Yooka-Laylee

Nintendo Life

Mitch Vogel·Dec 14, 2017

Critic80/100

Agreement—

All told, Yooka-Laylee is a worthy modern tribute to the collectathons of yore, and it is highly recommended for Switch owners. This feels like a game that belongs in 1996, but with all the quality improvements of a game made in 2017, making for an excellent blend of new and old. Though it can be a little uneven at times, the game as a whole manages to succesfully achieve its goals.Do yourself a favour and give this one a go; it may not have been too well received to begin with, but Playtonic has polished it up quite nicely; it is a worthy addition to the Switch library.

GameSpot

Kallie Plagge·Apr 4, 2017

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Yooka-Laylee delivers on nostalgia but is held back by outdated gameplay and underwhelming levels.

Polygon

Chelsea Stark·Apr 4, 2017

Critic—

Agreement—

A new coat of paint can't fix Yooka-Laylee's old design problems

Eurogamer

Edwin Evans-Thirlwell·Apr 4, 2017

Critic75/100

Agreement—

Playtonic's tribute to Banjo is a gentle, irreverent platformer let down by spotty handling and a slight shortage of genius.

Kotaku

Heather Alexandra·Apr 4, 2017

Critic—

Agreement—

The parts are significantly greater than the whole. There's fun to be had but it doesn't come easily. And if I never have to collect another shiny again, it'll be far too soon.

PC Gamer

Tom Marks·Apr 4, 2017

Critic68/100

Agreement—

A decent revival of the N64-era 3D platformer, but with all the flaws that carries, as well as some new ones of its own.

Game Informer

Brian Shea·Apr 4, 2017

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Full of fun exploration, exciting encounters, and tons of collectibles, Yooka-Laylee is a modern take on a classic genre

GamesRadar+

David Houghton·Apr 4, 2017

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Evoking the essence of late-'90s platforming without significantly modernising it, Yooka-Laylee is a game with noble aspirations, grounded by clumsily flawed execution.

Push Square

Sammy Barker·Apr 4, 2017

Critic60/100

Agreement—

It's colourful, there are collectibles, and it's got a rotten camera: Yooka-Laylee is a 90s platformer to a tee. Unfortunately, rather than a rose-tinted look at the titles of yore, this game falls into all of the same pitfalls as its predecessors: it's rough around the edges, often annoying, and at times even a chore. And yet for all of its flaws it's still packing the most important ingredient of all: the compulsion to collect everything is strong here – and it'll remain even when you're grinding your teeth.

IGN

Marty Sliva·Apr 4, 2017

Critic70/100

Agreement—

Yooka-Laylee contains all the pieces needed for a fun, enjoyable throwback to the 3D collectathons of the 64-bit era. The characters are charming and funny, your set of abilities is vast and entertaining, and four out of five of the worlds are fun playgrounds to explore. While it lacks the heart and polish of some of its incredible predecessors, it’s a good reminder that this genre, once thought to be dead, still has some life left in it.

Rock Paper Shotgun

Philippa Warr·Apr 4, 2017

Critic—

Agreement—

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.