In its best moments Yooka-Laylee reminds me of why the three-dimensional platformers were some of my favorite games of the last two decades. I remember with a smile bright worlds, funny characters, clever and fun design game levels like Banjo-Kazooie, similarity Yooka-Laylee which no one really does not hide.
However, although I liked those 15 hours that I spent in the company of Yuki and Layla, this does not mean that I did not notice a problem of this game with the camera, some boring scenes and a small number of worlds, which is why new product can hardly be put in on a par with its great ancestors.
Yooka-Laylee formula should be familiar to fans of 3D-platformer 64-bit era: there is a world first which serves as a training site you basic mechanics, and then allows you to freely puteshestovat several large and bright levels.
You study them, you collect items to discover new skills, explore new worlds and can even take on a fun mini-game in retro style, in which you can play for a TV, along with three friends. This game is available separately from the story campaign.
I really like the number and variety of skills, which are trained Yuka and Layla (you simultaneously control both of them) in the course of history.
Their cute relationship reminiscent of the famous Banjo and Kazuya: Yuka – heroic lizard that makes the hardest part of the job, and Layla – sarcastic fly mouse with skills such as sonar, revealing the invisible objects, and temporary barrier, providing a couple of invulnerability. I really liked that the standard for platforming tricks like double jump diluted quite unusual things.
For example, Yuka may temporarily “borrow” from the object, which he licks, some property. Say, licking honey, Yuka becomes tacky, which will allow him to walk on slippery surfaces. Such opportunities allowed the authors to make a pretty interesting puzzle.
Special, when you have to use other skills like time shooting fiery missiles. There is a lot of fun to come across obstacles, to experiment with the environment, to seek (and finally finding) unusual solutions.
However, you always have to fight with the local physics and controls, which do not seem to be so thoughtful as in the classic game series like Mario, Banjo or Ratchet. Sometimes I failed the episode is not their fault, but because of problems with the camera or the responsiveness of the characters.
Considering that for this game, “acrobatic” episodes are very important, it is quite a serious problem. Although I can not say that the same management is absolutely horrible, no.
But at times it hurt so much that the game begins to irritate. For example, when the camera is suddenly stuck in the scenery, and I had to deal with it, trying to get more comfortable viewing environment and viewing the most puzzles. This is not 1998, so at the very moment when you notice the camera, it becomes a problem. And it happened to me, perhaps too often.
Except for the camera, one of my main complaints about the game is that there are only 5 worlds. 6, if you count the central world. Definitely disappointing news. Especially given the fact that one of these 5 worlds is not particularly something and good.
Fourth World (the casino) disappointingly lifeless, although it can be would expect a lot more. This location is ordinary, boring, full of banal, dull jobs that depend on luck rather than your skill. Here adventure markedly lowers the speed.
The stronger, the less fortunate will be the player. Given that the world is in fact a fifth part of the game, other than its failure did not call.
Fortunately, the other worlds have turned out much better, and the ruins of the Maya, and the ice castle, and other levels are full of interesting challenges, reminiscent of the early, less well-known works Rare 80-ies of the last century.
Of course, I was disappointed by the meager number of locations, but in almost every of them you can always find some interesting entertainment.
I liked to study the local levels, to understand its structure, to collect everything what could reach out my hands to eventually realize that the world is much larger than previously thought.
It’s almost an infinite loop: the level of the study, the collection “currency”, which can be spent on the expansion of this level to be able to explore a new part of the level and collect more “currency”. Just look nice, with time it changes location.
