I was one of the original backers of Yooka-Laylee over ten years ago when the original Kickstarter project launched, and I got to say, going from the university kid sitting in my dorm to now playing a remaster of a game I helped fund way back is a circle I never thought I’d ever step into.
Back then, I recall being somewhat disappointed with the final project. Some parts felt messy, and while it had a lot of charm and wit, I don’t think it lived up to my expectations of what a Banjo-Kazooie successor would be. I thought that would be it, until I sat down to play and review its remastered version, and I have to say right now.
Yooka-Replayee is the game I wish I had gotten a decade ago. That’s not to say the game is perfect, but it’s still an enjoyable experience that addresses many of the issues of the original. Even if Kartos is still around and as annoying as ever.
A vastly improved experience
When you start in Yooka-Replayee, you don’t start on the ship and have to make your way across. Instead, you begin in what I can only call a tutorial cave, where, after a brief introduction, you are given all of your moves from the get-go (outside of some of the bigger ones you still need to unlock down the line) and are freely set to explore. It’s a far better intro than the original, and it gives you a sense of similarity to the game it was based on, with new additions that enhance the experience. Immediately, I felt things were far better than the original, and this was only the opening 20 minutes.
The world also doesn’t feel as empty now. The devs have added far more collectables to find, and while you’ll have an advantage if you played the last game, when it comes to finding a majority of the Ghost Writers, Pagies, and more, replaying it, you will unmistakably find yourself being amazed at some of the new secrets and trinkets to discover. It makes replaying it feel like a New Game+ with bonus content, giving you a reason to replay it to see how different some parts are if you enjoyed the original. Some sections have also been completely redone, but I won’t spoil what, so you can find those secrets out for yourself.
You also do not have fast travel locations around each world, making backtracking less of a pain. There are new Rextro Arcade levels, with the originals scrapped altogether. The refined story has British tongue-in-cheek references to the fact that this is a remaster, some new plot points, and improved graphics with an orchestral soundtrack.
NPC placements are also different. Well. Some of them. Trowzer no longer gives you moves and instead appears at the start of every level, offering you the chance to trade in your Qwills you find across each world for power-ups, new costumes (oh right, you can also dress Yooka-Laylee up if you wish!), and bonuses. He doesn’t give you new moves anymore; all those are unlocked at the start, and instead feels like Super Mario Odyssey’s purple coin shop instead.
The game’s pacing has also been significantly improved. The developers have removed the quizzes that required participation between levels, allowing you to speed through the game without being tested on your knowledge through a tedious questionnaire. Movement also feels tighter, and I felt like I had more control over the duo in this game than in the last game, and wasn’t falling off needlessly or being punished for being a good player.
Numerous stellar improvements have been made, and I could go on for days, but these were the main ones I felt I needed to highlight as someone who played the original.
Not everything is perfect, though
There are some changes I found a bit questionable. For example, I know it’s a pet peeve, but removing the ability to fly everywhere once you unlock the ability and turning it into a physical, timed power-up you need to find on the map is a bit of a letdown. My fondest memories of the older game were rushing to acquire 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 of a hassle than it should be (if you played the original, you’ll know what I’m referring to.)
I also don’t like how you are given every move at the start instead of having to unlock them gradually per level. It feels a bit jarring to give everything at once, as it takes away the power-up progression of learning new moves as you go and becoming stronger, rather than being all-powerful from the start.
The game also feels easier to complete this time. You only need 120 Pagies to reach the final boss, and with 300 to find now, I was able to get near enough 100% by fully completing two levels and could have essentially skipped the other three to finish the game. You can unlock items known as Tonics that act as abilities that can then unlock things like taking Fall Damage. Still, it feels like this should have been switched around to offer more of a challenge to players, who can then turn on these Tonics to make the game easier if they want, not harder.
I also experienced crashes on the PC every couple of hours while playing the game during the review phase, and while I assume this is a part of the build, it did dampen the experience.
Closing the book
All in all, the game delivers in many ways and is probably the definitive way to play Yooka-Laylee now. While I hope the game garners some success, giving Playtonic a reason to consider an eventual sequel, it really scratches that Banjo-Kazooie itch, but doesn’t always hit the mark.
Did I enjoy this game? Absolutely. However, I feel that I would have preferred to see the team create an entirely new entry in the series, rather than remake the old one. I still had a lot of fun playing this, and the improvements the team made are stellar, showing them learning from their debut title and expanding on it for new audiences. However, I couldn’t help but feel that some other aspects could have been improved as well.
I do highly recommend picking up this game, though. I had a lot of fun replaying it, and if you’ve never played the original, you’re in for a real treat here. Hopefully, this buddy duo is here to stay in the long run, and Playtonic can give us more of them in the future.
The post Yooka-Replaylee review – An improvement in every way appeared first on Destructoid.
