Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Review

I thought the first Yooka-Laylee game was a good (not great, but good) tribute to Banjo-Kazooie style 3D platformers. So I’m surprised they went with a 2D approach for the sequel. I can understand why a developer like Krome Studios needed to “downgrade” Ty the Tasmanian Tiger from 3D to 2D, but Playtonic doesn’t seem to be cutting costs here. The production value for Impossible Lair is really high, and the game is still technically 3D. The levels are all modeled in 3D, and the overworld plays out like an isometric platformer. So going 2D for the main levels was a conscious choice.

To clarify, I do like a good 2D platformer. I just don’t think this is one of the good ones. The controls are too limited. I kept waiting to unlock a double jump or wall jump or something that would make the platforming feel better, but the tonics you can find and apply are more aesthetic than helpful. The platforming is made worse by the fact that you can only get hit twice, but you lose Laylee after the first hit and become useless without her, thus guaranteeing you’ll get hit again. Checkpoints are also unevenly spaced, often placing a mundane stretch right before the trickier part that you’re actually stuck on.

It’s not a total wash, though. The thing is, I really like how the overworld is built. The overworld is filled with secrets to find and puzzles to solve while being a much more laidback experience than the main 2D levels. I would love an entire Yooka-Laylee game done in this style. I also think it’s pretty cool how adjustments you make in the overworld change the 2D levels. Like, you can flood a field, which then spills into the level entrance and totally changes how that level is played. I always looked forward to seeing what else the overworld would do. I just dreaded having to play the 2D levels to open up more of that world.

Reviewer

Clark
I love gaming so much, I wrote a book about it.

Published by

Clark

I love gaming so much, I wrote a book about it.