When Playtonic Video games first launched Yooka-Laylee again in 2017, it was meant to be the fantastic comeback of the old-school 3D platformer — a non secular successor to Banjo-Kazooie, filled with color, attraction, and cheeky humour. What we truly received was… divisive. The nostalgia was there, the guts was there, however the gameplay and digicam simply didn’t fairly click on. Quick ahead to 2025, and Playtonic’s again with a daring redo: Yooka-Replaylee. A remaster? A remake? A redemption arc? Actually, it’s all three — and fortunately, it’s a lot nearer to the sport followers needed all alongside.
The Nostalgia Play That Truly Works
Proper from the primary menu, Yooka-Replaylee radiates attraction. That acquainted tropical tone hums by way of the audio system, and inside minutes, you’re gliding, rolling, and tongue-grabbing your method by way of lush worlds that really feel alive once more. The title “Replaylee” may sound like a gag, but it surely matches — this isn’t only a visible improve; it’s a correct rethink of what the unique sport might have been with a number of extra years within the oven.
The pitch right here is easy: rebuild Yooka-Laylee with fashionable sensibilities. We’re speaking a totally reworked digicam system (sure, hallelujah), improved motion, sooner pacing, new collectables, refined worlds, and expanded mechanics. The duo now has entry to a a lot bigger moveset, full with new skills that combine naturally into the sport’s movement. Every little thing from excessive jumps to sonar bursts feels smoother and extra responsive. Playtonic clearly went by way of the unique’s tough edges and sanded them down with care.
Playtonic’s Do-Over Completed Proper
The very first thing that hit me was how rather more polished the presentation feels. The environments pop — vibrant jungles shimmer with further element, ice worlds sparkle with higher lighting, and textures are sharp with out dropping that chunky, cartoonish attraction. Playtonic hasn’t tried to reinvent its artwork path; as an alternative, it’s leaned into what made the unique visually particular and made it sing in HD. It’s stunning, in that Saturday-morning-cartoon-meets-modern-Unreal-Engine kind of method.
And the digicam — oh, the digicam. For those who bear in mind the unique’s wild swings and claustrophobic angles, this new setup will really feel like divine intervention. It’s absolutely reworked, much less fidgety, and, most significantly, constant. Throughout my playthrough, I solely discovered a number of moments the place the view snagged or jittered. It’s a small miracle on this planet of 3D platformers.
New Methods, Similar Duo Power
Yooka and Laylee’s chemistry stays on the coronary heart of the whole lot, and now they really feel higher in management than ever. The reworked motion offers extra movement to glides, rolls, and tail-whips. They’ve additionally added new mechanics just like the sonar pulse for revealing secrets and techniques, the stealth cloak, and revamped flight physics. It’s nonetheless basic platforming by way of and thru, but it surely lastly has the precision and responsiveness it all the time wanted.
Even the worlds themselves have been tweaked to really feel denser and extra rewarding. Gone are the large, empty areas that plagued the unique. Now, every stage bursts with mini-objectives, hidden challenges, and new surprises tucked behind practically each nook. And for individuals who like to discover, there’s a correct fast-travel system and an adventurer’s pocket book to trace collectables and progress. It’s the sort of fashionable comfort the style desperately wanted.
A Storybook Retelling
What stunned me most was how Playtonic reframed the story. It’s now introduced like a whimsical storybook retelling, with new cutscenes, voice traces, and narration tying issues collectively. It offers the sport a cohesive construction that it beforehand lacked. The writing nonetheless leans into goofy wordplay and pa jokes, but it surely’s finished with extra confidence this time round. The banter between Yooka, Laylee, and the forged of supporting characters hits greater than it misses — although, sure, the humour gained’t land for everybody. If puns make you groan, you’ll nonetheless be groaning.
Collectables, Challenges, and Recent Additions
The variety of collectables has successfully doubled — Pagies, Quills, and a brand new forex known as Q.U.I.D.S. are scattered throughout the worlds. The brand new QUIDS are notably enjoyable, letting you purchase hints, unlock cosmetics, and improve strikes. Add in new Rextro arcade video games, improved tonics (with a number of loadouts now attainable), and also you’ve received a satisfying layer of customisation that wasn’t there earlier than. The variability retains exploration participating fairly than tedious.
The puzzles have additionally been touched up. Some ranges have been redesigned fully, with smarter goals and higher use of verticality. There’s even new platforming content material sprinkled all through, making every world really feel alive with prospects. For completionists, this remaster is a dream — each nook feels prefer it’s hiding one thing price your time.
Efficiency and Sharpening the Tough Spots
As a lot as I really like the enhancements, Yooka-Replaylee isn’t flawless. The efficiency can nonetheless wobble at occasions — particularly in bigger ranges, the place body dips sneak in. It’s nothing game-breaking, however noticeable. The occasional physics oddity nonetheless rears its head, notably when bouncing off partitions or utilizing sure roll mechanics. It’s higher, however not good.
A few of the older design DNA additionally lingers. Backtracking continues to be a factor, although barely much less annoying. A couple of of the unique’s pacing points return if you happen to’re a completionist making an attempt to 100% each space. Nonetheless, for a remaster, the stability between basic design and fashionable expectation feels proper. It’s retro sufficient to be charming, fashionable sufficient to be playable.
The Audio Glow-Up
Let’s not overlook the soundtrack. The legendary Grant Kirkhope returns with an expanded rating that completely slaps. It’s bursting with cheerful melodies, whimsical motifs, and some cheeky callbacks to the Banjo days. The remastered sound results are crisp, and the ambient layers add depth to the world. It’s nostalgia finished proper — acquainted, however elevated.
Accessibility
One space the place Playtonic deserves reward is accessibility. You’ll discover improved management remapping, visible help choices, and adjustable problem settings that open the sport as much as a wider viewers. It’s a transparent step towards inclusivity with out compromising problem — the sort of transfer each fashionable platformer ought to comply with. The colorful, various forged of characters, goofy as they might be, match that all-ages, all-backgrounds vibe the studio’s all the time aimed for.
Verdict: The Comeback Child
Yooka-Replaylee is what the unique ought to have been — a joyous, assured 3D platformer bursting with coronary heart, color, and creativity. It lastly realises Playtonic’s unique imaginative and prescient, cleansing up the mess and doubling down on what labored. It’s nonetheless a bit janky in locations, positive, but it surely’s now enjoyable jank — the type that makes you smile fairly than swear.
It’s uncommon for a studio to confess, “We are able to do higher,” and really show it. Playtonic has finished precisely that right here. For followers of the style, it is a must-play. For newcomers, it’s a unbelievable entry level into the charming chaos of old-school platforming, made fashionable.
Yooka-Replaylee Launch Trailer
Learn extra superior critiques >>right here<<.
Recreation code was supplied to us for the specific function of reviewing.
