LEVEL BEST
Increase your environmental awareness with a closer look at some of the wondrous worlds
TOYBOX
Originally made available to select backers of the 2015 crowdfunding campaign, the Toybox is yours for free if you pre-order the game – and you can download and play it while you’re waiting for the full release. It’s a spoiler-free teaser, essentially, a self-contained prototype world composed of basic level furniture, with a few more detailed assets to show that the finished game isn’t all going to look as rudimentary as this. You’ll find 100 Quills dotted about the place, and a handful of secrets we won’t spoil. There’s a light puzzle to solve, moving platforms to negotiate, and a body of water that lets you get used to the swimming controls. Elsewhere, you’ll find areas designed to test your platforming mettle, but its main role is to let you acclimatise to Yooka-Laylee’s movement and skills. Job done.
SHIPWRECK CREEK
Yooka and Laylee’s adopted home is based around a mysterious pirate ship, the origins of which are hinted at later in the story – and may even be explored in future games. Its name is typical of the pun- and innuendo-laden script: Laylee’s all but claimed it as hers, and called it the Bat Ship Crazy. In a lovely visual gag as the game opens, the pair are catching some rays, with Yooka on a towel that’s barely bigger than he is, while the much smaller Laylee is stretched out on one twice the size. It’s been given a vibrant, hand-painted makeover, while fairy lights hanging over the deck give it a festive feel. Nearby, you’ll encounter a talkative cannon named Blasto and his friend, a red bird – this unlikely pairing is a not-so-subtle nod to Banjo Kazooie, which several Playtonic staff worked on.
TRIBALSTACK TROPICS
The game’s first proper world outside the hub area eases you in relatively gently without stinting on scale. The level is encircled by a dry river, which forms the track for a race event, and can be filled by visiting Nimbo’s mountain in the north-east. There’s a central temple, inside which a top-hatted monster called Duke hosts a simple shooting gallery mission, and a series of floating islands up above. Once the level is expanded, these offer a route to the Tribalstack Monument, a colossal six-storey tower of stone. It’s here that you’ll meet Kartos, not to mention Blasto’s big (in stature, at least) brother, Blastooie. Meanwhile, skeletal explorer Clara needs rescuing from an enemy camp, having found herself stuck in a large cauldron. Oh, and here’s a tip: once you’ve defeated the boss, Rampo, make sure to check the area behind him.
GLITTERGLAZE GLACIER
There’s an ethereal ambience to this snow level, partly thanks to composer Grant Kirkhope changing the musical theme: originally, it was something jolly; now it’s moodier. Here, you’ll learn the Slurp State move, which allows Yooka to absorb the properties of objects he eats – swallow a cannonball to become heavier and able to pass through areas buffeted by winds. Dr Puzz will turn you into a plough which can smash through piles of snow, letting you reunite a group of snowmen with their missing clothes. There are courses designed for the pair’s Reptile Roll ability that are reminiscent of Sega classic Super Monkey Ball, while the level expansion prompts a change inside the world’s ice castle: we push for info, but Playtonic is playing coy so as not to spoil the surprise.
CAPITAL CASHINO
So this is how Capital B spends his ill-gotten gains – though it turns out money can’t buy class. It’s a place of extravagant indulgence, with a large fountain in the middle and a nightclub at the back. There are enough gold furnishings here to make Donald Trump weep. Though you can’t play poker or blackjack, the cards will get you one way or another, with sentient packs launching surprise attacks. You’ll also find fruit machines, each with its own individual quirks – attempt to stop the first reel on one, for example, and it’s the third that will stop spinning. Security cameras, meanwhile, require a new ability, Camo Cloak, to get past without detection: while Yooka and Laylee are both invisible, they’re still very much physically there, so in this state you’ll find you can refract beams to trigger light-activated switches.