Yooka-Laylee is a vibrant, new, open-world platformer from developers Playtonic that released on April 11, 2017 for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC, and even the Nintendo Switch! Believe it or not, it began as a Kickstarter project back in 2015 and rallied 73,206 backers to fund the game! They had multiple levels of donations, one of the highest being able to become a voice actor for the game (after some coaching of course) and meeting with the development team during launch! Now, before we get into the review, know that I only played the entirety of the first world and a small portion of the second, and that there are SPOILERS AHEAD.
STORY
Something nefarious is going to keep these two busy as bees...and ducks too, apparently.
The game begins by introducing the antagonists, Capital B and his henchman Dr. Quack, who activate a machine in their factory to begin stealing all of the books in the world. It isn’t until a little while later when the second world can be unlocked that the plot is revealed, which is Capital B trying to use the One Book (Yooka and Laylee’s book) to take control of, or “rewrite” the universe. Protagonists Yooka and Laylee, a calm and collected chameleon and an excitable and sassy bat, respectively, stumble upon this factory, known as Hivory Towers (because the boss is a bee, if you didn’t catch on), while they are looking for their missing book. They discover that their book is inside the Towers, so they wander in. The pages, or “pagies” for their book became scattered throughout the Grand Tome worlds and Hivory Towers. It is explained to the duo that the pagies became sentient (or already were) and scattered so Capital B cannot use the One Book. So, the duo begin their adventure by entering the first of five known worlds, where each world is located in a Grand Tome in Hivory Towers that is can be unlocked with pagies and later, expanded with them too.
CHARACTERS
Meet some of the characters!
Each of the characters introduced in this game have a distinct feature that shows you their personality. Whether if it is their name or what they wear, or both, like Trowzer the shorts-wearing snake, you can tell a lot of effort was put into making each character individually memorable with the most annoying voices I have ever encountered.
Our heroes of this tale.
Yooka is the colorful (figuratively and literally) chameleon protagonist character with a neutral outlook of the world around him. While Laylee on the other hand, is avid in pointing things out that break the 4th wall. She is essentially the character that reaches out more to the player, throwing in some funny commentary or questioning why things happen in the game: “I thought this was a modern game, Yooka? Collectibles used to come in one piece.” I am always thinking that Yooka would just tweak his neck because of Laylee perching on his head; when you have him turn, his head dips pretty far in the direction you move.
My favorite NPC so far is the polygonal dinosaur, Rextro. He is a 4th wall breaking masterpiece that gives some nods at retro games and the more advanced games we have today.
GAMEPLAY
Players are primarily given control over Yooka, the chameleon. Certain abilities utilize Laylee, such as the rolling ability that allows for quick travel and traction on slippery slopes, but also drains your energy bar. Your energy bar, displayed in the top left corner with your health, which are butterflies, decreases the longer you use abilities that are purchased from the shifty snake, Trowzer. You can find an energy and health booster in each Tome world, and they are well hidden!
As for the abilities, you will need to collect the currency of the game, which are quills. You can spend them in an easy-to-understand store system to purchase new abilities for the duo from Trowzer, and will need to get them all if you wish to collect everything! Also, upon gaining a new ability, it does not just show you how to perform it; there is actual dialogue between Yooka/Laylee and Trowzer that explains it without breaking the feeling of the game.
Speaking of games, there are tons of minigames to participate in scattered throughout the worlds. Many of them reward a pagie, so completing them is a must! Do not forget that you need the pagies to expand or unlock a world. I like how the game gives you a choice, because you will eventually have to come back to previous worlds to use an ability you get later on—so that you can use it to get the remaining collectibles!
Kartos' minigame, challenging players to collect gems on a suspended railway while avoiding traps.
After the first Tome world and on my way to the second, I was stopped by Dr. Quack for the first Quackfire Quiz: a ten-question three-choice-answer quiz that changes based on what you have done and collected up to that point. Better have a good memory, and check those totals in your pause menu! Also, the game has no HUD when you are exploring the Tome worlds with the special exception being on picking up a collectible, taking damage, or using energy.
THERE IS A CO-OP CAMPAIGN, BUT THE SECOND PLAYER ONLY CONTROLS A SWARM OF BEES THAT CAN STUN ENEMIES. As excited as I may have seemed, this was a huge killjoy for me for the idea of the 2 player local co-op. First player does what they normally do in-game, second player is just like a mouse on a computer. Except its more boring and does not bring you to a new screen.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The game is graphically beautiful, runs at a locked rate of 30 fps, and has a soundtrack that fits the joy of playing this adventurous game. The game is rated as E 10+, but there was some adult humor that I noticed in the dialogue (I’m looking at you, talking plants in the first world). However, it is subtle and kids would not notice. When restoring health by eating butterflies, I found it funny when they scream as Yooka’s tongue lashes out and grabs them.
There is one Mario Party-like arcade game in each world, and can actually be accessed as a funny party game from the main menu because of the supported 2-4 player local multiplayer.
Another thing I enjoyed was the references to past games and systems, like Shovel Knight (who actually shows up), Kratos from God of War, the Nintendo 64, and games like Banjo & Kazooie. It brought about the retro gamer in me to remember the cheat codes for these types of games.
The game certainly has some replay value. The dialogue will definitely still make you laugh each subsequent time. You will know where every collectible is, which is why I say some replay value, because it may involve a little less exploring than in a previous playthrough.
Overall, Yooka-Laylee is an addicting, adventurous, vibrant, and cheerful game, but the second player’s role in the story co-op is useless. It has the potential to be a hilarious party game too. I give it a solid 9/10, and you can pick it up for $40!
