For those of you reading that have been around for awhile, you know that it is no secret how big a fan I am of the Banjo Kazooie series and of just about all Nintendo 64 era Rare titles. What does this have to do with Yooka-Laylee you ask? Well Playtonic Games the studio behind Yooka-Laylee is composed of some of the original members of Rare with some newer cast joining as well.
Not unlike the relationship between Infinity Ward and Respawn Entertainment, the group that brought us Titanfall. This means that while Playtonic Games is a new studio, there are some higher expectations due to the members’ track records. Now, with introductions out of the way, lets get into the meat and potatoes of it.
Overview
Yooka-Laylee is a throwback to a more nostalgic era of games where 3D-Platformers were king. Yooka-Laylee doesn’t try to hide that it has clearly been influenced by Banjo Kazooie/Tooie, in fact it is so similar if it had not been developed by some of the founding members of Rare I would say it is a total rip off. For many of you this could be good news or it could be bad news, because if you were looking for a totally unique experience then you are out of luck, but if you were looking for a game that would take you back to when you were just a bit younger then this is the game for you.
Story
Yooka-Laylee is so aptly named after the heroic stars of the game. Who find them thrust into a new adventure by the greedy Capital B who is stealing all of the worlds books including the old book that came with Yooka and Laylee’s new home. (This is where the collect-a-thon come in.) In an attempt to keep Capital B from getting his hands on the book the Pagies scattered themselves across the world. It is now Yooka and Laylee’s jobs to find all the missing Pagies and take down Capital B once and for all.
Yooka-Laylee’s story is a classic good triumphing over evil story the only thing missing is a distressed companion that needs to be rescued. While this is a pretty common theme for platformers Yooka-Laylee’s oddball cast keeps things interesting and fresh. While a great story isn’t exactly what we strive for in a good platformer Yooka-Laylee does a fine job at delivering.
Writing
Much like the game that Yooka-Laylee draws inspiration from it is full of cheeky jokes and less than subtle innuendo as well as jabs at Microsoft who now controls all of Rare and its IPs. For the people who have played Banjo and other Rare titles this will be all too familiar, but unfortunately for those who haven’t the jokes and dialog can come off a bit cheesy. This is a common theme within Yooka-Laylee, and not that new players won’t enjoy it, it is definitely catered to being a game that gives you that kick of nostalgia.
Art/World Design
Yooka-Laylee is incredibly captivating with lots of colors that REALLY pop. I loved just walking in each of the worlds as well as the overworld just looking at how each level was designed, there is a lot of variation between worlds and plenty to explore and discover. Yooka-Laylee really captures the playful spirit that I had hoped it would when it was first announced. Now it isn’t all sugarplums and gumdrops. While playing the game I noticed that everything seemed to be masked in a haze. At first I thought it was my monitor, but I tried a few other games and even a different monitor and it still seemed to be there, almost as if it was really humid out. This isn’t too distracting as it isn’t as bad in other levels, but it IS particularly noticeable in Tribalstack Tropics (some of this may be by design since it is, well…. tropical).
Gameplay
Yooka-Laylee’s controls are very tight which is exactly what you would want in a game like this. It is a clear that a lot of time was spent playing the game in development to refine the controls. Yooka-Laylee is a classic collect-a-thon with 145 Pagies and 1010 Quills to collect. There are lots of items for you to seek out, some listed and some more ??? hidden ???. Now one thing that I did notice that can be used to the players advantage to exploit the game. Instead of drawing a separate collision map for the levels, the collision mapping aligns exactly with the game’s geometry. This means that you can stand on a window frame just barely jutting from the wall, which can allow to get to places that you aren’t intended to at the time. Or I could be wrong, this could be an intended feature to allow the player to be more creative with how they solve puzzles.
[nextpage title=”Sound, Performance, Multiplayer & Conclusion”]
Sound Design
Yooka-Laylee has some of the same composers working on it who created the soundtracks for Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country whose songs I still find myself humming today 20 years later. Yooka-Laylee doesn’t quite leave quite the same impact that Donkey Kong Country and Banjo left me with, but the soundtrack is still excellent and each track fits perfectly for the level that it is designed for, some evolving depending on which part of the level that you are in. I am definitely going to be purchasing the soundtrack for my collection.
