Yooka-Laylee

[killthenet]

Easy Allies have posted their review:

 

 

Definitely sounds like it leans too heavily on nostalgia and doesn't do enough to modernise the formula. Those grunts when the characters are talking are infuriating, I can put up with old school style gameplay but the sound design is what's really putting me off getting it.

[S.C.G]

I saw the Easy Allies review last night - was going to post a link but forgot - but it still hasn't put me off, if anything I'm even more hyped for it now oddly.

 

In a time where we have so many videogames and particularly within the past month or so where the bar has been raised repeatedly I think Yooka-Laylee will find its own comfortable niche as a diamond in the rough which will hopefully more than serve its target audience while filling a significant gap in the platformer genre.

 

Not long to go now either way, well for most versions... obviously the Switch release will take a little while longer but I get the feeling that like the initial game release, it will be worth the wait for the fans at least. : peace:

 

Everyone else can just wait for a price drop or not buy it I guess...

 

Looking at the long game here though, I really expect brilliant things from Playtonic in the future, it feels good to support them and I can't wait to play their debut title in a few days.

[Cube]

 

Unfortunately, it's a Steam version, so I can't play it until Tuesday.

[Jimbob]

 

Arrived this morning. I'm still getting used to Sunday deliveries.

[drahkon]

Looks like no early copy for me

 

I hoped it would've arrived this morning...would've loved to play this a little today since I won't have time tomorrow.

[Jimbob]

I had a few hours on it last night.

 

It seems that there is a quiz of each level before you can progress to open the next stages, i did a quiz and all the questions were either of my ship or of the first stage. It is reminiscent of the old Grunty quiz from Banjo Kazooie, so there is that. Basically, this game is nostalgia to Rare past we know. Spent a few hours exploring the first stage, did expand it with a few Paigies to open it further. Not too sure how many expansions you can do per level,

but the expansion i did opened up the boss and Shovel Knight.

 

I do echo a few issues with some reviewers, one review i read said that some of the Paigie challenges are tedious,

not fun to do due to an item being just within reach of the Paigie. That's not to say i'm not enjoying it at all, no. I am enjoying it, but not as much as i thought i would. Maybe it's me, but it's got the quirkiness that made Kazooie great but it's lacking something i can't quite put my finger on.

 

[drahkon]

The deliveryman was here when I was away for 20 minutes this morning...just checked my mailbox and got a notice.

 

No game for me today, but I'll pick this up on Wednesday Can't wait!

Edited April 10, 2017 by drahkon

[Adrian DX]

Kickstarted it, chose Wii U version, changed to Switch verison and then realized that the Switch version is coming out later. Tried e-mailing Playtonic, but haven't been replying this past month so I haven't been able to switch to PS4, Xbone or PC version

 

Anyone else here have the same situation?

[S.C.G]

Kickstarted it, chose Wii U version, changed to Switch verison and then realized that the Switch version is coming out later. Tried e-mailing Playtonic, but haven't been replying this past month so I haven't been able to switch to PS4, Xbone or PC version

 

Anyone else here have the same situation?

 

Nope, I was also going to go for the Wii U version but I changed to physical PS4 version and am playing it right now.

 

I do feel for you though, it wasn't exactly made clear at the time that the Switch version wasn't going to be coming out at the same time or that it would/wouldn't be physical... even though it was admitedly pretty unlikely.

 

Most of my kickstarter stuff arrived today, though I must say that it was pretty poorly packed, no bubble wrap or anything, just came in an oversized version of one of those Amazon style wrap-around packets they use for DVD's etc, fortunately the contents were mostly unscathed but it was a bit underwhelming to find that it was all very loosley bundled in with little protection.

 

Of course I will do a little feature or something on it, the 64-bit edition that is, when I decide to un-flat-pack the box, find an inner tray for it, put the cartridge and manual away in it, followed by incasing it in a sentinel N64 box protector before enshrining it in my N64 collection next to the holiest of Nintendo 64 titles.

 

But yeah, most importantly the game is great from what I've played so far and I can see myself being very happy with it indeed.

 

I'm just going to keep that boxed PC physical kickstarter exclusive version sealed I reckon, that along with the 64-bit edition is bound to go up in value over time. : peace:

[Shorty]

Play this yesterday evening... not very much just for 10-15 minutes. It feels a lot like BK, but I guess I didn't feel much compulsion to keep playing, probably just because I'm in the middle of a certain top tier RPG right now, or because I only got this right now because I was a backer. If trying to control the camera with the right stick, I did notice things quickly got out of hand and it was better to just leave the camera alone where possible. The snake's "voice" was annoying. Other than that, it was fun and felt a lot like I'd gone back in time to the N64 era... but much prettier.

Edited April 11, 2017 by Shorty

[Hero-of-Time]

I got in from work yesterday, made some tea, ate that and then cracked on with the game. The next thing I knew I had been playing for close to 6 hours and it was 10PM.

