I probably would have eliminated or gone differently was the mini games from Rextro. The controls on those were clunky and it just didn't add any value. But they're not mandatory, hence, they won't affect score. Overall, excellent game with great level design and music and characters.… Expand
  4. Krankstar2K
    Dec 21, 2017
    8
    Amazing game. I am giving a 8/10 and here is a breakdown of why.
    + Did you like classic Rare IP's before Microsoft destroyed that dev company.. This game is a true advancement from Banjo Kazooie.
    + World is nice and colorful with interesting side missions such as RCPro Am classic games that are run from a 64-Bit T-Rex + Music is composed from the same guy who did Banjo.. also the team    Amazing game. I am giving a 8/10 and here is a breakdown of why.
    + Did you like classic Rare IP's before Microsoft destroyed that dev company.. This game is a true advancement from Banjo Kazooie.
    + World is nice and colorful with interesting side missions such as RCPro Am classic games that are run from a 64-Bit T-Rex
    + Music is composed from the same guy who did Banjo.. also the team behind the game is largely from classic Rareware.

    Now some negatives.. IMO the characters of Yooka and Laylee are not as good and one of the weaker designed characters in the game.
    Before the huge quality patch that came a couple months after games launch on PC,PS4,Xbox.. this game would have received much lower scores so take that into account when reading old reviews. They fixed camera angles, chat, fall damage, and many many others.

    This version while in side by sides is slightly downgraded.. Yooka looks great and having this title portable and on a Nintendo console makes this the definitive edition. A price drop is needed though as all other versions can be purchased for 20 bucks and that gets you a physical edition on other consoles,.    … Expand
  5. Digibutter64
    Mar 24, 2019
    8
    A pretty great platformer. Aside from the obvious Banjo-Kazooie comparison, if you like Donkey Kong 64, you'll probably like this. This genre that was largely seen in the 1990s still has potential, and Yooka-Laylee, with its fun gameplay and fantastic humour, proves that.
  6. Carlinhos
    Apr 20, 2018
    8
    This game succeeds beautifully in accomplishing the developers's envision of revisiting the 90's 3D collectathon platforming genre. I can only hope this genre flourishes again, and Yooka-Laylee is certainly a great step toward this goal. I wish for an eventual sequel to have a bigger budget and development team, so it can be bigger, harder, and more ambitious overall (I mean, I neverThis game succeeds beautifully in accomplishing the developers's envision of revisiting the 90's 3D collectathon platforming genre. I can only hope this genre flourishes again, and Yooka-Laylee is certainly a great step toward this goal. I wish for an eventual sequel to have a bigger budget and development team, so it can be bigger, harder, and more ambitious overall (I mean, I never played Banjo Nuts & Bolts, but it clearly has better art direction and sound effects compared to Yooka-Laylee). Despite it's flaws, as the long loading times and some framerate and camera hiccups, I highly recommend this game. If you're a fan of Donkey Kong 64, Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, then you're in for a treat!… Expand
  7. verdammte
    Sep 2, 2019
    10
    This is an excellent game in numerous ways. The game is a spiritual successor to the Banjo-Kazooie series and developed by the studio that succeeded Rare, the creators of Banjo-Kazooie. There are not many worlds to explore, but you expand each of the worlds as you explore further. The music, characters, and environment are colorful and unique. The graphics on PC, Switch, and PS4 are allThis is an excellent game in numerous ways. The game is a spiritual successor to the Banjo-Kazooie series and developed by the studio that succeeded Rare, the creators of Banjo-Kazooie. There are not many worlds to explore, but you expand each of the worlds as you explore further. The music, characters, and environment are colorful and unique. The graphics on PC, Switch, and PS4 are all excellent and there's no poor choice of platform.

