Yooka-Laylee is back in an entirely different genre. Is it any good, or did Playtonic fumble again? SOCIAL MEDIA: / nitrorad / nitroradofficial / nitrorad #YookaLaylee #Platformers
the money they got for their first game may have been high for a Kickstarter campaign, but if you look up how much games usually cost to make you see it was rather insufficient
Me too. I knew there would be more to Yooka-Laylee after the first game. I never played the first game, only the sequel so far. I’m proud they gave this new duo another chance, and I’m glad it paid off beautifully!! 🤩🤩
@@pretsal4955 basically all the ones from Caddicarus' old ones. there are some collabs that are not like that. Completionist and Scott the Woz comes to mind (I think I didn't actually watch the whole vid)
Impossible Layer really surprised me. The gameplay loop between the overworld and levels is excellent as every single mechanic feeds into each other in a really smart way. Too many people are sleeping on this one.
The ironic thing is that the first Yooka-Laylee, which had a very mixed reception, has been discussed online way more than The Impossible Lair, which has actually been much more well received. Heck, I've seen plenty of people who didn't even know there's a new game, and it makes me sad that this amazing 2D platformer is going under most people's radars :/ It deserves a lot more attention.
It makes perfect sense. The first game came out, people didn't like it that much and no one was really interested in a follow up. Any semblence of interest people had in Yooka-Laylee had vanished by the time Impossible Lair came out. It doesn't matter that the game ended up being significantly better.
Not sure what time to day he was writing the script, but he sure made a lot of random comparisons like he was trying so hard not to compare the game to Tropical Freeze like most reviewers have.
@@mystycitty3118 I think the comparisons were appropiate and made sense, plus even if you still think he was "trying too hard" to no bring up more comparisons with the Donkey Kong Country games, it's still better than going the easy and obvious route like everybody else.
@@inendlesspain4724 Some comparisons were a bit of a stretch in my opinion like the one Niklas mentioned. Not trying to complain that "comparisons are bad m'kay?" though, because the game makes very obvious homages to several games.
It's neither. In Yoshi's Island you lose the level when Mario is flown away. So Laylee is more like a hitpoint, like Sonic's rings, but she's a character and there's only one of her, like Mario. And she gives you additional abilities, like the Kongs in DKCR and DKCTF or power-ups in SMB.
Honestly, with how underwhelming the first game was for a lot of people, and with how Kickstarter failures like Mighty No 9 have gotten basically endless coverage for how bad they were, it’s a good feeling to know that this second game went well. Also, when you think about it, this is kinda like the story of Ty 4 where they went from a 3D platformer collect-a-thon into a 2D collection game. Only difference being that Ty 4 was kinda boring and got met with a lot of hate for not being like the first 2.
Agreed. I'm really happy that despite lukewarm feedback they got from the first game, they decided to try again in a different genre and is now getting a lot of praise and is really good. I'm loving this game myself.
Most people who played first Yooka Laylee thought it was great. It has 86% positive reviews on steam. It's just clickbaiters and stupid idiots who blindly listened to their bullshit who thought the game was bad.
I think the idea behind starting levels (and checkpoints) with Laylee is that even though the platforming sub-genre has shifted from 3D collectathon to 2D action gauntlet, Yooka-Laylee's identity keeps a common thread in this "buddy-duo" sub-sub-genre concept. They're still meant to be thought of as a unit - that's also why retrieving Laylee is made more in line with Sonic's rings or Baby Mario in Yoshi's Island: the game encourages and facilitates keeping the duo together as much as possible. Just an idea, but to me this association came naturally and I'm personally really glad this game makes it easier to keep Laylee than DKC makes it to keep Diddy.
Y'know what would be amazing? If James were to review all the Wario games. Specifically the platformers. They're all so damn good and underrated and I'd love to see what James would have to say about them.
Impossible Lair was good enough that it convinced me to finally go back and give the original Yooka Laylee a try. Now, almost 100 pagies in, I’m really enjoying myself. Here’s hoping that with each game, Playtonic continues to improve and build a strong reputation as a studio.
@@gamerprince-tl5hg I can see why people weren't happy with it upon release, but with the recent patches and distance from controversy, I feel like I can appreciate what it does well more.
Same here! I did enjoy Yooka-Laylee the first time around, but hadn't played it a second time until impossible lair came out. I ended up enjoying it a lot more the second time around! Impossible Lair is still better though.
