3/5 ★ – Diluted_Thought's review of Yooka-Laylee.

There's a lot to cover so I'll simplify it, more for myself then anything. The Good - Heavy dose of Nostalgia - Vibrant - Fun transformations - Shovel Knight - Rextro It invokes the spirit of Banjo and thats what got my hyped for this when it was announced. Tribalstack Tropics, the first world is the most beautiful level in this game and really showed what the team would be able to accomplish with this project. Not all transformations were great but they were interesting for sure. Then of course you have fun charming characters like Rextro popping up complete with an old fashioned blocky polygon look. Finally, you got Shovel Knight who just happened to be in the wrong game. The Bad - Adheres to old school design for better or worse. - Levels feel too big - Rextro's Arcade - The Final Boss Fight For anyone whose read professional reviews has probably heard a line like this - "the game is archaic in design". I'm in total agreement. I would have loved this game in 1998 or 2001 but it needed more modern touches to keep up with the times. The levels in the game also feel far too big for a game like this. When thinking back on Banjo I know it had bigger levels like Clankers Cavern, Treasure Trove Cove or Rusty Bucket Bay, but traversing them was fun and fairly quick. But going back to Tribalstack Tropics in Yooka Laylee, despite how much I loved the look, it took me quite some time to get from one portion of the map to another or even up that tower. Had traversal been quicker that probably would have helped a bunch. Also, any level that wasn't Tribalstack Tropics was uninteresting or forgettable. Admittedly Galleon Galaxy was pretty cool looking. Rextro's Arcade has some of the WORST mini games I've played in quite some time. I loved that little dino but I absolutely loathed his arcade cabinets. Then finally we got Capital B. Hands down the least fun I've had with a final boss and easily the most annoying one I've fought this generation. All that said I was disappointed in my experience, but it was fun to see how my tastes have changed over the years but more than that I'm glad that this duo exists. There is certainly room for them in this world of games and I hope "The Impossible Lair" is a better experience.