Is this definitive edition worth a replaylee?
Embark on an epic open-world 3D platforming collectathon adventure with Yooka and Laylee! The search for Pagies starts anew in Yooka-Replaylee, the enhanced definitive version of the beloved indie darling with all new challenges, secrets, mechanics, and accessibility options. Yooka-Replaylee is the definitive remastered and enhanced version of the 3D indie platforming collectathon darling, Yooka-Laylee (2017), developed by key creative talent behind the Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country games.
I reviewed the original Yooka-Laylee in 2017 and its 2.5D follow-up Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair in 2019. I’m a huge fan of Banjo-Kazooie and have yearned for another game like it ever since the last entry, even if Nuts and Bolts wasn’t quite the game, we all expected. Yooka-Laylee launched and got a mixed reaction from fans and critics, while I personally loved it because of my own love for Banjo and the great minds behind it who joined the developer Playtonic to bring a Banjo spiritual successor to life.
Yooka-Replaylee feels like a Directors Cut of the original game, if you will. It’s not just a visually enhanced version of the original, but it adds quality of life changes, fixes things that some didn’t quite click as well with and the end result is incredible. I loved the original, but Yooka-Replaylee pushes the quality to a higher level and makes it the collectathon we deserve. I just hope now that Playtonic push on and make a true 3D sequel…
Controls are more precise than they were, a few tweaks here and there to design for certain areas are more than welcome and the overall game just feels more polished. The visuals are nicely improved with a framerate that is smooth and consistent, the soundtrack is still a love-letter to Banjo-Kazooie and the obvious inspiration it gave the developers is shown everywhere. While we will probably never see a Banjo-Threeie, this is a damn good substitute.
The Verdict
Yooka-Replaylee takes the original game, spruces up the visuals, makes some tweaks, quality of life improvements and the end result is superb. It improves the game in every way I can think of, making it the best version of the game and a must-have for any Banjo-Kazooie fan.