Here's a piping hot take, ready to serve to hungry platformer fans: Playtonic has made a game that actually manages to keep up with the best of what Rare has had to offer. Frankly, I went into this game skeptical as Hell after the disappointing Yooka-Laylee, seeing it as Playtonic attempting to ape (HAH) Rare again with a Donkey Kong Country-inspired platformer. But here I am, a fool for doubting them.
The Impossible Lair is a platformer that feels like you're managing momentum and tempo the entire time, and it just feels so good to play. That's the most important thing here, it's that the feel of the running and jumping is incredibly tight and fluid. Running through these beautifully-designed levels with fantastic music just hits like Donkey Kong Country out of the mid 90s. Collectible tonics unlock ways to make the game easier, harder, or to just make it sillier. Make the level harder for yourself and the multipliers will give you more scratch to spend with, and making levels easier gives you less.
Before you get to a level, you have to navigate the Zelda-esque overworld, solving puzzles and exploring to get to each level. The level design frankly rocks: they feel uniquely themed, they're challenging, and the super cool part is that if you do something to the level book in the overworld, you can basically unlock the level's 'B-side' with its own slew of gimmicks to play through.
The eponymous "Impossible Lair" is the final level, but you can play through it at any time. It's diabolically difficult, and beating regular levels secures you more health to make your way through it. And that comes down my only real fault with Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair: this game is hard. It's not really punishing or unfair, but it's very challenging and the final level is appropriately brutal. It's a game that rewards really getting a handle of the game's momentum-based platforming, but for normal people its challenge can occasionally be pretty steep.
As somebody who enjoys the DKC Rare and Retro Studios games, I absolutely adore Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. I can't sing its praises enough. If you were skeptical after the middling first game, give Impossible Lair an earnest shot to win you over. You won't regret it.
The Impossible Lair is a platformer that feels like you're managing momentum and tempo the entire time, and it just feels so good to play. That's the most important thing here, it's that the feel of the running and jumping is incredibly tight and fluid. Running through these beautifully-designed levels with fantastic music just hits like Donkey Kong Country out of the mid 90s. Collectible tonics unlock ways to make the game easier, harder, or to just make it sillier. Make the level harder for yourself and the multipliers will give you more scratch to spend with, and making levels easier gives you less.
Before you get to a level, you have to navigate the Zelda-esque overworld, solving puzzles and exploring to get to each level. The level design frankly rocks: they feel uniquely themed, they're challenging, and the super cool part is that if you do something to the level book in the overworld, you can basically unlock the level's 'B-side' with its own slew of gimmicks to play through.
The eponymous "Impossible Lair" is the final level, but you can play through it at any time. It's diabolically difficult, and beating regular levels secures you more health to make your way through it. And that comes down my only real fault with Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair: this game is hard. It's not really punishing or unfair, but it's very challenging and the final level is appropriately brutal. It's a game that rewards really getting a handle of the game's momentum-based platforming, but for normal people its challenge can occasionally be pretty steep.
As somebody who enjoys the DKC Rare and Retro Studios games, I absolutely adore Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. I can't sing its praises enough. If you were skeptical after the middling first game, give Impossible Lair an earnest shot to win you over. You won't regret it.