Performance
CPU: Intel i7-4790K
GPU: Nvidia Geforce GTX 780ti, GTX 660 and a AMD RX 480
RAM: 32GB DDR3-1600
OS: Arch Linux 4.10.6-1
WM: i3-gaps
Graphics Driver: Nvidia 375.39/ AMDGPU 1.3.0-1
Resolution: 1920×1080
On both the 780ti and the RX 480 I had no problem maintaining 60fps at max settings. Now I am aware that others have had some issues with frame stuttering, but I did not experience any of that with the build that I was playing. It is possible that is could be the difference in build, but who knows.
I also threw an older 660 into the mix to see how it performed and it was also able to handle a stable 60fps, but after I dropped the visuals down a bit.
I think it is safe to say that Yooka-Laylee will run well on a variety of builds. Especially considering the low minimum system requirements provided by the developer. My only real gripe is there aren’t a whole lot of visual settings to choose from, just resolution, quality and V-sync.
Multiplayer
So Yooka-Laylee has an interesting multiplayer. There is one mode that is 1-4 players in which you and a group of friends can play Rextro’s arcade games together to compete for the highest score. Then there is another co-op mode that you can play throughout the entire story where player 2 controls a swarm of bees that can grab items for player 1 as well as freeze moving platforms. This is similar to how Super Mario Galaxy handled its multiplayer.
Conclusion
While there are still some kinks to work out before the game’s release date, I was made aware from day one that I was playing an earlier build of them game because the developers wanted to give reviewers plenty of time to play the game before the release date. This bodes well for Yooka-Laylee because it shows that it has nothing to hide. Yooka-Laylee has taken me for a nostalgia ride that I have been yearning for, for so long. While it may not be the one game to revive the 3D-Platforming genre, it definitely stands on its own as a fantastic game modern game with some 90’s spirit.
Thanks to Playtonic Games for giving me the opportunity to play Yooka-Laylee and reminding me of the games that got me into gaming in the first place.
Matt Followell is another contributing author here at DSOGaming. A long time fan of PC Gaming and a huge supporter of the open source and homebrew movement. You’ll see him interacting with the community from time to time going by the user-name of Radapples.
Contact: Email
Alright, time to crash this comments section:
pssshh… JonTron
Hey man, none of that sh*t. We don’t wanna start any of that. lol
Woah Woah woah buddy, careful with that. Those are fightn’ words.
I’ve seen other reviewers complain about the bad camera, annoying voices and tedious mini-games. Overall the game still seems fun, but I’m not buying it anymore due to the JonTron thing. Glad you enjoyed it, though.
Yeah the camera when using a mouse was aids, but was perfectly fine on controller.
I don’t wanna start any deep political topics on here but I think the removal of JonTron’s voice shouldn’t be the sole reason to decide whether you should get the game or not. I only say that because it was Playtonic who approached JonTron first, not the other way round, and offered a minor role for him. It would only seem like a much more valid reason if he was given actual lines to say. The whole game seems to be just mumble/grunting sounds that come out of characters which requires no talent or effort whatsoever.
I just don’t understand why people are rooting and white knighting so much for a guy who really comes across as a racist, nor would I care so much if his voice was kept in the game. It’s just a voice sample that anyone of any age can provide, which likely gets edited/pitched through software without any struggle too. That’s what Lorne Lanning does for his voice of Abe. It just seems kinda silly how far people would go just to protest over small things. But that’s just how I see it anyway.
Maybe white people are tired of being demonized for saying stuff other races say all the time and being held to different standards….If you think JonTron is racist….then you are likely part of the problem…..
Okay, you can tell he was being racist from the kind of language and tone he used throughout that hour long debate. He favours certain types of people over others and claims that he doesn’t want them to become a minority, which I’m not sure how that makes it a bad thing if that was to happen anyway. Especially in America when the land doesn’t belong to them.
The whole point is all of this could have been easily avoided if he kept his thoughts to himself and didn’t retweet from a racist politian which was basically nothing but white supremacy. I get that most people have a cultural belief and like to stick with their own kind, that’s perfectly fine to express those kind of things. But there’s just one problem about that: JonTron isn’t in that position to say those things. When you have a fanbase of people from all kinds of backgrounds and you wake up one morning and decidedly thought it’d be an excellent idea to express some political views which you know was going to end up becoming controversial then you should expect things to backfire.
