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YOOKA-LAYLEE AND THE IMPOSSIBLE LAIR (PS4)
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Publisher: Team 17.
Developer: Playtonic Games. Released: October 2019. Genre: 2D Platformer. Other versions: XONE; SWI; PC. Posted 19th October 2019. By Tom Clare © 2019 |
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To describe The Impossible Lair as a Yooka-Laylee spin-off is to undersell it significantly. It would be more accurate to think of it as a coming of age for the titular duo. This may appear something of a contradiction in terms; after all, its 2017 predecessor was a spiritual throwback to Banjo Kazooie, whereas The Impossible Lair can trace its inspirations back further still, to Donkey Kong Country and the mid-nineties. Here though, the pair have really hit their strides. What appears at first glance to be a more simplified affair is, in the final reckoning, a far superior game.
Capital B is up to mischief once more and it’s up to chameleon Yooka and his enigmatically-nosed bat companion Laylee to help Queen Bee reclaim her Royal Stingdom. In order to do so, the pair must rescue the Queen’s Royal Beettalion Guards, 48 of whom are to be found throughout the game’s 3D overworld, and 2D levels. That’s quite enough bee puns for one lifetime.
Laylee's presence is important. Without her, Yooka is defenceless and cannot withstand any more hits. Make sure she doesn't fly off!
The Impossible Lair is a delight, and represents a clear evolution for the series. Level design and overall structure enjoy the biggest improvements. Whereas the original Yooka-Laylee’s 3D environs were gorgeous and inviting, they were nevertheless dauntingly large. Furthermore, it was punctuated by areas deemed off-limits without first learning specific abilities, leaving players frustrated and with little direction as to how to move forward.
Not here though. Each and every level is tightly sculpted, and packed with robust but fair platforming challenges. Sections culminate with the rescue of one of the Beettalion, helping towards the goal of surviving the Impossible Lair. The adventure comes into its own however when the player searches for the five gold coins stashed away in every area. They aren’t hidden in ridiculous places that only the internet can solve, either. Instead, their placement encourages the player to comb the environs looking for false walls, alternative routes and hard-to-reach spots. This proves an ideal means with which to show off the game’s beautiful, clever 2D platforming design, and adds a large dollop of replay value for good measure. With the standard and variety of the levels remaining consistently high, digging for secrets is a joy.
Not here though. Each and every level is tightly sculpted, and packed with robust but fair platforming challenges. Sections culminate with the rescue of one of the Beettalion, helping towards the goal of surviving the Impossible Lair. The adventure comes into its own however when the player searches for the five gold coins stashed away in every area. They aren’t hidden in ridiculous places that only the internet can solve, either. Instead, their placement encourages the player to comb the environs looking for false walls, alternative routes and hard-to-reach spots. This proves an ideal means with which to show off the game’s beautiful, clever 2D platforming design, and adds a large dollop of replay value for good measure. With the standard and variety of the levels remaining consistently high, digging for secrets is a joy.
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The Impossible Lair is a bright, giddy celebration of the genre’s nineties heyday, but it isn’t stuck in the past, with a host of cool new ideas. One of its finest features is the 3D overworld, which acts not only as a hub for the The Impossible Lair’s numerous levels, but is something of an adventure unto itself. Brilliantly, through solving puzzles and opening up new routes and challenges, you can unlock alternative takes on all of the main levels, taking the total up to a whopping 40 in all. By breaking a dam, you can turn a fairly conventional factory level into a wholly new, underwater scenario. Likewise, freezing or unfreezing a lake, using a switch to flip a level upside down, and setting a conveyor belt in motion, all leads to recognisable-looking levels that are often profoundly different to play.
FOCAL POINT: A NEW APPROACH TO AN OLD PROBLEM
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Rather unusually, the player has the chance to tackle the game’s finale, the “Impossible Lair” teased in the title, straight off the bat. You’ll quickly discover, however, that conquering this hellish level with only the one life is the gaming equivalent of scaling Everest in a tee-shirt and shorts. Fortunately, every bee you save throughout the levels represents one extra hit that can be sustained within the Lair. It’s therefore left largely to the discretion of the player as to how much back-up they need before attempting it. My advice however is, seek as much help as you can get, as there’s around half an hour’s worth of brutal, no-let-ups platforming, plus four encounters with Capital B that get progressively tougher each time.
Manoeuvring is everything in a game of this type, and its controls fair relatively well. The Impossible Lair sports more responsive, less floaty platforming than the LittleBigPlanet games, but feels just a shade less crisp than Rayman Origins or Super Life of Pixel. The quality of its levels is a match for any of the above however. Always a tricky element to judge, the difficulty is just about spot-on. There are a couple of hairy levels, as you might expect. But for the most part, it tends not to spike or lapse too significantly, with good checkpoint placement helping matters.
For the majority of the time, the gameplay runs very smoothly. There’s some minor frame-rate issues, which are most noticeable when the player equips visual filter tonics, though these are non-essential and easily deactivated. Special mention must be made of the soundtrack. It features the work of four composers, including David Wise, further strengthening the Donkey Kong Country connection. It’s tremendous from the start to finish.
For the majority of the time, the gameplay runs very smoothly. There’s some minor frame-rate issues, which are most noticeable when the player equips visual filter tonics, though these are non-essential and easily deactivated. Special mention must be made of the soundtrack. It features the work of four composers, including David Wise, further strengthening the Donkey Kong Country connection. It’s tremendous from the start to finish.
The Impossible Lair throws all the elements your way, with some fairly tricky underwater segments.
Is it the finest 2D platformer of the decade? Not quite, but it’s really not that far off either. The Impossible Lair represents both a marvellous tribute to Rare’s Super Nintendo platformers, and a thoroughly worthy sequel to Yooka-Laylee. It captures the addictive, old-school sensibilities of the games it takes inspiration from, whilst acknowledging the changing times with a host of common-sense tweaks and great new ideas. 40 levels are sure to keep gamer’s busy, as will the extremely rewarding Overworld and all the secrets it harbours. It's great, and hopefully a new lease of life for the intrepid duo.
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VERDICT
"The Impossible Lair represents both a marvellous tribute to Rare’s Super Nintendo platformers, and a thoroughly worthy sequel to Yooka-Laylee." OVERALL: 8/10 |