 

Firstly, I have had zero technical issues with the game so far. I nearly finished the first world ( need one more Pagie ) and unlocked and played around with worlds 2, 3 and 4. I have yet to see any hiccups or issues that a lot of reviewers were talking about. I even played a lot of the first world with no patch installed as I was too impatient to wait. The only difference I could see was the load times were a lot faster once the patch was installed. That's not to say people haven't had issues, only that I have yet to see any.

 

Gameplay wise this is very much a return of the classic Banjo Kazooie style platformer. There's plenty to collect and discover, some great banter between characters, lots of breaking the 4th wall, great music and special moves that are ripped straight out of the classic games. The game is Banjo Kazooie in everything but name/characters.

 

There were a lot of reviewers who complained about the difficulty of the game and how unfair/challenging it is. I honestly don't see this. The game simply hearkens back to a time when you weren't told where to go or where you had a lifebar that automatically refills, something that the game has a joke about.

 

I was following the Gaf thread over the weekend, just reading what the early adopters thought of the game, and many seemed to be having issues with the first boss and struggling with the fight. People were complaining it was unfair and that the fight lasted too long due to the boss having numerous phases. I honestly have no idea what people expected from the game and the boss wasn't even that hard. People were making out like this was some fight ripped out of Dark Souls or something.

 

Another complaint i've read from users and reviewers is the lack of a map and collectible indicator. Heaven forbid people have to learn a level layout and remember where things are. As for the collectibles, the whole point of them is for the players to search high and low for each of them and not being pointed to where the next one is. This in turn allows a player to learn the layout of the level they are in.

 

In terms of collecting stuff, I had an experience last night where I need to find 3 Quills for the full 200/200 on the first world. I must have spent an hour looking for them but I eventually found them tucked away in a cheeky hiding spot. I didn't kick off and complain that there was no arrow showing me where to go, instead I simply looked around the level and finally found them. There was a sense of relief and satisfaction gained from this.

 

The quiz show that appears at various points in the game isn't as bad as people think. Like I mentioned earlier, I have unlocked worlds 1-4 and I have only had 2 quizzes in that time, so it's not one for every world that gets unlocked. Also, the game helps players out in speeding the process up. Get a question right and you move forward 1 space but answer correctly before the 5 second mark and you will move 2 spaces. Some of the questions are tricky, like guessing how many Quills or Pagies you have collected so far, but for the most part it's just like the questions in Banjo, where you will be fine if you've been observant with the game.

 

My only real negative at this point is just how large some of the worlds are. This was a big issue of mine when I played Banjo Tooie all those years ago. It's not necessarily a bad thing, just more of a preference issue. I like a more compact and tighter level layout than a one that sprawls across a large space.

 

I still have a long way to go before finishing it but so far Playtonic have delivered exactly what they said they were going to do. They've given us a game that is very much the spiritual successor to the Banjo series.

 

As a side note, playing this and Zelda has also highlighted just why I don't put much stock in reviews anymore. You had most places gushing about Zelda, which I thought was average at best, and then most places slamming this game, which i'm really enjoying. I'm just hoping that the reviews haven't done damage to the sales of this game.

[Dcubed]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it @Hero\-of\-Time. Looking forward to getting a chance to sit down with it and get stuck in myself (Hopefully later on today! )

[Cube]

I've only been able to play for a couple of hours, but I get a similar feeling to @Hero\-of\-Time - so far, this is exactly the game I wanted it to be.

[bob]

Every time I venture into this thread, I come out humming the Treasure Trove Cove theme in my head. No idea why.

[drahkon]

Picked it up. I was so excited all morning, and now that I've read your post, @Hero\-of\-Time, I'm losing it here Patch is downloading.

 

However, a mate and I will most likely play some other games together today...and tonight it's Champions League...and the lady is coming over...AAAHHHHHHH.

[Hero-of-Time]

I had a repeat of yesterday where I got in from work, got settled for the evening and then had a good 6 hour session on the game. I've made some great progress. I've completely finished off the first two worlds, nearly finished off the 3rd, unlocked all the levels and bought every move special move. The final one you get makes getting around so much easier.

 

Still really enjoying the game but the stuttering that a few people mentioned started to show up in the 4th world. Strange that it hasn't shown up elsewhere, unless the 4th world is more taxing than others? Still, it hasn't effected my enjoyment.

[drahkon]

Played Yooka Laylee a bit yesterday. Got a few Pagies, bought the firsr three special moves and expanded the first wolrd once (can you do it more than once). Absolutely loved every second of it.

 

Some things I don't like:

The power bar. Why oh why does this exist?

The first world is very large. Like H-o-T, I prefer more condensed levels. It's just a personal thing, though.

 

Other than that I can't think of any negatives

 

I had a repeat of yesterday where I got in from work, got settled for the evening and then had a good 6 hour session on the game. I've made some great progress. I've completely finished off the first two worlds, nearly finished off the 3rd, unlocked all the levels and bought every move special move. The final one you get makes getting around so much easier.

 

Is it possible to completely finish a world before moving on to the next? Would you recommend unlocking more levels and moves before trying to 100% a level?

