When Yooka-Laylee was released in 2017, it was a fine game. Many came in extremely excited for it but were largely let down overall; it turned out to be pretty middling at best.
With that said, Yooka-Replaylee brings in a second draft that improves on almost everything. This isn’t a mere remaster — this is a revitalization that takes a largely forgettable original adventure and turns it into something memorable.
So much has been tweaked in Yooka-Replaylee to make this a more enjoyable game. For starters, worlds no longer need to have their expansions unlocked. In some ways, there is enjoyment to be had in unlocking things in games, but not having to jump out of a world to access a new corner of it is a significant improvement here.
Abilities are also fully unlocked from the beginning and allow you to explore every corner of the maps freely, right off the bat. They’ve also been updated to feel much better as you run around the place. For example, the Reptile Roll no longer is tied to the stamina bar, and the Tail Twirl can be spammed for a long tornado spin that decimates enemies.
Across the board, everything just feels much smoother, which includes the camera controls.
Focusing back on the maps, in some ways, the collect-a-thon process in Yooka-Replaylee feels very inspired by Super Mario Odyssey, with colored quills being exclusive to the world they’re found in and coins being all over the place.
Pagies are also littered everywhere as the main collectible, and now Yooka and Laylee do a little dance when you find them, injecting more charm that 3D platformer fans from the ’90s will love. Your first time going through these locations, you will find rewards no matter where you go.
Outside of a few challenges that actually managed to soft lock our progress and force us to reboot the game, and boss fights that can feel a little overextended with how much you have to wait to attack, gameplay feels considered and well balanced across the board.
In short, Yooka-Replaylee is a brilliant remake of the original game. It expands and improves upon so many areas that it leaves the original release in the dust. It took a long wait, but Yooka and Laylee finally have a 3D platformer worthy of the Banjo-Kazooie comparisons.
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