The original inspiration behind Yooka-Laylee is Banjo-Kazooie, a game featured in Rare Replay
EDITOR’S
CHOICEYooka-Laylee & The Impossible Lair
ON A ROLL TO SAVE THE ROYAL STING-DOM AARON POTTER
PUBLISHER TEAM17 / DEVELOPER PLAYTONIC / RELEASE DATE OUT NOW / COST £24.99/$29.99the titular ‘Impossible Lair’ is much
more than just a cool-sounding title,
also acting as Yooka and Laylee’s final
challenge. It’s a labyrinthine gauntlet
filled with platforming challenges,
completely free of checkpoints or
power-ups. In theory, you could best
it after finishing the prologue, but you
likely won’t get very far. Boss battles?
Check. Environmental hazards? You
bet. The villainous Capital B has
ensured that the lair has it all, so it’s
up to you to prepare.
Gearing up for this hard-as-nails
final stage serves as Impossible Lair’s
main thrust, with the dynamic duo’s
quest across 20 or so chapters being
to free as many Bee-talion members
as possible. The more members you
recruit, the more hits you’ll be able to
take when the time comes, increasing
your chances of besting the so-called
Impossible Lair. This setup works
marvellously in encouraging you to
hone your platforming skills, not least
because the lair is constantly loomingYou have to
admire Playtonic’s
dedication to not
throwing in the
towel. Kickstarted
spiritual successors
to beloved ’90s classics spell trouble
at the best of times, but in the original
Yooka-Laylee the team of ex-Rare
developers proved they could deliver
something special. Their first attempt
may not have solidified the sentiment,
but this surprising spin-off sequel
definitely does. Yooka-Laylee And The
Impossible Lair shifts the perspective
from colourful 3D collect-a-thon to
challenging 2D platformer, one that
isn’t afraid to pay homage to familiar
genre staples while also iterating
on them enough to suit modern
audiences. This chameleon and bat
duo have finally found their groove.
There’s a couple of ways Impossible
Lair smartly flips the script on what
you’d expect from a game of this ilk.
One is the game’s namesake. You see,
in your periphery, slap-bang in the
centre of the overworld map. While
almost nobody would be able to beat
it early on, as we mentioned, it’s very
freeing to be given the option.On the level
Doing this, however, would see you
miss out on a plethora of fun stages.
2D platformers live or die by their level
design, and thankfully in this regard
Playtonic has excelled itself. From
hazardous sawmills to toxic-laden
refineries, Impossible Lair offers a lot
of variety and depth in the stages it
puts you through, tasking you to work
your way around various obstacles
in all manner of creative ways. Each
is usually built around a singular
gimmick, whether it’s in the form of
tubular fountains that give Yooka and
Laylee an appreciated boost upwards
or ropes that sees them swing
through corridors of spikes.
There’s a fair amount of trial and
error found in every level, especiallyshort
cutWHAT IS IT?
A nod to classic
Nintendo platformers
from the creators of
Banjo-Kazooie.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
As though Yoshi’s
Island was given a
fresh lick of paint and
a few modern
gameplay tweaks.
WHO’S IT FOR?
Anyone who enjoys
colourful 2D
platformers but
wants to tailor the
difficulty to their
own tastes.076 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE
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