March2017
Random A Fan Has Created a 2D Yooka-Laylee For SNES
Call yourself a fan?
It never ceases to amaze how far fans will go to show their love for a video game, even one that has yet to be released. Yooka-Laylee is due for launch in 2 weeks time on various platforms - thought not quite Switch yet - and to celebrate one super fan has managed to replicate the upcoming game for the Super Nintendo. Twitter...
News Playtonic on the Development Progress of Yooka-Laylee on Switch
"We're working directly with Nintendo"
It's rather hard to believe, but Yooka-Laylee is only a couple weeks away from its grand debut. The Kickstarter project aims to bring the dream of the collect-a-thon platformer back to the forefront, and based on all that's been revealed so far, it seems that Playtonic has done an excellent job of creating a...
News Playtonic Removes JonTron's Voice from Yooka-Laylee
Due to controversial comments
In just a few weeks, Yooka-Laylee will finally release on all platforms with the exception of the Switch port, which still hasn't received a date. The game was a Kickstarter success—one fueled by countless fans—and popular YouTuber JonTron was prominent among them. Back in 2015, Playtonic invited JonTron to voice a...
Feature David Wise On Creating "Aztec Rock And Roll" For Snake Pass
"I'm a Nintendo-influenced fan boy at heart"
David Wise is something of a legend in the realm of video game music; plucked from the obscurity of Leicester's high street by the Stamper Brothers, he would become Rare's in-house composer for many years, almost single-handedly creating the aural accompaniment to the studio's NES, SNES and Game Boy...
February2017
Hands On Striking a Chord with Yooka-Laylee
UPDATE: Switch version reconfirmed, coming "very soon"
UPDATE: Mere moments after we published this feature, it was confirmed during the Nindie Direct that the Switch version of Yooka-Laylee will be launching "very soon" and will feature all of the game's multiplayer modes. ORIGINAL STORY: The employees over at Playtonic have been through a lot to...
January2017
News Yooka-Laylee Formally Confirmed for Switch Along With Wii U Backer Options
"We continue to work closely with Nintendo"
There was understandable disappointment late last year when it was confirmed that Yooka-Laylee is no longer coming to the Wii U. Playtonic Games did give a strong indication that it would bring the title to Nintendo Switch, though the wording wasn't quite ironclad. It now seems to be a firm proposition,...
News Playtonic Games Adds Two More Former Rare Devs to its Ranks
"Super Scheduler and Handheld Hancho"
Playtonic Games - which is currently working on finalising Yooka-Laylee for launch - has published a blog post announcing that two former Rare designers have joined the ranks at the studio. Throughout the development of Yooka-Laylee the studio has been picking up various former Rare employees, including coders...
December2016
News Yooka-Laylee's Wii U Cancellation is Only Due to Technical Challenges, Not the System's Woes
"We can assure you this was a hard decision for everyone"
Earlier today there was the disappointing news that Yooka-Laylee is no longer coming to Wii U. When the game was first revealed Playtonic Games emphasized the importance of Nintendo hardware to the game, with a number of backers opting for the Wii U iteration in the Kickstarter campaign. The...
News Yooka-Laylee Rattles Away From Wii U Release
Are you happy with the switch to Switch?
In a move which isn't necessarily surprising, it has now been confirmed that the much anticipated Yooka-Laylee will not longer be getting a Wii U release. In a recent blog post on the Playtonic Games site, the reasoning for this is explained. The Playtonic team is sad to confirm that despite our best...
Rumour Yooka-Laylee Might Be Released in April
Not long now
Playtonic's highly anticipated collectathon, Yooka-Laylee, is expected to launch sometime early next year, though the exact time has not been specified. Considering that we're rapidly closing in on the launch window, one would expect a release date to be forthcoming, but it seems that a few online storefronts may have accidentally let...
October2016
News Yooka-Laylee Will Be Getting a Boxed Release
Yesssss…
In just a few short months, Yooka-Laylee will be available on all the major console platforms, but the wait couldn't feel any longer. The highly anticipated 3D platformer aims to scratch an itch that's been mostly left untouched since the days of the Nintendo 64, and it looks like it'll be quite the adventure. Recently, it was announced...
September2016
Video Fresh Yooka-Laylee Footage Emerges From EGX 2016
We also speak to Chris Sutherland about the Wii U version
Those of you in the UK will know that EGX 2016 - the UK's biggest gaming show - took place last weekend and there were plenty of lovely games to gawk at. Sadly Nintendo sat it out this year, so there wasn't a lot for us to report on specifically, but we did get some hands-on time with...
News Shovel Knight Confirmed for Surprise Role in Yooka-Laylee
We dig it
Shovel Knight is a stand-out game on Wii U and 3DS, and the hero sure gets around. The character's had a handful of fun cameos confirmed to date, and has now secured what may be his most high-profile gig yet. It's been confirmed that Shovel Knight will appear in Yooka-Laylee, showing off some some chunky armour in the 3D world. You can...
