I was one of the original supporters YOOKA-LAYLEE over a decade ago when the original Kickstarter project launched, I have to admit that going from a college kid sitting in my dorm to playing a remaster of a game I helped fund long ago is a circle I never thought I’d ever enter.
I remember being a bit disappointed with the final design at the time. I found parts of it sloppy, and while it had a lot of charm and wit, I don’t think it lived up to my expectations of what it would be like. Banjo-Kazooie the successor would be. I thought that was it until I sat down to play and review the remastered version and I have to say it now.
Yooka-Replayee it’s a game I wish I had ten years ago. This doesn’t mean the game is perfect, but it’s still an enjoyable experience that solves many of the original’s problems. Even if Kartos is still around and as annoying as ever.
Greatly improved experience
When you start in Yooka-Replayee, you don’t start on a ship and have to get to the other side. Instead, you start out in what I can only call a tutorial cave, where after a tiny introduction you’re given all the moves from the start (apart from some of the bigger ones that you still need to unlock in the future) and are free to explore. It’s a much better intro than the original and feels like the game it’s based on, with some up-to-date additions to enhance the experience. I immediately felt that everything was much better than the original, and that was only the first 20 minutes.
The world doesn’t seem so empty now either. The developers have added many more collectibles to find, and while playing the last game you’ll have an advantage when it comes to finding most of the Ghost Writers, Pages, and more, replaying it, you’ll no doubt be amazed at some of the up-to-date secrets and trinkets to discover. This makes replaying it feel like New Game+ with additional content, giving you a reason to play again and see how different some parts are if you liked the original. Some sections have also been completely reworked, but I won’t reveal which ones, so you can discover these secrets for yourself.
You also don’t have swift travel locations for each world, which makes backtracking less of a pain. There are up-to-date Rextro Arcade levels and the originals have been completely removed. The polished story includes British tongue-in-cheek references to the fact that it’s a remaster, several up-to-date plot threads, and improved graphics with an orchestral soundtrack.
The placement of the NPCs is also different. All right. Some of them. Trowzer no longer gives you moves and instead appears at the beginning of each level, offering you the chance to exchange the Qwills you find in each world for upgrades, up-to-date costumes (oh, you can also dress up Yooka-Laylee if you want!) and bonuses. No longer gives you up-to-date moves; they’re all unlocked at the start and feel impressive instead Super Mario Odyssey purple coin shop instead.
The pace of the game has also been significantly improved. The developers have removed quizzes requiring participation between levels, so you can speed up the game without testing your knowledge with a tedious questionnaire. Movement is also tighter and I felt like I had more control over the duo in this game than in the previous game and I wasn’t falling unnecessarily or being penalized for being a good player.
There are many great improvements and I could go on for days, but these were the main ones that I felt I needed to pay attention to as someone who played the original.
However, not everything is perfect
There are a few changes that I found a bit questionable. For example, I know it’s an annoying pet, but removing the ability to fly everywhere once you unlock this ability and turning it into a physical, timed buff you have to find on the map is kind of a disappointment. My fondest memories of the older game were rushing to get the ability to fly anywhere and using it to make the game 100% easier, especially when there was a lot of backtracking. It also makes the final world even more confusing than it needs to be (if you’ve played the original, you’ll know what I’m talking about).
I also don’t like the fact that each move is assigned at the beginning, rather than unlocking them gradually with each level. Giving it all at once is a bit irritating because it takes away from the progression of power in the form of learning up-to-date moves over time and getting stronger rather than being all-powerful from the start.
Completing the game also seems easier this time. You only need 120 pages to reach the final boss, and with 300 to find, I managed to get almost 100% by fully completing two levels and was basically able to skip the remaining three to complete the game. You can unlock items called Tonics, which act like skills, which can then unlock things like taking fall damage. Still, it feels like it should have been changed to provide more of a challenge for players, who can then turn on these Tonics to make the game easier, not harder, if they want.
I also experienced a computer crash every few hours while playing the game during the review phase, and while I assume this is part of the build, it detracted from the experience.
Closing the book
All in all, the game offers a lot of possibilities and is probably the best way to play YOOKA-LAYLEE Now. While I hope the game will see some success and give Playtonic a reason to consider a possible sequel, this is really drastic Banjo-Kazooie it itches, but doesn’t always hit the mark.
Did I like this game? Absolutely. However, I feel like I would rather the team create a completely up-to-date installment of the series than remake an elderly one. I still had a great time playing this game, and the improvements the team has made are outstanding, showing that they have taken the lessons from their debut title and expanded it to up-to-date audiences. However, I couldn’t facilitate but feel that other aspects could also be improved.
However, I highly recommend checking out this game. I had a lot of fun replaying this game, and if you’ve never played the original, you’re in for a real treat. We hope this duo of buddies is here to stay, and Playtonic can give us more of them in the future.
