Yooka-Laylee asks players to move through a world built from paper pages, and mostly delivers on that promise. The platformer, released for PS4, Linux, PC and Mac in 2017, draws on the work of Rare veterans who left the studio behind Donkey Kong Country. That history shows in the design, even if the finished product doesn’t fully live up to its ambitions.
Trailer, via Team17.
The World
The game drops players into a series of books, each one a separate region with its own look and challenge. Moving between pages and folding them back together is the core trick, and it works well. Players can travel across a page, fold it to change the ground below, and move again, a system that rewards curiosity over quick timing.
Difficulty
Where Yooka-Laylee stumbles is in how hard it gets. Later worlds ask for precision that the controls don’t always support, and some levels feel less like a test of skill and more like a wall of difficulty. The game expects players to learn its systems fast, and not all of them are explained clearly enough early on.
The Cast
Yooka and Laylee share the lead role, and the pair’s chemistry carries scenes that rely more on personality than on action. The cast around them is thin, though, and some side characters feel like filler rather than full personalities.
Presentation
The visual style is the game’s strongest point. Each book is distinct, from bright painted pages to rougher, hand-drawn ones, and the art holds up across the four platforms. Sound design matches the look, with music that changes with each setting.
What Works Best
- Folding pages to move between layers
- Character animation
- Visual variety across books
- Voice acting in key scenes
Where It Falls Short
- Difficulty spikes late in the game
- Some systems aren’t explained well
- Side characters lack depth
- Level design that repeats itself
Yooka-Laylee isn’t a perfect return to form for platformers, but it comes close. Its best ideas — the paper world, the character pair — are strong enough to carry the weaker parts. The game is worth playing for anyone who wants a fresh take on the genre, even if the finish line isn’t as smooth as the start.
