Yooka-Laylee (Switch) Review - The best version of a disappointing game

braini (61)in #gaming • 7 years ago (edited)

Ever since the concept for Yooka-Laylee was announced, the game is known as a spiritual successor to Rare's classics Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. The two games appeared exclusively for the Nintendo 64 and were characteristic of the successful collaboration between Rare and Nintendo. When Yooka-Laylee came out, however, there was no trace of a version on Nintendo platforms. That makes it all the more beautiful that the game finally found its way to the Switch.

A spiritual sequel to Banjo-Kazooie on a Nintendo console; it can not become much more nostalgic. Yooka-Laylee, however, is in many respects the same as the source material and does not shy away from the lesser side of the Banjo games.

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They are hamster weeks again

In various colorful levels you control the duo Yooka (the chameleon) and Laylee (the bat) in their fight against bad luck Capital B. During this adventure you spend a lot of time collecting all kinds of different objects, such as writing feathers, ghosts and living pages. . So much time even, that it distracts from the main purpose of the game. The springs are new skills to buy that enable the duo to reach new places and open paths that lead to, just, new things to collect.

The collection that the game imposes on you in this way soon loses its charm, especially because something can be found in every corner and on every rock. It simply makes the worlds you pass through less fun to explore, because the objects are often needed to move forward. In all honesty, this does not differ so much from the Banjo Kazooie games, but from all the characteristics that Yooka-Laylee could have adopted from his predecessor, this is precisely the aspect we are least concerned about.

A number of employees of the Playtonic studio have previously thought of Banjo and Kazooie, but they do not have the rights to do so. That's why Yooka-Laylee can not literally be a continuation of those games and we have to do it with new characters that just do not come out that well. Yooka and Laylee have too little depth and therefore feel mostly as if they were designed purely to recall memories of the Banjo games. Nowhere really wants that to work, and that is a shame because in particular Yooka and Laylee are in the basis of endearing figures.

Technically improved

When the game appeared on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC earlier this year, the game was plagued by technical defects, including hangers and a camera that sometimes seemed to lead a life of its own. In the meantime these problems have been addressed by the developer and the Switch version can happily do this without any criticism from the beginning. That is a huge relief, especially when it comes to the camera. At the default setting, it makes the game almost unplayable with its random changes of viewpoint.

When the camera is converted to the manual setting, it fortunately delivers a world of difference and it simply stays where the player wants it. Every now and then, he still has a tendency to think he knows better and still changes his camera point at unfortunate moments. Fortunately, such situations are kept to a minimum, which in combination with the fine control via the Joy-Cons ensures that it delivers a very pleasant playing experience.

Because it is easy to play a level or part of it and pick it up later and you can save the game anywhere, Yooka-Laylee is ideal for a train trip or when you go on vacation. The game also delivers nothing when it comes to framerate and graphics when using the Switch in handheld mode. It is in this area that the Switch version offers absolute advantage over the competing platforms. The eight free-to-play mini-games can also be controlled with a single Joy-Con per player. This makes it very accessible to play the game with friends during a party or when you visit. Many minigames do not add much anymore. They are simple games that are mainly repetitive and get bored quickly.

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Conclusion

The Switch version of Yooka-Laylee benefits immediately from the updates that the game has had on other consoles since its release. That means that the game plays nicely, without the fetters and control problems that plagued the game. In addition, the game in the portable stand very well from the paint comes and that makes the Switch version a superior edition. Unfortunately, it is a superior version of a moderate 3D platformer who especially needs the nostalgic feelings it evokes and not the gameplay that stands on its own. The Switch can not change this with its portable mode.

✔ Improved gameplay through updates, ideal for playing in portable mode, mini-games support the use of a single Joy-Con per player

✖ The camera still has a life of its own now and then, playing too much on nostalgic feelings instead of standing alone, mini-games add little

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