Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

It ain't quite DK level of greatness, but it is a really good platformer. Lots of secrets, mostly just tonics for cosmetic effect. You don't really need power ups as the game is pretty easy, aside from the Impossible lair, of course. I got 3 cons for it: - No Bosses, except Capital B like 4 times in the Lair - Too many factory levels - Impossible lair is really brutal Last level took me 5 tries to beat, but man, it was the first time in years when I threw down my controller in anger.

The game is similar to the newest donkey kong games. they hired some of the devs behind these games and it shows. I am not saying it's bad thing, on the contrary. If you like these games I can't recommend this game enough

It's a game that plays similarly to the Donkey Kong series, but unfortunately it fails in a number of ways. I found that most of the tonics (power-ups) are a complete waste of time collecting since there are only about a half-dozen useful tonics out of a possible 60 (the rest are just cosmetic). I will say that the open world concept was rather clever, and most of the levels are well designed, but in some strange way the game just feels like a lazy cash grab. The final level (The Impossible Lair) really is just a frustrating mess. You can tell that the developers just threw a bunch of random crap at you in order to create an artificially difficult level. It sort of felt like completing a really mean-spirited fan-level from Mario Maker. That being said, it's worth picking up, but don't expect to be blown away by the gameplay.

But it's a good one. Controls are tight, performance is alright, visuals are clean and colorful. Level design is great and polished. If you've ever played a Donkey Kong Country game, you know these games have an emphasis on momentum. You can move really quickly through a level once you have the controls practiced. One of the highlights of this game is the hub world. It's not just a glorified level select screen--it's actually a game in its own right! It provides some puzzle solving and exploration challenges, and can be enjoyed just for itself. (Yes, I know some of the devs of the original DKC games worked on this as well).