August2016
News Yooka-Laylee To Make Playable Debut At EGX 2016
Hands-on with the dynamic duo
Highly anticipated 3D adventure Yooka-Laylee will be playable by the public at this year's EGX event in the UK, it has been revealed. Created by a team of former Rare staffers and published by veteran firm Team 17, Yooka-Laylee is a 3D platformer which takes inspiration from the likes of Banjo-Kazooie and the Donkey...
Video Check Out Six Minutes of Yooka-Laylee Footage
Like the 90's platformer never vanished
Playtonic has opted to use the Gamescom conference as a means to show off all the work that it's done on Yooka-Laylee so far, and it looks like things are coming along quite well. We already got a new trailer, showcasing some polished environments and new transformations, and the game appears set to hit its...
Video Yooka-Laylee's Gamescom 2016 Trailer Contains Transformations, New Enemies And Farting
A Rare combination?
Yooka-Laylee's Q1 2017 launch seems like so far away, and the latest trailer for the game - shown off at Gamescom 2016 today - makes the wait even more difficult. Not only does it showcase some gorgeous level designs and new enemies, it gives us a look at one of the duo's transformations - a massive truck with a snowplough on...
Video Playing Yooka-Laylee Properly With a Nintendo 64 Controller, Sort Of
Because we can
A little while ago Playtonic Games released the Yooka-Laylee pre-alpha 'Toybox' build to Kickstarter backers - it's a large area in which you can run around, do a bit of jumping and generally mess about with the game's mechanics. Naturally it has a handful of secrets to discover too. Our video man Alex happens to have a copy, and...
July2016
News Playtonic On Yooka-Laylee's Non-Linear Structure And Retaining That Trademark Rare Humour
"It's almost like Banjo-Tooie was yesterday and Yooka-Laylee was today"
Yooka-Laylee may have been cruelly pushed in 2017, but the game remains one of the most eagerly-anticipated titles of recent memory - and with good reason. It's being made by Playtonic Games, a studio formed almost entirely from ex-Rare staff, and it raised a massive amoun
June2016
Video Watch the Secrets of Yooka-Laylee Get Unearthed in our Trailer Analysis
Breegulls become bats
As E3 rapidly approaches the hype surrounding Playtonic's debut title is palpable. We were lucky enough to get a first-hand preview of a pre-alpha build of Yooka-Laylee before the new trailer dropped earlier this week. We decided to take a close look at the trailer using what we discovered during
News Playtonic Handling Wii U Version of Yooka-Laylee, Team17 Porting To PS4 And Xbox One
"We wanted to make sure that Wii U gets the right attention"
It's tempting, in light of the system's declining role in the market and modest userbase, to be rather fearful around third-party Wii U projects. With Yooka-Laylee moving into 2017 it'd be understandable to feel twitchy; yet thankfully this is a Playtonic Games title, with the studio being...
Interview Playtonic On Yooka-Laylee Progress And Its New 2017 Release Window
Going behind the scenes on the exciting platformer
Yooka-Laylee is aiming to bring back the long-forgotten 3D platforming/collectathon genre that helped make developers such as Rare juggernauts of the industry, and is also one of the last shining beacons of hope for long-suffering Wii U owners. We were lucky enough to have a first-hand look at the...
May2016
"We want to surprise the player all the time"
Just recently Playtonic Games raised the curtain on Yooka-Laylee, a title that's got a lot of 3D platforming and Rare fans excited. The studio is a mix of veterans from the venerable developer along with some younger talent, and after a period of silence it's emergeed to share more of its project.
News Playtonic Raises the Curtain to Show Off A Lot of Yooka-Laylee Details
"Today is just the preliminary act"
Yooka-Laylee caused a big stir when it was crowdfunded through Kickstarter, with developer Playtonic Games being formed by a group of experienced former Rare employees. When we went hands on and visited the studio we couldn't help but be excited about its potential. Playtonic Games has been relatively quiet in...
April2016
News Another Former Rare Staffer Joins the Yooka-Laylee Project
Many hands make light work
Ever since the initial announcement and hype of Yooka-Laylee, it seems that new information on the upcoming title has been difficult to come by. No doubt this means that Playtonic is hard at work, polishing up what will hopefully be a glorious homage to the great N64 platformers of old. Of course, this project is being...
February2016
News Playtonic Games Reveals New Character and David Wise Track for Yooka-Laylee
Three new staff also join up
Yooka-Laylee made quite an impact when it was revealed in Spring 2015, with the newly formed Playtonic Studios gaining a lot of attention by virtue of a promising Kickstarter pitch video and the fact that the team was largely comprised of former Rare staff. Already positioned as a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie,...
