2017’s Yooka-Laylee was a charming love letter to 3D platformers from a bygone era, but it didn’t necessarily hit the mark in every way, with its wonky camera, sometimes incohesive level design, and various frustrating gameplay idiosyncrasies. Developer Playtonic seems to have understood this when they doubled back to create a remake of the game, cleverly titled Yooka-Replaylee.
Yooka-Replaylee is a substantial overhaul of the original game, keeping much of its core theming while renewing and refining its story, levels, and gameplay. But what all can you expect new in this remake? Let’s talk about it.
What’s new in Yooka-Replaylee?
Yooka-Replaylee is a remake of Yooka-Laylee, so the changes are well beyond the scope of a typical remaster that has become so prevalent in recent years. Instead, it’s almost entirely redone from the ground up to serve as the definitive way to experience the first tale in the series. Here are the biggest changes you’ll notice in this adventure.
Retold story with a canonical twist – In this remake, Yooka and Laylee retell the story of the original game from their own perspective, which cleverly provides an in-game explanation for the remake’s existence. There’s even an extended ending this time around to grant a little more clarity and closure.
Entirely new art – Every texture in the game has been entirely remade, and levels have been dramatically updated with improved lighting and new objects added throughout each area to enhance interactability. Even menus have received an update to be more attractive and easier to navigate.
Fresh soundtrack – The score from the original Yooka-Laylee has been newly arranged by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra for a fuller and more engaging soundtrack.
Major gameplay overhaul – Yooka and Laylee have access to their entire move set from almost the very beginning of the game, which means no waiting to receive a special point in the journey to gain access to standard functionalities this time. The characters and their moveset have been animated better this time around, too — and there are even some all-new moves available.
Vastly improved camera - The camera controls have been considerably revised to feel more in line with what players have come to expect from a modern 3D platformer.
More customization – This remake adds 35 Tonics that can be used as modifiers or filters, as well as over 100 cosmetics that let you really make Yooka and Laylee your own.
Updated tracking and navigation – There’s a new map and collectibles tracker to make things easier (especially for us completionists), letting you track items, NPCs, and fast travel points — the latter of which is also new!
Minigames have been replaced – Gone are the original game’s minigames, which weren’t well-received by many players. Instead, Yooka and Laylee can set off into Rextro’s Arcade to tackle isometric platforming levels as the dinosaur Rextro.
There are plenty more little updates and changes throughout Yooka-Replaylee that returning fans are certain to notice. If you’d like to dive in and check it out for yourself, you can do so now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch 2, or PC.