    I've bought this game on PC, Switch, and PS4 and would happily support the devs further if the opportunity presents itself. I highly recommend this game and consider it a must-have on any platform.    … Expand
  8. kreegan64
    Aug 23, 2018
    10
    The graphics look great and the gameplay is a blast to the past. It's clear that the devs really love their Banjo & Kazooie games that they've haven't been able to work on for decades now due to it belonging to Microsoft now. It's very cute and fun, a love letter to those who grew up playing games like B&K and Mario 64. The best part is that the Switch version is the definitive version,The graphics look great and the gameplay is a blast to the past. It's clear that the devs really love their Banjo & Kazooie games that they've haven't been able to work on for decades now due to it belonging to Microsoft now. It's very cute and fun, a love letter to those who grew up playing games like B&K and Mario 64. The best part is that the Switch version is the definitive version, it's right at home along with Mario Odyssey. Since their updates it's only gotten better and this is a recommendation to anyone who likes cute games, Mario Odyssey, platformers, fun games, and the like. Do yourself a favor and get the physical version that's on Limitedrungames, it'll be worth it.… Expand
  9. Klaww25
    Oct 10, 2020
    9
    I am just appalled how underrated this game is. 3d Platformers are like traditional Action Adventure games, my favorite genres in gaming has become so rare that every year, we're getting too few of them since 2d platformers developed by indie developers are just as common as open world games. This game has great graphics, sound design, and tons of content for a low budget game. This game,I am just appalled how underrated this game is. 3d Platformers are like traditional Action Adventure games, my favorite genres in gaming has become so rare that every year, we're getting too few of them since 2d platformers developed by indie developers are just as common as open world games. This game has great graphics, sound design, and tons of content for a low budget game. This game, reminds me of the first Ratchet and Clank game it doesn't hold your hand. Which is a welcome break since handholding ruined modern Jrpgs and open world games since, the market is oversaturated with those types of games. I hope in the future we get more 3d Platformers, and traditional action adventure games because those genres can only be experienced on older consoles. On newer consoles they just focus on open world games, RPGS, and shooters which has ruined modern gaming for me. I just want traditional action adventure games such as, Zelda and GOW and 3d Platformers more. Because those types of games are a goldmine in the Ps2/Xbox/GameCube era which was the golden age of gaming. Gaming started getting bland after 2010, just like the main series Pokemon games got boring after gen 4 since, the 5th gen of Pokemon is more overrated than all the Uncharted games combined. It has a default installment called Pokemon Bw which is overrated by professional critics and it was equally as dull as RBY because of the region is bland and
    the game has a lack of innovation. I want to Play Pokemon Shadows of Almia because Pokemon BW are, one of the worst games I have played in modern gaming for copy pasting it's predecessor, and holding your hand like Zelda Skyward Sword.    … Expand
  10. Grovy_Sparky
    Mar 28, 2019
    9
    I Want to put a 8.5 note, but is better to give a hand. Yooka-Laylee is a really nostalgic trip back to the late 90's, where Games like Banjo-Kazooie and Spyro Original Trilogy, Mades a very nice Collectaton Experience... It try to focus on that nostalgic trip, Colorfull Main Characters, Beauty and Fantastic Worlds, Many Objects to collect, Challenges to Do... Quest to Find, and Bosses toI Want to put a 8.5 note, but is better to give a hand. Yooka-Laylee is a really nostalgic trip back to the late 90's, where Games like Banjo-Kazooie and Spyro Original Trilogy, Mades a very nice Collectaton Experience... It try to focus on that nostalgic trip, Colorfull Main Characters, Beauty and Fantastic Worlds, Many Objects to collect, Challenges to Do... Quest to Find, and Bosses to Defeat.

    As a game idea, is almost a nostalgia Trip, But the Expanding World idea is a really interesting concept, but also a Double-Edge idea. Beacuse the Lenght of these Expanded Levels, After the 1st arrival, you could get lost and bored for not find the collectables; Fortunately With the Habilities you obtain in later game, and one or other Tonic, you can enjoy a bit more the experience

