3.5/5 ★ – habitablestorm3's review of Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair.

Date beaten: Oct 18, 2021 Platform: Xbox One (via Game Pass) Time to beat: 12 hours Initial spot on t200: 127 Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair emulates classic Donkey Kong Country pretty well, but is hampered by inferior design and boneheaded direction surrounding the nightmarish final level. I don’t need another 2D platformer from Playtonic, but I enjoyed this one all the same + Controls well, with all of the roll-jumps a DKC fan could ask for + Dozens of levels, all pretty solidly designed, paired with a top-down overworld loaded with puzzles and hidden challenges. There is lots of 2D platforming to enjoy here + Bright colors, catchy sounds, and Banjo-Kazooie-style wit round out the experience - The last level is a mess, throwing the game’s forgiving progression out the window for a gimmicky, slogging marathon of a finale - The game is conventionally very similar to the DKC series, so it hurts that it does nearly everything worse than DKC