I've never seen this game on the sales charts in the eshop which is really depressing because of how good it is, I guess people just haven't given it a chance because its yookalaylee so they instantly presume its bad.
well unlike the first Yooka-Laylee, Yooka Laylee and the impossible lair got a physical version on switch. One of the biggest criticisms of the first title was that it was download only. I'm hoping that it's lack of presence on the eshop charts simply means more people bought physical copies like I did. VGchartz didn't have sale numbers the last time I checked.
I checked on this regularly in the UK too and have never seen it in the top 20. Hope it sold ok :/ Because the game is brilliant and the team deserve a break!
This is such a fascinating game. I’m glad they didn’t just give up immediately and kept going. Hopefully we’ll get a Twooka-Layla someday where they learn a lesson from the mistakes they made with the original, maybe even a remake/reimagining with significant changes since the characters are great and the game had one much going for it, even down to the bee king as the bad guy, I just love it! It really feels like they tried to improve on the classic Banjo games by making larger levels, which didn’t work as the designs got too confusing and made the game feel aimless, so for the sequel they’re taken the blueprint of the classic Donkey Kong Country games and tried to improve on them in their own way.
I never played the first Yooka Laylee but i'm very happy to see that this game is better received by fans and reviewers. Seeing developers improve and make a better product than previously makes me really happy. Anyway, I LOVE playing this game! It's REALLY fun and enjoyable. To anyone who's on the fence about this game, don't be! Buy it! It's 100% worth the $30.
I'm enjoying this game a lot, glad I picked it up. Also I saw those Joycon grips that you had and they seem like a great idea, didn't realize there was anything like that out there. Picked up a few for myself to try them out!
I honestly really really enjoyed yooka laylee and feel the criticisms were more about disliking the 3D platforming genre. I still feel like the game was and is a 7.5/10
@@vsanz4758 Idk I played banjo kazooie a couple of years ago (2017 I think) after not having played it since I was a kid (and barely did anything in it other than just running around.) and I didn't find the game to feel dated at all. It felt like a well polished and fun game.
It got crucified, the hate bandwagon on that game was insane. It's inferior to Banjo absolutely, but it's not nearly as bad as low IQ youtubers make it out to be (not saying Nitrorad is one of those)
@@danceswithmetroids162I agree. If anything banjo is at least more novel, but yooka laylee is at least notable for evoking an era of gaming past in a time that was fully invested in other things
I agree that it wasn’t as bad as a lot of people made it out to be. My main problems were a couple of missions (that damned snowman mission, some ring based challenges, and collecting some of the feathers), the power gauge for every special move, the limitation to one tonic, and the slow dialogue with annoying, repetitive “voice acting”. Also, the minigames and minecart sections were pretty annoying. And for the record, I’m definitely not coming at this from being too nostalgic for Banjo-Kazooie or disliking 3D platformer/collectathons. I hadn’t played any of the Banjo-Kazooie games, but I loved the 3D Mario games, Spyro, Crash, A Hat in Time, and some B-grade platformers like Ty. From my perspective, Yooka-Laylee was flawed, but if at least you don’t look at it like a AAA platformer-collectathon and don’t keep your expectations too high, it’s pretty decent for the most part.
Antdude: Nitrorad is just an inferior version of me Nitro Rad: Antdude is just an inferior version of me The Fat Controller laughed "You are both wrong"
That opinion at the end after actually seeing this game...might actually sum up my first impressions seeing it here. Yooka-Laylee itself just seemed like the "too big and aimless despite its charm" angle that I always hear of Banjo-Tooie, so I skipped it. But this looks freaking amazing and a final level that you can not only access right away but better prepare yourself for AND might actually be a tough challenge despite having a crapload of hit points? Sign me up for that! ...Also, goddamn, that shot at AntDude, that was hysterical. Now I gotta search these comments for him. As much as I'd like them to do a GoldenEye/Perfect Dark kind of game for them, I think TimeSplitters Rewind is enough of a fix for that crowd.
Yooka laylee being "OK" isn't good enough for a lot of people. I get it, but you can't live up to the nostalgia and reputation of Banjo Kazooie. There's nothing wrong with being competent decent game which is what it is. It's just no masterpiece which is fine.
Yeah. It's a solid 7.5/10, which is still better than most games that are released. (my opinion is that most games are average, 5/10 with some notably good and notably bad examples) I still really really enjoy the game.