Yes it’s within our nature to stand up for things which we think is right, but there’s also a thing called common sense and understanding the consequences from those actions we make. If you wanna be a racist then go right ahead but just know people won’t take things kindly to it. One has to be really stupid to think that what JonTron said wasn’t racist in the slightest bit.
I wish you and i could meet…then maybe I cold slap some sense in you….
Ooooh tough guy, please don’t hurt me 😛 Physical and verbal threats is a sign of not wanting to admit failure in an argument.
lost? not at all…you are so ignorant to the truth it’s the only i see to knock some sense in you….
When it comes down to it guy was right, it’s silly reason to skip the game. I mean John was cool about it…his fans frigin went on witch hunt. I don’t agree he is racist. Its wrong stance for devs to take but what it changes about the game? Nothing, its still awesome platformer. Not many 3D platformers on PC either…
Sure it should. Because once you give an inch, they’ll take a mile.
You didn’t bother reading what I had to say after the first sentence huh? Check out my other comments on here to get a better insight if you ever have time. It’s about gaining perspective on a given scenario, not picking sides. Playtonic didn’t wanna be associated with him and they have the right to make a choice which they feel is better for them and the community. If you don’t like it then don’t buy the game, simple as. It’s still pretty stupid to make a purchase decision based on some guy which I’m sure most of you never heard of or even care for.
Racist, lol, grow up.
?… That was pretty random dude.
That wasn’t so bad by itself, but then they started making fun of backers on twitter and banning them for asking for refunds.
for real? is this even legal? to deny a refund and ban them for asking?
Powered by Denuvo?
Nah it’s DRM-free on GoG and only requires Steamworks on Steam.
No the guy is actual racist and the developer didnt want him to be in their game anymore
Rx 480???????????????????????????
Sorry an 8GB RX 480, probably should have mentioned that.
Im astonished that this site tested an AMD card, just that, sorry i should have pointed it out.
It’s not that we have anything against AMD. I just usually use an Nvidia card because of their Linux drivers. I just happened to snag this RX480 at microcenter for $150 for testing purposes.
john said that the first amd card would be vega, so im surprised.
Well the first official card purchased by DSOG. This card I bought with my own money so that I had one for testing.
Also for the record @Originaru:disqus I write for DSOG and have an AMD card. I go bang/buck on each build. Last build I bought Nvidia/AMD CPU, this build I did AMD GPU/Intel CPU.
My loyalty is to my wallet. If I can get what I consider effectively the same quality product elsewhere for less money and there’s no significant differences I care about? I buy with less.
Per Recettear, Capitalism, ho!
Obviously regarding the PC Performance Analysis articles ;). Both Matt and Spencer use AMD’s GPUs in their home PCs
Jim Sterling gave this game a 2/10… ouch. I know his reviews and opinions should be taken with a salt shaker, but goddamn.
Speaking of Kickstarted games, Spark The Electric Jester is set to realease on 6th April. It’s more offtopic, but since Yooka Laylee is also a Kickstarter game, I thought I could segue this in. :3
And if you don’t know about Spark, look it up on Youtube. It’s a 2D action platformer, which would best be described as Sonic, Kirby and Megaman X all in one. And it’s made in the same engine as Freedom Planet (Clickteam Fusion I believe).
Huh, it’s out like, tomorrow.
I know. And I already played the demo and loved it. So my confidence for this game is high. 🙂
Looks interesting. Kinda wish I knew of a site which reports on Kickstarter project more. It could drive more traffic to the projects and allow these devs to generate more revenue.
I read a bit of it. He has a thing against 3D platformers since their inception and claims those who love those old school games only like it for nostalgia purposes. Talks about how the mechanics in all of these games are complete flaws because he’s always falling off platforms and stuff. In other words he’s very rubbish at them and blames the game for his poor execution and not his miscalculation and bad timing. He gave the recent Zelda a 7 out of 10 but I didn’t read as to why he did yet. I feel like he has a hard time with games, dunno why people go to him for his reviews.
No regrets backing this game but clearly from everything I’ve read this game is only for those who have been eager to play 3D platformers which the industry has been deprived of. It’s bound to have mechanics which aren’t exactly revolutionary or game changing and rather have it feel very Banjo-esq. I mean it is essentially a Banjo-Kazooie sequel as some say. But I feel that games like Ratchet & Clank (don’t have a PS4 so I can’t say for sure if it’s good or not) and perhaps the other few 3D platformers coming soon will spice things up and bring something new to the table.
Lol removing a voice sample of a guy who they don’t wanna be associated with due to his semi-racist remarks (e.g. wanting America to remain majority white when we all know it never belonged to the whites to begin with, there shouldn’t be an argument on this) doesn’t make one a SJW. I feel like that term is easily being thrown around these days without much thought being put into it.
Also there was too many people trolling and flooding the Steam Community page with pointless threads, but I think Playtonic shoulda handled it a bit better by creating and pinning a thread catered to those who wanna discuss the whole issue. Which wouldn’t solve anything anyway. But I will say from the samples I saw of the community guy on Twitter seemed unneeded.
I should probably add also, I heard people are usually liable for a refund on Kickstarter projects if a major change has happened within the project which doesn’t quite match up with any of the set goals they have promised. Removing a voice sample doesn’t affect the game in any way shape or form. They never even promised to include JonTron.
Well then. Problems like this will continue to spring up and you’ll always be questioning why. You just chose not to reason. Long story short JonTron may not be a racist but he sure thinks like one. Watch his full 1 hour interview he did after making that tweet which started it all. Ultimately all of these problems originate from his actions alone.
Well that is your loss then. If you are to read you might actually learn and understand something.
You are trying to find reason in a community of spoiled and ignorant children or adults that act like those.. There is no hope so let them request refunds for that reason (pathetic) and all those idiotic and brain cell damaging excuses that these people are crying..
You….do…realize that America WAS majority white for over a century, right? Because we killed all the natives. And technically African Americans weren’t citizens.
Okay, look. If outsiders decided to come out of nowhere in this day and age and take over an entire country, say like Germany, resided there and became the majority for over 100 years… does that give them the right to say that it’s their land now? Of course not. Just like how Israelis have stolen a chunk of Palestine away from them for so long and how the dispute between both countries will never end till Israel backs away.
Like it or not whites in America are as much foreigners as the Arabs, Africans, etc.
Racism is not just a personal opinion. And opinions like this Jonton clown are simply for brain dead people and shouldn’t exist. If you support these “ideas” and think that is ok then yes for you the devs did something wrong. But for a conscious person the devs did the right thing and they should get even more credit for their action!
Kickstarter is just as cancerous as AAA if not more
lets see the pattern:
-failed developer of a nostalgic game promotes a kickstarter
-tons of people get excited and GIVE MONEY to the game developer BEFORE it’s even developed
-the game gets developed, some shady business deals setting a foot (Mighty No 9 creator partners up with Deep $hitver the German Ubisoft)
-the game gets released, it’s an abysmal game
-people keep doing the same $hit without learning the important moral of the story
STOP GIVING MONEY TO LAZY PR*CKS WHO PROMISE YOU A GAME
never pre-order, never pre-pay for something that might stank
you are the customer, you are the king
the king does not support shady business tactics, he pays only when he knows he’s gonna get a good game out of his money
what happened when developers actually had to develop and SELL the game to make money?
nowadays it’s just “crowd fund this, crowd fund that”
the consumer has turned into a spineless worm, aimless, shapeless good for nothing cash-cow that allows itself to be exploited in endless ways
AAA is a clownfest with microtransactions, DLC and unfinished games for 60$
indie games is just a crude word for easy money
and actual good games? nearly extinct, because all this cancerous industry is thinking about microtransactions, lazy a$$ buggy multiplayer only games which require f**k all development time and wait for it… early access games and propaganda filled games (mass defect or any EA based game)
dafuq is wrong with today’s consumers…
back at my day when a game company ripped you off you would never buy a single game from them again, or pirate their games to oblivion
these 2 million+ dollars went down the drain and Shenmue 3 is next
i hope kickstarter burns to the ground
The super”liberal” white knighting in these comments is gorgeous. I love it. Such enlightened people you PC intolerant frauds are. Yea. Jafari said some ignorant, Trump supporting faux right wing trash. He’s a tard. Big deal. There are millions more who actually influence the world by voting that way and rallying and spewing their hatred in public. But ruh roh, a dude that literally no one cared about nor were they going to look him up, who had no actual lines in the game, said something stupid – better remove him from the game.
If the entire business world operated on this glass-walking PC minefield bullsh*t, nothing would ever get done. CEOs, governors, etc would be fired and jailed left and right.