Yooka-Laylee: Spiritual Sucessor to Banjo-Kazooie by Ex-Rare staff

This patchwork map issue was something that I think was brought up in the Stop Skeletons From Fighting vid covering the game's flaws.

Contrast with the original Banjo Kazooie — even today, its level design arguably holds up.

Edited by M84 on Oct 4th 2019 at 12:12:52 AM

A patchwork feeling is something I notice in a lot of kickstarted games. Stretch goals and such.

It doesn't seem to have been a noticeable problem in Bloodstained at least. Though if any genre was amenable to adding stuff for the sake of appeasing crowdfunding goals, it'd be the Metroidvania genre.

Edited by M84 on Oct 4th 2019 at 12:16:26 AM

The level design in Banjo-Kazooie totally holds up, no bones about it. It's much better than that of Yooka-Laylee. Tribalstack Tropics and Glitterglaze Glacier in particular feel like someone dumped a box of legos on the floor and called it a day. Moodymaze Marsh and Capital Cashino are pretty good. Galleon Galaxy is somewhere in the middle.

I really don't think there was ever anything wrong with collect-a-thons, though. I think what really happened is that, as graphics got better and better, cartoon mascots got phased out for more realistic characters that could better demonstrate those graphics. Now that graphics have more or less plateaued, cartoon mascots are making a comeback.

Yooka-Laylee had promise, but was far from perfect. Honestly, the levels were a little too expansive for their own good. It's a problem that can be fixed, though. If they revisit the 3D adventure style, I'd go for it again.

Collect-a-thons arent quite that far out of vogue. The Spyro Reignited Trilogy sold well enough that Activision is talking about reviving the franchise.

I think that collect-a-thons reached a point of critical mass back in the day. They started getting too bloated and by then the novelty had kind of worn off.

The content can even be super packed, as Mario Odyssey shows, as long as the game flows well.

I'm not crazy about Mario Odyssey. It feels overstuffed and lacks a clear sense of direction, especially in the Sand and Wooded Kingdoms.

Anyone know if this is set after the first Yooka-Laylee? It's not in a different continuity, is it?

Edited by WillKeaton on Oct 5th 2019 at 4:25:59 AM

No, it's definitely a sequel. Capital B takes over the Grand Tome he and Dr. Quack are trapped in at the end of Yooka-Laylee and turns it into the titular Impossible Lair.

So compared to Tropical Freeze or the classic DKC series, how is this?

Not just in gameplay (though that's the most important) but tone, atmosphere, etc.

I've played a decent amount since I picked it up this morning. After some initial growing pains (the game does not feel at all optimized for playing with a d-pad, whether Joy-Cons or Pro Controller) its become quite fun. The best way to describe its like a polished remake of a 2D Rare game that was never actually made. A lot of the gameplay feels like the evolution of the DKC trilogy circa the mid-90s, but with the tone/visual direction of the Banjo Kazooie titles.

The main levels are very solid, though not quite up to the creative energies that Tropical Freeze managed. TF was all about taking various platforming elements and making them work together beautifully within the aesthetic, while this one sticks closer to hazards/challenges based on a central idea. Still far above the likes of contemporary 2D Mario and slightly higher than something like DKC Returns, but not quite achieving what Tropical Freeze or Rayman Legends at least not yet.

Impossible Lair really shines in everything else though. The overworld puzzles are a nice change of pace, the concept of creating new levels/variations through your actions is really innovative, and the tonics are a simple, but effective bonus for both exploration and collection of feathers. Other elements like the lack of lives and the ability to potentially regain Laylee after being hit also keep any excess frustration from building.

While some slightly tighter control for jumps would be nice, overall its been a blast.

Hot tip: you can run after a roll if you keep pushing the stick. I couldn't believe how sluggish Yooka felt ("Hey," I thought, "he is a chameleon...") until I figured that out. Then again, these levels are so packed with obstacles I'd almost advise against it.

I've done three levels so far. The game is quite good.

So... this game is really freaking good. It's basically Donkey Kong Country 4. I love the Retro Studios DKCs and wouldn't change a thing about them, but Impossible Lair feels like a continuation/evolution of the tropes explored in the Rare games in a way the Retro games don't. It's everything Donkey Kong 64 should have been.

Do you ever get a double-jump so Laylee can finally start pulling her weight? I can't tell if some coins are inaccessible because I'm not reading the level design right, or because you get more abilities later.

Its interesting to compare Tropical Freeze and Impossible Lair because both feel like an separate evolutions of DKC. The former really emphasizes the spectacle and distinct energy of its level design, while the latter builds upon the overworld gameplay, unlockable bonus content with tonics, and more non-linear approach to progress. Different emphases, but definitely trying to build what the 90s games had created.

Some of those probably fall into the "bounce off of enemy" coins, which are admittedly some of the weaker design choices in the game, largely because either the bounce physics aren't always precise and/or baddies don't respawn; thus you either have to restart the level or kill yourself to get to the previous checkpoint. There's one coin where taking spike damage and having mercy invincibility during the jump was just easier than doing the jump the correct way.

Edited by BorneAgain on Oct 13th 2019 at 10:00:56 AM

Yeah, those coins are my least favorite part of the game so far (I'm at Gasping Glade, ftr), but given that the only penalty for dying is losing a portion of your quills, and quills are super easy to farm, I think they're acceptable.

As for the double jump... there's a tonic that lets you glide like Dixie kong in DKC2 and 3, but I haven't found anything like a double jump yet.

The biggest thing that throws me off, I think, is that Yooka's spin when falling has no hitbox, and his tail whip itself has a weird hitbox that leaves a lot of his head vulnerable. It kind of sucks.

I am like 36 bees in and filled in most of the overworld map, but I can definitely say I am having a blast with this game. Much more improved gameplay and tighter overall vision helped this sequel for sure. Lots of secrets abound and my boys and I are having a fun time finding all the Tonics.

It is fun when we all yell out together: PAGIE POWER!!!! And bang our heads to the music.

Edited by Darkflamewolf on Oct 27th 2019 at 2:51:42 PM

There's a tonic that fixes that!

Also, uh, this happened. (I'm Planet Cool.)

Congratulations on the socks

Even with all 48 bees and countless attempts later - we can safely say we have no beaten the Impossible Lair. It may very well be impossible for my skill level!

Hey, so I have a few questions about the Yooka-Laylee universe. Now, I haven't beaten Impossible Lair yet, but I still have to ask, is the Stingdom that Queen Phoebee and Capital B are from, is that the overworld, or is that the book that Capital B set up as his lair, and Phoebee took turned into a bunch of separate books? And on the topic of those book worlds, where do they come from? I think someone mentions an author at some point, but he used the ink that is native to the Stingdom, or something? I'm kind of unclear.

The Stingdom was one of the book worlds. The queen bee pulled the chapters out as separate books.

Update on the Forgotten Lair - still haven't beaten it. Lost count how many tries. Fantastic game, but the final level just kills the mood/pacing completely.