    Technically, i felt so well running on the Switch; Maybe, in certain parts you can experience bit laggy moments, it's potentially caused by the expanded worlds idea, but it doesn't affect gameplay really    … Expand
  11. Jefflocher
    Mar 9, 2018
    9
    You want a game to recapture the 90's AND compete with modern platformers? Make up your mind with what you want. You want a modern platformer? Play Mario Odyssey or Splatoon's story mode. You want to play a 90's game? Play Yooka-Laylee. That was the entire point of this game being made in the first place. The controls are tight, controlling the camera is smooth, music is charming, theYou want a game to recapture the 90's AND compete with modern platformers? Make up your mind with what you want. You want a modern platformer? Play Mario Odyssey or Splatoon's story mode. You want to play a 90's game? Play Yooka-Laylee. That was the entire point of this game being made in the first place. The controls are tight, controlling the camera is smooth, music is charming, the "voice acting" and dialogue will make you smile and laugh. Platformers are relatively simple games. Don't let your nostalgia and the Rareware team getting back together hype set your expectations unrealistically high.… Expand
  12. ssgibson
    Oct 24, 2019
    8
    It's good but not great. It does have its problems. Some of them were definitely pissing me off. Also you have to do a lot of backtracking which is something I've always hated in video games. No its not Banjo-Kazooie but its still a good game and would recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it.
  13. mokr90
    Aug 27, 2018
    9
    It really feels like a rare game, specifically as a banjo game. The graphics, physics, game-play is enjoyable
    The only thing I really hated was the flying mechanics, it is very hard to aim with precision the direction of your movements
  14. greninjaX
    Dec 1, 2018
    8
    this game has gotten a bit of a bad reputation online, but this is NOT another mighty number 9. yooka laylee is not a bad game, and if you've already gotten 100% completion in Mario odyssey but you still want more 3D platforming action on your switch, this is the game to buy.
  15. RawserJr
    Nov 19, 2019
    9
    Buen juego con mucha nostalgia, se siente por completo la inspiración de Banjo Kazooie y es realmente entretenido
  16. TheVirtualDude
    Feb 24, 2020
    10
    Any kid that grew up with an n64 will love this game. This game helped me get back into adventure games and platformers instead of just playing sports games. I completed it 100% on switch and Xbox one. This is a game that I was thankful to play because it reminded me so much of growing up with banjo kazoo I’ve and Mario 64. The camera is amazing compared to the older style games on 64
  17. Simoss13
    Sep 17, 2020
    8
    I am catching up on my backlog and excited to try this as being a fan of 3d platformers.
    Firstly, the camera may of been awful at launch but what I have played it seems solid. The way it works seems like its from the GameCube era. The camera may freeze or move around objects but moves very well which is important.
    How Yooka-Layee moves: although not as tight as Mario, isn't as floaty as    I am catching up on my backlog and excited to try this as being a fan of 3d platformers.
    Firstly, the camera may of been awful at launch but what I have played it seems solid. The way it works seems like its from the GameCube era. The camera may freeze or move around objects but moves very well which is important.
    How Yooka-Layee moves: although not as tight as Mario, isn't as floaty as Hat Girl. It's somewhere in between being more floaty then tight but easy to get used to. Your character has a great move set and like the idea that new moves are taught gradually. The interaction of the vendor in buying the moves is querky and fun to say the least. In fact all the diverse and qwerky characters add alot of charm to the game.
    I found Pagies (the main collectible) to be a fair challenge. Not just lying around and not a chore to obtain. They are very well placed.
    The graphical style and performance runs really well on the Switch. There is pop-in if you pay attention. Nothing game breaking when running around having a good time.
    A few things that irritated me;
    There is no map to explore and see the overworld. Sometimes you don't know where to go as the worlds are quite large
    Speaking of worlds. They can be a little too big with not alot to do. Nothing too bad but with more and can done with a few more enemies and enemy types. There are only like 4 enemy types reskinned in the game.
    My second biggest issues with these large world is no checkpoints and fast travel. if you fall or die its back to the last door you walked in which means some travel in the large world.
    This game is recommended in my books if you enjoy 3d platformers. You can tell there is alot of love in making this game. The music has a strong Mario and Rabbids vibe, wonder if it's the same composer. If there is a some quality of life improvements made this could move from a very good game to a great game.    … Expand
  18. anonymous1112
    Sep 5, 2021
    9
    I really enjoyed this game, a nice platformer game.

