The embargo for Yooka-Laylee reviews has lifted, so let's take a look at some of the hot takes soaring across the Internet today.



Destructoid - 8/10

"Banjo Threeie is probably never going to happen, but after playing Yooka-Laylee I'm fine with that for the first time in 17 years. Playtonic's first foray is rough around the edges, but the center is so full of heart that it'll melt away the more you play it. How much of that roughness you can put up with entirely depends on your history and mental fortitude for mascot platformers. For some of you that threshold is pretty low, but for me, it's as high as Laylee can fly."

Polygon - 5.5/10

"Yooka-Laylee looks the part of an updated platformer, but some of its mechanics should have stayed back in the era it came from. There was a reason we haven’t seen more games like Banjo-Kazooie on modern platforms, and it wasn’t just because Rare as we knew it was gone; its ideas were very specific to a gameplay era that we’ve evolved past. Fourth-wall-breaking dialogue, shiny characters and lush graphics can’t save Yooka-Laylee from the dated framework that it’s built on."

Ars Technica - Positive

"Yooka-Laylee might have been born out of nostalgia for a period in gaming that, yes, is a tad overrated. But Playtonic's take on the early 3D games of the '90s is more progressive than your average piece of pixel-art gumpf, even if it misses the mark in places."

Rock Paper Shotgun - Positive

"I’m far less sure of how someone without that attachment to the originals will perceive the mix of flaws and strengths. For me the chance to revisit one of my first game infatuations did reduce the annoyances, or at least they became part and parcel of going back – you take the irritants with the joys because without it it wouldn’t be the same.

But I want to end by highlighting that this is a friendly game regardless of whether you had an N64 two decades ago. That feels like a valuable commodity at this point in time. Yooka-Laylee is bright, it’s positive, it’s daft and it wants to play with you. And that’s lovely."

Gamespot - 6/10

"Ultimately, Yooka-Laylee’s best and worst aspects come directly from its predecessor. Despite attempts at modernizing the formula, its style of gameplay is still outdated, and it doesn’t stay challenging or interesting for long as a result. But if you’re looking for a faithful return to the Banjo-Kazooie formula, Yooka-Laylee certainly delivers--from the font to the music to the wealth of collectibles, it’s worthy of the title of spiritual successor."

Game Informer - 8/10

"Though camera problems and outdated level design are present at times, the moments of exhilaration, discovery, and satisfaction far outweigh those pitfalls. It feels like ages since I've played something like Yooka-Laylee. This is a game that was built for those who look back with fondness on the classics that spawned it, and in that regard, it delivers completely."