Today Playtonic Games have finally released their long anticipated Tonic 64 mode for Yooka-Laylee. As the name implies the purpose of today’s free update is to give the game a Nintendo 64 style makeover. Being a big fan of the N64 its pretty neat to see this new mode in action. Resolution is turned down to bring out all the glorious pixelation of the time and even the framerate runs at what appears to be an N64 norm of around 20-25 FPS. Scanlines have also been added to the image to really push up the nostalgic charm. If you haven’t gotten a chance to try out the new N64 mode check out this trailer!

Outside of these touches though, nothing is really that accurate to a true N64 experience. The number of textures still in use would have crippled the N64. Lighting and animations are also far more advanced then anything seen on the real system. The whole thing also lacks the over abundant use of fog to cover up the limited draw distance. Still this mode is an awesome free addition to the PC and Switch versions of Yooka-Laylee. I am glad to see Playtonic honor their own game making legacy in such a glorious way. Though I can’t help but wonder what would the game really be like on a real N64 if cartridge space wasn’t a concern.

Share what you all think of the new Yooka-Laylee update below!