Summary
The 2017 indie platformerYooka-Layleeis getting a current-gen remaster. According to a press release, the enhanced and remastered version, titledYooka-Replaylee, is being handled by the same key creative talent behind the originalYooka-Laylee.
After years of planning, Playtonic Games launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fundYooka-Layleein 2015. Intending the game to be a spiritual successor to theBanjo-Kazooieseries, the company’s debut title was applauded forcapturing the nostalgic ambiance of early 3D platformersbut heavily criticized for its technical issues. A sequel titledYooka-Layleeand the Impossible Lairwas released for PC and console in 2019.
Arelease trailer forYooka-Replayeewas shown during today’s Guerrilla Collective 2024 showcase, highlighting the colorful game’s overhauled art and animations. The upcoming title promisesimprovements to its camera and controlsalong with a new currency, new challenges, an orchestral version of the original score, and additional accessibility options. Players will be able to customize their run by using Tonics purchased from Vendi, the sentient vending machine, who will also sell new cosmetics. Specific consoles and a release date forYooka-Replayeehave not yet been announced, but the game has been confirmed for PC via Steam. Interested players can add the game to their wishlist now.
Yooka-Replayee Is an Enhanced Version of Yooka-Laylee Coming To Current-Gen consoles and PC
On June 11,Playtonic Games will host a Q&Aon its YouTube channel to answer user questions aboutYooka-Replayeeand discuss what players can expect. Senior community manager Steve James and select company founders will be in attendance, and those interested are asked to follow the company’s social media to be notified of the specific time.
The Kickstarter campaign to fundYooka-Layleeset records in 2015, with the title becomingthe fastest in the website’s history to reach $1 million. It reached its initial goal within only thirty-eight minutes, and remains the highest-funded UK video game in Kickstarter history, beating the previous record held bythe space simulation gameElite: Dangerous.
In early 2021, Playtonic Games opened a publishing division dubbed Playtonic Friends, announcingthree titles under development from its partner studios. Later that year, the Chinese holding company Tencent acquired a minority stake in Playtonic Games, which managing director Gavin Price saw as a boon for the continued growth of theYooka-Layleebrand. Although the original game saw waves of backlash for its frustrating camera angles and wonky controls, this remastered edition may signal a new beginning for Yooka the Chameleon and Laylee the Bat.
