Summary
- Almost ten years later, Yooka Replaylee delivers Playtonic’s true vision of a modern mascot platformer.
- Learn and grow from the original Yooka Laylee through other projects.
- Owners of the original Yooka-Laylee will receive an introductory discount.
About ten years ago, a group of former Rare employees with decades of combined experience working on some of the most acclaimed platform games came together to form Playtonic, with a shared vision of revitalizing 3D platforming. Yooka Laylee was born from that vision and is now nearly a decade and a studio with over 60 employees later. We refined this vision and reshaped it with our learnings from other projects and feedback from our community to bring you something Yooka Replayleethe definitive version of the 2017 indie 3D mascot platformer Darling. Featuring buddy duo Yooka the green one and Laylee the purple one, the epic open-world adventure comes to Xbox Series X|S!
The makings of a great mascot platformer start with nothing less than, well, memorable mascots and Yooka Replaylee has just that in the forms of the heroic lime green lizard Yooka and his hilarious, now fluffy, purple companion Laylee the bat.
Together they face off against the comically villainous Capital B, encountering a colorful and varied group of characters, some familiar to fans of the IP and others new, like Coinelius the piggy bank and Mark the aptly named bookmark , which gives you instructions throughout the game. Even some of the enemies you encounter have been completely reworked. The bees are fluffy now! Each character has received a new coat of paint and smoother animations to match.
During story of Yooka Replaylee begins in Yooka and Laylee’s home of Shipwreck Creek and quickly moves to the evil Capital B’s hideout called Hivory Towers. Much of the game takes place in Grand Tomes, each with its own unique overall setting and atmosphere.
Entry into the world of Yooka ReplayleeYou’ll quickly notice that the worlds now have more things to do, enemies with all-new attacks, and collectibles to collect than before. Every single challenge has been improved and some completely new challenges have been added.
An all-new currency called QUIDS has been added that players can collect and spend at a store run by a favorite franchise character. You won’t have to worry about getting lost in the world either, thanks to the branded world map and the aforementioned “Mark” bookmark, which gives you orientation and acts as a handy fast travel system within the levels. You can also track your progress via a brand new challenge tracker.
What is a platform game if it doesn’t feel good to play? We’ve completely overhauled Yooka and Laylee’s moveset as well as the player’s camera Yooka Replaylee to create a more responsive experience. You can now string together your movements intuitively, something that wasn’t possible before.
In one of our more surprising decisions, we removed double jump from the game. Instead, your regular jump is now the same height as the old double jump. This is all to ensure players have a better flow of the game. The swimming and flight controls have also been revised and, to make it easier for players, movements now require less energy!
Our colorful characters aren’t the only ones who’ve undergone a makeover. Yooka Replaylee has undergone a complete visual upgrade covering every single art object in the game, along with a complete UI and HUD update. As you run through the grass at Shipwreck Creek or through the snow at Glitterglaze Glacier, the world around you truly feels living and breathing, making for a completely immersive platforming experience.
And I can’t end a section about immersion without highlighting the beautifully arranged orchestral score, based on the original score by Grant Kirkhope and David Wise, which we co-produced with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
Playtonic’s founders had a vision of a new mascot platformer that would breathe new life into the 3D platforming genre. The very first Yooka Laylee (2017) it is thanks to the studio that it is now in a position where it acts as both a development studio and a publisher, and that I get to work at Playtonic.
As we approach our tenth anniversary with more resources, more people with fresh ideas, valuable community feedback, and insights from other secret projects, we think it’s fitting to return to that original adventure and celebrate a full decade of fun and love for Jump ‘n’Run, providing the truly definitive version of Yooka and Laylee’s first adventure. And what better way to kick off an exciting new beginning for the franchise than this? We can’t wait for you to get your hands on it Yooka Replaylee when it launches on Xbox Series X|S. I am also happy to announce that I am the owner of the original Yooka Laylee on Xbox will receive an owner discount upon release!
Yooka Replaylee
Playtonic friends
Yooka-Replaylee is the final remastered and improved version of the 3D indie platform collectathon favorite Yooka-Laylee (2017), developed by the key creative talents behind the games Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country. New remix challenges and old favorites await as you once again explore the vast, beautiful open worlds as the lovable buddy duo Yooka (the green one) and Laylee (the purple one), all accompanied by a beautiful orchestral soundtrack. Did we mention there’s now a map? A shiny new currency? And lots of customization options? Your favorite buddy duo has never moved better, looked better, or sounded better! The corporate critic Capital B has made it his mission to steal all the books in the world and turn them into cash. BUT the most powerful book in the universe is right under his crooked noses in neighboring Shipwreck Creek, home of our adventurous buddy duo Yooka and Laylee! When they see their precious book stolen, they go on a crazy adventure across many fantastic and imaginative worlds full of colorful characters and tons of shiny collectibles. Can you find all the magical Pagies from her book and save the day? FEATURES: BEAUTIFUL THAN EVER – With a visual and animation overhaul, as well as improved performance and resolution, your favorite duo of buddies have never looked or moved better. NEW AND IMPROVED CHALLENGES – Improvements to existing in-game challenges and many all-new challenges to discover and overcome! NEW COLLECTIVE CURRENCY – Capital B’s inept minions have been dropping their hard-earned coins everywhere. Collect Hivory Towers’ official currency to spend on the video game industry’s most popular smart vending machine, Vendi! Navigating the World – Now you can get lost in the game, not the world! A brand new world map and challenge tracker help you know where you are and what needs to be done. Hurray! VENDI HAS A LOT TO OFFER – Tonics are back with brand new flavors! With the option to equip multiple game-changing upgrades, you can truly customize your playstyle. And if that wasn’t enough, Vendi has new lines of merchandise for the modern, fashionable adventurer. REVISED CONTROLS AND CAMERA – A new optimized motion set allows you to combine moves more fluidly, while new camera controls make framing the action a breeze. A DREAMY ORCHESTRA SOUNDTRACK – Original music from famed video game composers Grant Kirkhope (Banjo-Kazooie) and David Wise (Donkey Kong Country) returns, but as beautifully arranged orchestral music. Now seriously: clean your ears.