[Hero-of-Time]

Is it possible to completely finish a world before moving on to the next? Would you recommend unlocking more levels and moves before trying to 100% a level?

 

You can't fully finish certain worlds on your first play through. Sometimes you have to come back with new moves to get 100% in a world. Often things a easier if you comeback later. For example, in the first world you have a race with a cloud. This is much easier if you've upgraded you energy meter and unlocked the tonic that slows down the energy meter when rolling.

 

So, yeah, just play the stages normally and then come back once you are loaded with new moves.

 

I slammed a couple of days holiday in at work to lengthen the bank holiday weekend. Been playing this all morning and have now fully finished worlds 1-3, as well as the Hivory Tower area.

[S.C.G]

You can't fully finish certain worlds on your first play through. Sometimes you have to come back with new moves to get 100% in a world. Often things a easier if you comeback later. For example, in the first world you have a race with a cloud. This is much easier if you've upgraded you energy meter and unlocked the tonic that slows down the energy meter when rolling.

 

So, yeah, just play the stages normally and then come back once you are loaded with new moves.

 

I slammed a couple of days holiday in at work to lengthen the bank holiday weekend. Been playing this all morning and have now fully finished worlds 1-3, as well as the Hivory Tower area.

 

While it's true that you can't finish whole worlds in one go, I certainly gave it a damn good try!

 

After expanding the first world, I think I managed to get around 20 Pagies from it, including the two for both races without either of those two upgrades you mentioned, sure it took a few attempts but I feel good about clearing it without knowing about the other upgrades... had I known about then before, I'd still probably have done it in the same way; that's what is so great about Yooka-Laylee though, having a certain amount of freedom in how you want to collect a set number of items revolving around specific challenges.

 

I too have some time off but after Easter so that will probably be the time when I'll plough through this excellent title.

 

Regarding your earlier points about other people finding the game "too hard" or getting lost all the time, I think possibly they might not have played a Nineties era 3D Platformer before.

 

That's the great thing, Yooka-Laylee was designed to be this exact kind of game which harks back to an era where you were just given a basic set of skills which you'd use until you'd got that you could out of them before acquiring more to progress but still going back to those skills when required.

 

Learning the layout of each world is a joy, of course you might fall off the edge every now and then but at least there are no lives to keep track of, you just reload from whichever place you last came out of or the start of that world, the fact that there's no auto-refilling health here is a godsend and I'm so glad that it's one aspect of modern gaming that it even pokes fun at with its light-hearted, tongue in cheek humour. :p

 

A joy to behold and a title which I can't wait to play more of. : peace:

[Jimbob]

Got the Easter break, and i'm taking the PlayStation up the Mrs's to play some Yooka Laylee. Been saving much of my play for this weekend coming up.

 

I did put in a few hours on Sunday/Monday, and i enjoyed what i played abiet a few minor issues. But the reviewers, i have no idea what they are talking about in places.

[Cube]

It did annoy me slightly that you couldn't complete a world straight away, but I'm still going for the "complete as much as I can before moving on" method.

 

One thing that was particularly annoying: there was a long maze-like segment. At the end was a Pagie...but it required a move you don't get until later on. They should have put a puzzle that requires the move at the start.

[Hero-of-Time]

World 4 100% complete. Man, it was a tougie. I was stuck for around 2 hours trying to find the last 2 collectibles I needed. I kept doing laps around the whole level and all the areas multiple times. The was a great sense of relief and satisfaction when I finally found them.

 

The final world awaits....

[nekunando]

World 4 100% complete. Man, it was a tougie. I was stuck for around 2 hours trying to find the last 2 collectibles I needed. I kept doing laps around the whole level and all the areas multiple times..

 

That sounds extremely off-putting

 

Banjo-Tooie was incredibly frustrating for me due to the scale of the levels and trying to remember where things were or how to access them! I remember having sessions where I'd maybe not make much progress or find any jiggies for hours, perhaps entering a world to hunt down what I'm missing only to discover I don't have the right moves or finding that I need to come through a specific entrance from another level.

Banjo-Kazooie was smaller and more manageable as a result but I've always felt Yooka-Laylee would incorporate too many elements from the sequel

 

Maybe I'll try it some day but I'm probably more excited about playing Banjo-Kazooie again than playing Yooka-Laylee.. so that's maybe what I'll do

[drahkon]

Reached the second world. It's beautiful, only got one Pagie and one move, but so far it's lovely.

 

This game's so relaxing. The music, the graphics, the art style, the gameplay...something about it soothes me.

[Glen-i]

I've visited two worlds now. That second world is gorgeous. Someone show it to @Hero\-of\-Time on all accounts. Which means this game has performed miracles in making a game we might both like.

 

Anyway, it's Banjo-Threeie, but with a Chameleon as the main star. So I like it even more on that regard.

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention, this game is really nailing the humour. It didn't take long for me to start chuckling at Yooka's book in the intro. He blatantly didn't read it.

About 30 seconds later, I stumbled on to the name of their ship.

Edited April 13, 2017 by Glen-i