4/5 ★ – Manic_Zucc's review of Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair.

This is a fantastic platformer right up until it’s namesake dungeon. I went into the game expecting a poor man’s Donkey Kong Country but comparing it to that franchise is a disservice to both series. While the core gameplay is nothing new to fans of the genre, the way the gameplay interacts with game design is something special. The overworld was deceptively detailed even if it appears simplistic at a glance. The concept of changes made in the overworld directly affecting the stages is so genius it blows my mind the concept isn’t used in more games. The tonic system is also fun, allowing the player to customize the difficulty in exchange for getting greater or lesser rewards. Only major complaint is the Impossible Lair itself. Great idea in concept, poor in execution. The idea of having the final level playable from the start, but having it become easier as you play more of the adventure is a cool idea. However even at full strength the Lair is punishingly hard, nothing in the game even remotely prepares you for it. The level takes at minimum 30 minutes to beat and has no checkpoints. It quickly becomes a demoralizing chore to get through and ends an otherwise phenomenal game on a bittersweet note. While I’ll probably never play the game’s final level again, I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and will gladly revisit the other levels in the future.