YOOKA-LAYLEE AND THE IMPOSSIBLE LAIR
Batty platforming you won’t bee-lieve
Ever get so stuck hitting your scaly head against a difficult part of a game that you go and do everything else possible before you come back and have to take it on? That’s the entire idea behind Yooka and Laylee’s sophomore adventure. You’re thrown into the Bee Stingdom to take on Capital Bee once again, and pursue him through his Impossible Lair. Quite early on, you’ll (probably) meet a sticky end, and be thrown out into the game’s overworld. If, by some miracle, you didn’t fail… then congratulations! For you, the game is a single level long. The rest of us, however, have to travel through the scattered chapters of a book across the overworld, reassembling the Royal Beettalion Guard. With each guardsbee collected, you’re able to take another hit within the Impossible Lair – which is tough enough that you’ll want every helping stinger you can get your mitts on.
Given how much platforming you do, the game unfortunately falls down a little. It’s functional, but not particularly brilliant. Mixed with the demanding nature of the titular lair (and its length), it can lead to some frustrating moments.
You need to explore a 3D overworld, shown from a top-down perspective, to get to each new 2D platforming chapter. Solving puzzles to access more of the map always remains engaging, and there are plenty of hidden secrets to find along the way. Some of these are tonics granting you new powers or changing the game aesthetically. However, the most beneficial skills reduce the amount of quills you earn in-level, and you can’t take the abilities into the Impossible Lair anyway – which ultimately deincentivises any experimentation.
CRY ME A RIVER
What’s brilliant is that the overworld isn’t just how you get from one chapter to the next, your actions there can also change the levels themselves. Each chapter is actually two levels: a basic level, and a level that activates when you alter the chapter’s physical location in the overworld. Divert a river over the chapter, for instance, and the level may become flooded, or one where the greenery is much more lush. Open a bridge with a chapter on it, and you discover the level is now sideways. Feed someone sticky honey and they’ll be so excited they spill it on the chapter and… now it’s covered in honey. It’s wonderfully inventive, and the altered versions of chapters are completely distinct levels – and visually and musically gorgeous to boot.
VERDICT
A cartoony feast for the eyes and ears, with a great overworld and lovely design. The platforming could be better, but it’s engaging enough to be worth your time. Oscar Taylor-Kent
“CHANGING THE OVERWORLD CAN ALSO CHANGE THE LEVELS THEMSELVES.”