Summary
When Playtonic announced earlier this yearthatYooka-Layleewould be getting a remaster in the form of the incredibly namedYooka-Replaylee, my reaction was a buddy duo of surprise and confusion. While 2017feelslike centuries ago now, it really hasn’t been that long since the original game, which left me wondering whether a remaster would even be worth it, no matter how pun-filled its title was.
The more I thought about it, though, the more I realised how much the original Yooka-Laylee could benefit from a tune-up.Even though I’m a platformer die-hardand a big fan of Yooka’s inspiration,Banjo-Kazooie, I didn’t click with the original game at all despite my best effortsafter a bear-and-bird-less decade.
Yooka-Laylee had a lot going for it, from its characters to its world and platforming, but it was also let down by technical issues, a camera that was old school in the worst way, and some confusing design choices like the lack of a map and fast-travel despite the impressively big worlds. With all of that in mind, a redo really does have the potential to make Yooka and Laylee’s first outing shine as brightly as its follow-up, The Impossible Lair.
Hot Fuzz
Even after I’d convinced myself that Yooka-Replaylee wasn’t as strange a choice as it might seem, I still had some reservations. Still, I’ve changed a lot since 2017 and I bet that Playtonic has too - if there’s any kind of game I’m willing to give a second chance, it’s a platformer that has a snake named Trowzer. You’ll get that on the drive home.
My preview took place in Glitterglaze Glacier, Yooka-Laylee’s icy second world and, poetically, exactly where my first playthrough ended. The first thing that drew my not-so-googly eyes was the overhauled graphics. Yooka-Laylee already looked great, but Replaylee makes the vibrant world pop more than ever before, following in Rare’s footsteps by making its remastered characters as fuzzy as possible.
Yooka-Replaylee also boasts a wonderful orchestrated score that takes Grant Kirkhope’s music to the next level. I only heard a few tracks but they sound just as excellent as you’d expect so far.
A Tuned-Up Yooka-Laylee
Once I’d moved beyond Yooka’s shiny scales and Laylee’s fresh coat of fuzz, I instantly jumped back into the swing of things and started hopping around with the best of them on the hunt for Pagies, Quills, and more, which is where Replaylee’s more nitty-gritty improvements came into play. The most important of these is the reworked camera, which soured a lot of original players.
I’m very happy to report that I had barely any issues during my time jumping around Glitterglaze. It’s impossible to say that it’s been fully fixed from only an hour of play, but I can say that it wasn’t a problem at all from my hands-on time. Considering how make-or-break it was for some seven years ago, it’s a big point in Replaylee’s favour.
The other massive change that’s been made to Yooka-Laylee is the addition of a map that tracks challenges, characters, and new fast-travel points that have been dotted around each level, which is easily my favourite addition. Collectathons can be overwhelming enough as it is, but Yooka-Laylee was even more frustrating because of how big its expansive worlds are, but now they’re much easier to traverse.
Replaylee also adds a brand-new collectible currency that can be found scattered throughout levels and then spent at Vendi on Tonics and costumes.
Combine those two big overhauls with controls that feel far more fluid and Yooka-Replaylee quickly started to feel like the game I wished we’d received in 2017. As someone who bounced off the original release, it says a lot to me that I didn’t want the demo to end and found myself grinning as I obsessively collected everything in sight.
Collecting My Thoughts
Beyond getting to see all of the ways that Replaylee has been shaped-up, my demo also reminded me of what Yooka-Laylee did so well in the first place, from its imaginative moveset and surprisingly packed worlds to its witty cast of characters that are packed with quintessentially British humour.
While Yooka-Replaylee is undoubtedly shaping up to be the best way to experience Yooka and Laylee’s origin, there are some things about the original that a coat of fuzz won’t change minds about. The massive worlds and intense number of collectibles are here to stay, as are the occasionally confusing platforming puzzles that don’t hold your hand much.
I’m not sure if Yooka-Replaylee changes enough to draw in anyone who isn’t already a fan of platformers and collectathons, but my short time with the game was enough to know that it’s so much more than a fuzzy facelift. Yooka-Replaylee is shaping up to be a worthy redo, whether you’re jumping in for the first time or giving it a replaylee.
