Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

Game Informer

Brian Shea·Oct 16, 2019

Critic85/100

Agreement—

This great 2D platformer delivers a crowd-pleasing adventure regardless of when you started enjoying the genre.

Eurogamer

Tom Phillips·Oct 8, 2019

Critic80/100

Agreement—

Where the original Yooka-Laylee had its eyes set on the past, this follow-up feels fitter and better for today.

GameSpot

Alessandro Barbosa·Oct 6, 2019

Critic60/100

Agreement—

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a pronounced effort to recapture the magic of platformers, but its basic platforming and sharp difficulty spikes hold it back.

Polygon

Colin Campbell·Oct 3, 2019

Critic—

Agreement—

Nostalgic tribute has a few nice touches

IGN

David Jagneaux·Oct 3, 2019

Critic87/100

Agreement—

An excellent modernized spin on the 2D platformer.

Push Square

Stephen Tailby·Oct 3, 2019

Critic70/100

Agreement—

A clear improvement on the original, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a pleasant surprise. It struggles to balance difficulty, but the end result is a robust and compelling platformer. It feels much more cohesive than its older brother and, free from the need to play to nostalgia, gives the characters and the world a better identity. It isn't perfect, but it's certainly a step in the right direction for Playtonic Games.

Nintendo Life

Chris Scullion·Oct 3, 2019

Critic90/100

Agreement—

Donkey Kong Country fans rejoice: this is the spiritual successor you've been waiting for. The worst thing you could say about it is that the overworld exploration may prove to be too involved for those who are in it purely for the runny-jumpy stuff, but those who are happy to mix platforming with top-down adventuring and don't mind adapting to the constantly changing pace will find the best of both worlds here. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a fantastic sophomore effort that pays tribute to Rare's past and establishes Playtonic as one of the UK's most exciting studios.