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Why You Should Care About Yooka-Laylee’s Sequel | Culture of Gaming

A sequel to Yooka-Laylee has been announced. But after the letdown of the first game, should we give Playtonic Games another chance?

Second chances are rare. But once in a while they can be granted. Such is the case for Playtonic Games’ Yooka-Laylee. Fans of 3D platformers may remember the 2017 game as a bit of a letdown. But the former Rareware employees at Playtonic Games are not ones to quit, and are trying again with Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair.  Even though some trepidation can be felt among fans, there really isn’t a reason to worry.

Why Yooka-Laylee?

Of all the games to be excited about, why in the world would anyone choose this one? That may sound harsh, but Sony’s absence from E3 2019 was truly felt. Nintendo’s showing was amazing, but they never really tried to compete with the other two companies. Whereas, even Microsoft’s Project Scarlett reveal wasn’t really a reveal, but people talking into a camera about things we already knew.

But as much as people love to dump on Yooka-Laylee, the groundwork for something truly wonderful was still there. The game offered the music of Grant Kirkhope and David Wise. It provided the wonder that only a world of a collect-athon can create. It had the whimsy, the characters, and the power-ups of an old school Rare game. What could possibly go wrong?

Why It Failed, and What The Sequel Can Do

One could just brush off the first Yooka-Laylee and say, “It’s too old fashioned. That’s why it failed.” But then you remember that Banjo-Kazooie is still enjoyed to this day. No, Yooka-Laylee slipped when it forgot to take the things people love about Banjo, but skip the things that haven’t aged well. While some may disagree, Banjo-Kazooie does have its flaws. The voices are annoying for a modern sensibility, and the camera is pretty clunky.

If Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair has any chance of success, it’s going to have to learn from its mistakes. And it looks like it has, by melding the 3D with the 2D. Much like the Retro Studios Donkey Kong Country games, power-ups from the 3D games look to have been beautifully translated. The look, sound, and whimsy appear to be back. The things people liked about Yooka-Laylee are back.
The key for Playtonic to remember is that it’s not that people don’t like 3D games. It’s just that the standards for what people will tolerate in modern games have risen. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair appears to take that on board. That’s why I will be keeping my eye on the sequel.

But what do you think? Are you willing to give Yooka-Laylee another chance? Should we just move on? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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