Yooka-Laylee (PlayStation 4) Preview

By Drew Hurley 25.09.2016

Review for Yooka-Laylee on PlayStation 4

After the profound disappointment that was Mighty No.9, everyone is hoping that Yooka-Laylee can live up to the promise that delivered it the accomplishment of the highest-funded UK Kickstarter game in history. EGX gave attendees the first ever chance to try the game out and alleviate the worries.

This demo version of Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee, which is officially being published by Team17, gave access to a huge open area, with the only restriction being the time limit. If the zone on offer is representative of the whole adventure, this is going to be something very special indeed, capturing the Banjo-Kazooie-style and feel completely. After chatting with Trowzer the Snake to pick up some of the basic abilities, it was out into the wild to see what the world had to offer.

Screenshot for Yooka-Laylee on PlayStation 4

Completionists out there will be happy to see that there is a ton of collectibles to hunt down, and plenty of puzzles to overcome to reach those collectibles. During the demo, a ton of time was spent just trying to hunt down ghosts and then scaling a massive tower of revolving platforms. It was no surprise just how good this world looked while out exploring. It's like an old-school Rare game dialled way up - full of colourful and original NPCs, beautiful scenery, sharp sprites, and all skirting just close enough to looking like a new Banjo-Kazooie entry.

Screenshot for Yooka-Laylee on PlayStation 4

Final Thoughts

The early days of the Nintendo 64 introduced players to some very special games in a style that has never quite been recreated. Yooka-Laylee perfectly captures that feeling, while also giving a fresh new take on the approach. Yooka-Laylee is still six months away, but with it already looking this good, it certainly seems like it's going to live up to its hype.

Don't forget to also check out our chat with the developer back when it was still called Project Ukulele.

Yooka-Laylee (PlayStation 4)

Developer

Playtonic

Publisher

Team17

Genre

3D Platformer

Players

C3 Score

8/10

Reader Score

0 (0 Votes)

Out now

Out now

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Comments

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Azuardo 25.09.2016#1

Just six months away? Wow, has gone quicker than I realised.

I really can't wait for this one. Not really watching much footage so that it's fresh as hell when I do play it. After all, it's been years since we had a 3D platformer like this from these Rare guys, so why spoil it?

The only thing that still rubs me the wrong way is Laylee's giant red nose. Just puts me off her face lol.

mudskip 26.09.2016#2

It's hard to believe that almost 10 years have passed since the teaser for Banjo-Kazooie was released for the XBox 360.

I was so excited to play what i thought would be another traditional Banjo game.
I'll finally get the closest I've ever been to that dream next year with Yooka-Laylee...

Azuardo 26.09.2016#3

omg that teaser lmao. That has to be one of the best examples of leading fans on and then kicking them in the balls I've ever seen.

Guest 26.09.2016#4

I was at egx on saturday and yooka laylee was definitely the highlight. I was there with my brother, sister, wife, and her brother. We all played the demo and all did different things and met different characters. Can't wait for the full game.

Azuardo 31.01.2017#5

We'll get the chance to upgrade or change which platform we want for this soon. I'm in two minds about adding an extra 20 quid for a physical copy. I might go for it.