Yooka-Laylee returns this year with a surprise 2D twist
Yooka-Laylee's second outing is a surprising switch of perspective.
The bat and lizard are back, and they've undergone a shocking transformation. Where the first Yooka Laylee looked to resurrect 3D platformers of the past, Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair's reveal trailer shows a decidedly more two-dimensional affair.
Once again, our bat and lizard heroes face off against big business. Team17 describes it as such:
"In this new platforming adventure hybrid, Yooka and Laylee must combine their abilities to take on a series of challenging and vibrant 2.5D levels and explore and solve puzzles in a beautiful 3D overworld. It’s on them to rescue Queen Phoebee’s Royal Beettalion Guard from each level, as they size up Capital B’s most dastardly challenge yet — the Impossible Lair."
It's a surprising change of perspective. Yooka Laylee was defined by its commitment to early 3D platformers like Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo Kazooie. But banking so hard on nostalgia brought back old issues. Camera controls and dated mechanics hampered a generally charming little adventure.
But what's Yooka-Laylee without that? Challenging 2.5D side-scrolling challenges and a top-down overworld are more Mario's domain these days. We'll see if Yooka-Laylee's Banjo-adjacent identity can survive the transformation when Team17 reveals more at E3 next week.
Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair releases later in 2019 on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC.