Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

 Xbox One
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 52
  3. Negative: 14 out of 52
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  1. Xbox_Alive
    Oct 30, 2019
    9
    Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair: I highly recommend trying this game even if you weren't a huge fan oof the 1st game in the series as it’s completely different and extremely well done to the excellence we've come to expect from Rare. An Absolute delight to play, every bit of this game shows how much heart and soul was poured into making this brilliant 2.5 platforming game, the gameYooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair: I highly recommend trying this game even if you weren't a huge fan oof the 1st game in the series as it’s completely different and extremely well done to the excellence we've come to expect from Rare. An Absolute delight to play, every bit of this game shows how much heart and soul was poured into making this brilliant 2.5 platforming game, the game play is top notch the platforming is near perfect, the difficultly doesn’t expect amazing feats of platforming nor is it afraid of challenging you at times. The game rewards exploration with an abundance of secrets, some are really hard to find some are easy, again it has the perfect balance, The game feels like a perfect length, not to short and doesn't overstay it’s welcome. The way the levels play is very unique as each level has two variants, these variants are not simple padding nor are they duplicates, each variant offers a big change in the gameplay of that level. The variants are unlocked in a rather unique way, you have to change the overworld in some small way and have it effect the level’s entrance to access them. The music is outstanding, truly an OST that will be put on repeat many times over the following years, each track fits the level perfectly in both theme and pace of the levels, The graphics are beautiful, colorful and charming to say the least, the strong art direction has easily helped give Yooka-Laylee their own identity in the gaming world. With so many games going for the simplistic flatfish art style, Yooka Laylee easily standout with their strong vibrant colourful style in your Xbox One Library.… Expand
  2. PikachuRebelde
    Oct 9, 2019
    5
    While this game can be very fun in some parts, it´s too frustrating found glitches in every level. You can pass time with this, but this "little fun" goes away after a while. Recommended only if you are a platformer fan.
  3. Saselpipero333
    Oct 9, 2019
    0
    If you like bad games with plenty of DLC and game breaking bugs... this is for you.
  4. PietStok
    Oct 10, 2019
    10
    DON'T believe the negative reviews (which are all posted by 1 guy with multiple accounts), 'cause it runs like a charm (60fps) and the only DLC is a tonic pack, which costs just $/€4,- (and is 100% optional)!
  5. GermanGarmendio
    Oct 9, 2019
    0
    There´s some things that i like but overall is a buggy experience. Play the first game instead.
  6. JinoGamer
    Oct 9, 2019
    1
    Right now, this game is unplayable in some parts. Well, it can be a decent game, but the DLC are a joke. With this buggy game what man wants to paid for this???
  7. Chrisosttimo
    Dec 21, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Jogo excelente e muito bem desenvolvido!. é isso ai Playtonic, mostra para a Rare as origens deles e como é pra ser feito.… Expand
  8. Gaffelstein
    Dec 15, 2020
    0
    One of the best platformers I've played in a long time. Reminds me of the warm fuzzy feeling I'd get playing the N64
  9. gddurruti
    Apr 12, 2020
    9
    Excelente juego que trae a la memoria a Donkey Kong de Rare, difícil y retador, excelentes gráficas, excelente control, un OST fascinante, es un juego genial para la vieja escuela, los únicos puntos malos son que esporádicamente tiene lag en momentos importantes, en los cuales debes ser preciso, el "Imposible lair" es prácticamente eso... Imposible, por lo que los niños no están aptos paraExcelente juego que trae a la memoria a Donkey Kong de Rare, difícil y retador, excelentes gráficas, excelente control, un OST fascinante, es un juego genial para la vieja escuela, los únicos puntos malos son que esporádicamente tiene lag en momentos importantes, en los cuales debes ser preciso, el "Imposible lair" es prácticamente eso... Imposible, por lo que los niños no están aptos para un nivel tan elevado. Recomendable.… Expand
  10. Delboy187
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game , full of awesome quests ans mystery, even after 6 hours of gameplay wanted more.… Expand
  11. BlueReview
    Feb 1, 2021
    5
    The core of this game as a platformer is great and most of the overworld stuff really enhances the experience that brings back some great nostalgia from older SNES platformer games with hub worlds. Unfortunately though, there's a lot of major issues with the hit boxes in this game. I believe a lot of the hitbox problems are built around the reliance on creating tonics as collectibles,The core of this game as a platformer is great and most of the overworld stuff really enhances the experience that brings back some great nostalgia from older SNES platformer games with hub worlds. Unfortunately though, there's a lot of major issues with the hit boxes in this game. I believe a lot of the hitbox problems are built around the reliance on creating tonics as collectibles, having to balance a game around a collection of Tonics that increase speed and rolling and enemy health seems lacking as parts of the games can feel broken with certain tonics on or off. Early on in the game, I put a tonic on that made enemies take 2 hits which made some future collectibles nearly impossible to collect, doubly so when 75% of the games hitboxes feel off. The overworld gimmicks are awesome but the fact that every level has one felt like it took away some of that special feeling of finding them. I believe the game would have benefited from more unique levels and making the alternate levels more scarce especially when you sometimes feel like you are spending more time on the overworld than in actual levels. A lot of this is nitpicky but in the long run, that is because I really like the basic aspect of the game but the little things here and there add up but ultimately this game would be a solid 8/10 if the hitboxes and occassional jump momentum shifts didn't feel off so frequently.… Expand
  12. ProfAmateur
    Dec 15, 2021
    6
    The game is a mixture of Yoshi, Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda (Link between Worlds on 2DS/3DS).
    It gets challenging relatively quickly. Therefore, there can be some frustrating moments, unless you are already very experienced in such games.
    The levels are nicely done. However, the graphics and effects are not up to date. From about 50% progress it becomes quite grind-heavy, because you    The game is a mixture of Yoshi, Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda (Link between Worlds on 2DS/3DS).
    It gets challenging relatively quickly. Therefore, there can be some frustrating moments, unless you are already very experienced in such games.
    The levels are nicely done. However, the graphics and effects are not up to date.
    From about 50% progress it becomes quite grind-heavy, because you need a lot of coins for the paywalls. The paywall itself I find a funny idea, but since you have to play through many levels several times after a certain point (so you have enough coins), it gets annoying. That was also the point where I stopped playing.    … Expand
  13. neomoonsevin
    Apr 8, 2023
    8
    Definitely has banjo vibes I like this game and cannot wait for the sequel game to drop this version of yooka reminds me kind of like the map screen in Mario games of the past very good game

Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best Xbox One Game of 2019
58
#58 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Cubed3
    Jan 21, 2022
    90
    A love letter to the Donkey Kong Country series, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair goes beyond a standard homage, and crafts something beautiful of its own. Fantastic challenging platforming, spanning across 40 imaginative levels, and a charming graphical art style. This is an essential 2D platformer that should not be missed, even more so by the fact that it is being sold for budget point.
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  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Nov 18, 2019
    90
    Yooka-Laylee smartly ditches 3D to instead focus on perfecting 2D platforming. [Issue#184, p.77]
  3. IGN Spain
    Nov 3, 2019
    90
    Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair manages to surpass its predecessor in almost every aspect. The change to the two dimensions has been great.
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