    Positive :
    - no bugs
    - graphics OK for switch
    - a lot of hours of game to finish it at 100% !
  19. Online_NPC
    Oct 29, 2021
    8
    Yooka-Laylee is a tribute to 90's 3D platformers from the N64 era. There's dons of puns and easter-eggs refrencing other franchises and other games that inspired this modern take on classic platformers. The graphics are solid, complete with the occasionally awkward cameras abundant in 3D 64-bit games. The music is good, and the only sounds that were a little annoying is the "beep speech"Yooka-Laylee is a tribute to 90's 3D platformers from the N64 era. There's dons of puns and easter-eggs refrencing other franchises and other games that inspired this modern take on classic platformers. The graphics are solid, complete with the occasionally awkward cameras abundant in 3D 64-bit games. The music is good, and the only sounds that were a little annoying is the "beep speech" from characters gets kind of old pretty fast. There's tons of challenges and min-games that allow you to choose your own path through the game playing the types of quests you like best, unlocking ne areas with new abilities and moves. YL and the sequel YL and the Impossible Lair sometimes go on sale in the eshop for $9.99 or less, and you absolutely must pick them up at that price.

    Graphics: 8.5
    Gameplay: 9.5
    Audio: 7
    Story: 8    … Expand
  20. OmegaJ17
    Jan 13, 2023
    9
    When I first encountered this game, I hated it for being a bootleg Banjo kazooie. But when I got more exposure too it, I started growing a soft spot for it. When I finally finished the game, I Found it to be downright marvelous.

    Playtonic really put a lot of effort and love into this. They recycled all the good Banjo mechanics while introducing lots of fun new ones. Take Trowzer, This    When I first encountered this game, I hated it for being a bootleg Banjo kazooie. But when I got more exposure too it, I started growing a soft spot for it. When I finally finished the game, I Found it to be downright marvelous.

    Playtonic really put a lot of effort and love into this. They recycled all the good Banjo mechanics while introducing lots of fun new ones. Take Trowzer, This game’s equivalent to bottles the mole. Trowzer is in one location, but you can get all the moves he has from one spot, removing the pointless tedium bottles had. A new feature that’s been added are arcade machines that host mini games. The character that hosts them is funny and likable, he often pokes fun at mobile games and micro transactions. I wish games did that, roast the mobile industry.

    The Worlds are creative and fun. Nothing looks the same (except in the castle level; that’s the only reason this is not a 10), and if you get lost, you can look for landmarks to find your way to your next objective. The hub world’s great too; nothing else would fit “evil bee that wants to steal every book in the world” better. You can also expand said worlds at any time, leaving you with a choice: do I expand now and backtrack, or expand once you have all the moves and complete it in one go?

    The collectibles are so much fun to collect. Take the ghosts for instance, instead of finding 5 jinjos like in Banjo, each one requires a different strategy, like to catch the red ghost you have to beat him in a mini boss fight. Another collectible I like to mention are the health and stamina boosters, instead of tediously finding honeycombs scattered in banjo, you now have just one to find that instantly increases the aforementioned stat. I could talk about all the others, but that would fill the 5,000 character limit.

    As I said before I LOVE this game. I don’t understand where the hate’s coming from, this game is amazing! If they’re kickstarting Tooka-Laylee, I’m donating every penny!    … Expand

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Feb 26, 2018
    75
    Playtonic's decision to hew so closely to '90s platformer conventions works both in Yooka-Laylee's favor and to its detriment. [Issue #32 – March/April 2018, p. 17]
  3. DarkStation
    Jan 16, 2018
    80
    Yooka-Laylee doesn’t branch too far from its obvious Banjo-Kazooie roots. It simply takes a bigger is better approach that doesn’t always work in its favor. Despite the flaws, it's a joy to explore the worlds and collect every goody. Yooka-Laylee may not be the most polished platformer around, but Playtonic Games has created an enjoyable love letter to 90's collectathon platforming. Hardcore fans of the genre will want to set their googly eyes on this one.
    Read full review
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