That's the dangers of nostalgia, people get too fixated on "my childhood" and give themselves a negative bias towards anything that isn't "my childhood". People see a Banjo Kazooie inspired game with a character that is not banjo they immediately go "NOT BANJO NOT BANJO NOT BANJO" and dismiss it as "a bootleg clone" without even thinking. That's why this time it was smarter of Playtonic to make a game that while yes has DK inspirations is still its own original thing with its own identity so nostalgia goggles weren't so intrusive when people look at it.
@@dstinnettmusic definitely agree 7.5 feels like a good mark if Banjo Kazooie is like 9 or 10. It would have definitely been a 8 or more if it had better pacing or at least smaller condensed world's in my opinion.
@@elin111 nostalgia blindness can be very bad but with some games they really do still hold up well and I'm sure we can all agree banjo kazooie is a really good game. I just wish yooka laylee was rated on its own merit and not how good it is compared to another game because it's genuinely not that bad when you compare it to its self.
The concept of the levels being changed by alterations in the overworld is honestly awesome. It takes the concept of some other platformers of revisiting a level with new challenges and expands even more on that. Would not be opposed to them reusing the idea for a third Yooka game. I also like the idea of starting out with two hitpoints, which upon losing can hinder your move-pool. It's a bit like the armor in Ghosts n Goblins.
When he was going on about old Rare titles he'd like to see Playtonic base a new game on, my only thought was "...ok, but have you considered Dinosaur Planet?" But I digress. I passed The Impossible Lair over 'cause I'd only heard mixed things about the first game, but seeing this review changed my mind. o: Might pick it up the next time I have some spare change.
I almost think the genre shift is done because it's quicker and easier to build a game than try to make another open world title. Also they probably realised that there was a reason the 3D collectathon format didn't carry on too much after the N64 days.
"they probably realised that there was a reason the 3D collectathon format didn't carry on" I hate this mindset so much. YookaLaylee did not fail because of its genre. Collect-a-thons can be excellent. YookaLaylee was a mediocre contribution to its genre.
After the original Yookah-Laylee I wasn't going to pay this one much attention but I'm impressed. It seems like they really took the criticism to heart and tried to make something really great. I may have to try this one out.
This is one of the best games I've played in ages, really surprised me, its just pure fun. The over world is a game in itself almost. Collecting the TWIT coins became an obsession and the levels having 'bee sides' is genius
If James and Anthony are going to collab someday, I'd love to see something competitive involving platformers or go karts. And amazing video, dude, I love when you're enthusiastic about what you're playing.
people keep commenting about your rivalry with antdude, but I gotta say, this review was REALLY well done. I've never cared about yooka-laylee (never grew up with any rare games, was more of a playstation kid), but you seriously sold me on Impossible Lair, man! I've been a fan of yours for a while, so I'm not really surprised about this, but you've managed, yet again, to get me interested in a game I never cared about. Thanks for that, James!
Create something you're more confident in, huh? I love that :) If artists just create what they love instead of buying into popular demand and trends, then something great will come out of it.
I am glad I was able to get Yooka Laylee and The Impossible Lair for $4. Excited to finally play it tonight. I loved Donkey Kong Country series growing up and this looks like fun.
I feel like "some people kinda liked it" is a little bit of an understatement. There were plenty of people that really loved the original yooka laylee.
these antdude/nitrorad jabs remind of the days where brutalmoose and caddicarus were always taking shots at each other in their videos as well :P those are my favorite kinds of youtube friendships lol
I would love to see Playtonic make a spiritual successor to either Conker's Bad Fur Day or Kameo: Elements of Power. Especially since Rare is busy making Sea of Thieves content and working on Everwild.
I'm not much of a DK Country fan but I enjoyed this game quite a lot. The dual levels were great, the overworld felt really fresh and unique, and the soundtrack is amazing. I didn't finish it though. I finished all the levels, got all the coins found most of the bees, and found a decent chunk of the tonics. But I never got all the way through the impossible lair. I actually love the idea of the impossible lair on paper but I just didn't end up enjoying it. Probably because I enjoy difficulty in short bursts as opposed to endurance challenges.
So, in short, Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair collects everything good about recent 2D platformers into one package while still adding it's own original twists? Damn, I was kinda unsure about this game but now it's going straight into my backlog! Also, wouldn't giving Laylee back when activating a checkpoint (like in Mario) eliminate the problem with having to kill yourself to get her back or does the checkpoint already do that?
Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair: The 2D sidescroller sequel paying homage to DKC Returns that no one expected. I played Yooka-Laylee on PS4 and didn't get far into it. I just couldn't get into it, don't get me wrong the game looks beautiful, controls are tight and the music gives it a Banjo-Kazooie vibe but the huge worlds are what made me switch it off. Anybody agree? This sequel though looks more tolerable to play. I didn't expect a sequel at all so it's delightful to see that creating a more simpler game leads to being a much more fun adventure. And thanks to this review I'm even more intrigued to try it out. I'm gonna give it a shot on the Switch this time.
BOTW structure, Donkey Kong Country gameplay, Yoshi's Island like hitpoint, Playtonics really stepped up. They even innovated with how levels are done. There aren't a lot of high profile indie games that break new ground
2:28 I don't think Playtonic set out to shift the genre of YL though. They just wanted to make a spiritual successor to another classic Rare game (DKC) and found it handy to just reuse the YL characters and brand.
I shared your vids to a game designer and he really enjoys them and thinks about watching more for inspiration for his own work, where he often does similar presentations :3 I just wanted you to know you do an amazing job, one of professional level! Please continue you're so fun to watch!
This game feels like it's going to go down as a lesser-known classic, specifically because the reviews make it feel anything but underrated. Nice review! Glad to see Playtonic getting its second wind, looking forward to their future ventures. Hoping to see a Banjo-Kazooie review/retrospective since you've been playing it. Curious to know if you'll be able to snag the handheld spin-offs, but I imagine 1, 2, and Nuts & Bolts will take priority.
As someone who grew up with Banjo, I love the first Yooka-Laylee, I really disagree with the general consensus there. Not to say it’s beyond criticism, but it bothers me how many people I’ve seen spewing hatred over it that never even played it. Honestly, how everyone says the worlds were empty (not really, but whatever), I think Banjo-Tooie was a lot more guilty of that. Still, it makes me happy that they made something almost everyone likes. I still like the first game more, but this game is really great. It feels so nice to have some portion of the old Rare team making games again. There’s just no one else like them in the industry. I hope they’ll make a Twoka-Laylee still, I think they could really make something special there.
To be honest I think they should have released these games opposite to each other. Make a faithful Donkey Kong side scroller to establish characters and items, and making your worlds interesting. Then make the Banjo Kazooie successor, using these fun characters to expand on your lore and be comfortable exploring them. I think it might have been a little better, kinda like how Tonic Trouble was released before Rayman 2 to get a feel for programming in 3d space.
I liked this game more than tropical freeze when i played it. It has a certain intangible something that TF doesn't, it was really exciting and felt like when I played DKC2 the first time. and the whole overworld and changing the levels and impossible lair itself really made this game stand out and memorable.
I'm super happy that The Impossible Lair is getting good reception. I was a huge fan of DKC Tropical Freeze, so having a DKC inspired game is definitely on my backlog of games I want to play. Interested in seeing what Playtonic does next, hopefully a racing game or a first person shooter just cause it would be cool/funny
"using the exact same characters to make a completely different kind of game" that's.. a very common thing for game companies to do like.. oh idk.. rare making a 3d collectathon and a 2d platformer with the same characters which is what is happening here (albeit the other way around) so.. this really shouldn't be surprising
Ran across you thanks to Austin on Twitter, and hoping the best for your view count and reach. =) I'm trying to train the algorithm for my home feed, and you showed up-low on it, but you were there!
I fail to see how yooka laylee is confusing, when i played banjo kazooie and tooie i always ended up needing a tutorial from youtube but with yooka laylee i've enjoyed every second of it. I don't know but i like where things are going and hope to see more games in the future!
Hard to believe this game went free on Epic at this stage in its career. It's BRAND NEW, for gods sake. And with its pedigree, it's kind of a shame. I mean, exposure is certainly a good thing, but still.. (And full disclosure, this game wasn't even on my radar until I saw the Epic give away. Never played a Banjo Kazooie either, but I'm well familiar with the SNES Donkey Kong Country)
Huh, I never expected Yooka Laylee of all games to get a sequel. Well, I wonder if it's good Edit: Well, after watching the video...color me surprised. I'm surprised at how good this actually game is. I did not expect this. Wowie.
