Yooka-Laylee News
February2021
News Yooka-Laylee Studio Playtonic Celebrates Six Years In The Biz With New Publishing Label
"Playtonic Friends had been brewing as a serious ambition for a while"
Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic turns six this year – and is marking the occasion by showing off a brand-new logo and by launching a new publishing label which aims to bring some of the world's best Indie games to market. Playtonic Friends is the name of the new label, and it...
December2020
"It’s very much like being in quarantine and lockdown all the time"
Last month music label Materia Collective put out the original soundtracks to both Yooka-Laylee and its sequel Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair on a host of digital storefronts and streaming platforms. The music from both of Playtonic Games' love letters to platformer
November2020
News Yooka-Laylee Teams Up With GungHo's Volta-X For A New Collab
Update: Now live
Update: The Yooka-Laylee x Volta-X collab is now live! GungHo Online Entertainment America has shared all the details you need: Introducing the playable crewmate, Yooka (with sidekick Laylee on his back) and a new story mission. You can now experience new, character-specific skills and abilities once the loveable duo join your...
August2020
Book Review Flicking Through The Vibrant World Of Yooka-Laylee And The Kracklestone
Over a hundred pagies long
The spiritual successor to the legendary bear and bird besties, Yooka-Laylee, nearly shook the earth when they were revealed through a Kickstarter project by Playtonic Games, the brand new studio made up of ex-Rare developers. Since the original reveal back in 2015, the team has managed to put out not just one, but two...
And we would go bananas for a new entry
If there's one series we would love to see make a return, it's gotta be Donkey Kong Country. The last mainline outing was the release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on the Wii U in 2014, and it was then enhanced for the Switch in 2018. So, who is willing to help out on a new Donkey Kong Country game?...
April2020
News Yooka-Laylee Is Now Three Years Old
Happy Birthday!
Can you believe it? Playtonic's unlikely duo Yooka-Laylee is now three years old! The original game of the same name was first released on the 11th of April 2017 after a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. And although it never saw the light of day on Nintendo's Wii U, it did eventually show up on the Switch. To celebrate this...
News Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Update Makes The Final Stage Easier To Beat
And it's completely optional
The folks over at Playtonic Games have unleashed several announcements for the Yooka-Laylee series of games, including an important update for Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. The first announcement regards Impossible Lair's erm... impossible lair, with a new update allowing players to dial down the difficulty if...
March2020
The perfect (Play)tonic
In these trying times we could all do with a some relief - a little pick-me-up to get us through the day. When we're feeling blue, throwing on some classic Rareware tunes from the likes of Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie perks us up no end. As luck would have it, both composers behind those winners feature on the...
October2019
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (October 12th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Here we are then, folks! The end of yet another week. This one brought with it a Fortnite lawsuit and a ridiculous Mario Kart Tour microtransaction pack, but with all that anger out of the way, it's time to chill with some of our favourite games. The Nintendo Life team have shared what we'll be g
News Playtonic Is Adding Impossible Lair's N64 Tonic To The Original Yooka-Laylee Game
Retro glory
If you pre-ordered Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, you'll get access to a special Yooka 64 Tonic. This formula makes the unlikely duo look like they were created during the Nintendo 64 era. It follows on from an update earlier this year, tha
June2019
Feature We Don’t Want To Be Shackled To Our Rare Past, Says Yooka-Laylee Studio Playtonic
"Everything we do from this point on is a brand-new concept for us"
A lot has happened since we last had the good fortune to visit Playtonic Games. The previous time we popped by the studio's offices outside the rural English town of Burton-on-Trent (acclaimed actor Paddy Considine was born and still lives there, fact fans), the team was still in...
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (June 8th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
Phew, thank goodness it's the weekend! This week has brought with it all the drama of a Pokémon Direct, fresh Banjo-Kazooie rumours and even more games for the Sega Mega Drive Mini, but now we can finally calm down and talk about o
News Yooka-Laylee Dev Playtonic Games Teases New Game Reveal
And we won't have long to wait
Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games looks set to share details on its next game as soon as tomorrow, according to a cheeky tease. Lovingly crafted from some of the creative talent behind games like Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country, Yooka-Laylee is currently the first and only game from the UK-based studio...
April2019
News Yooka-Laylee's Demastered Nintendo 64 Mode Is Out Now On Switch
As a free update
Yooka-Laylee's Nintendo 64 mode is finally available on Nintendo Switch. You can see how it looks for yourself in the new trailer above. Originally teased as a Kickstarter stretch goal when the project was still in its infancy, this visual demake - known as the 64-Bit Tonic - has been a much-wanted feature for fans of the game. We...
December2018
News Get A Surprise Switch Game In The Latest Limited Run Promotion
The thrill of the unknown
Limited Run is known for offering physical Switch games in limited supply. Its latest deal is a bit different from the usual offering. Available from 1st January 2019 for $29.99, the 2018 blind box promotion gives Switch owners the chance to purchase one surprise game and trading card from the company’s collection. In...
November2018
News More Than One Million People Have Now Played Yooka-Laylee
A milestone for the unlikely duo
Yooka-Laylee originally began life as a Kickstarter project and went on to become the fastest video game project to reach the one million dollar mark on the crowd-funding platform. This followed with its eventual release on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other systems in 2017 According to a tweet by the official...
News Brains Behind Yooka-Laylee Demaster Wanted To Recreate "The Good Old Days"
Bringing back the past
For a while now, Playtonic has been busy working on a free N64-inspired visual update for Yooka-Laylee. In a recent Q and A on Playtonic's website, Technical Director Jens Restermeier - the brains behind the operation - spoke about ideas and challenges encountered along the way: When we decided we were going to implement...
October2018
News Physical Editions Of Yooka-Laylee And Golf Story Are Now Available To Pre-Order At Best Buy
Indie games, major store
If you love a good physical edition to add to your Switch collection, you'll probably be pleased to know that both Yooka-Laylee and Golf Story are now available to pre-order in physical form at Best Buy. Both games come courtesy of Limited Run Games which, up until now, exclusively released physical versions of indie games...
Video Check Out Yooka-Laylee's Demastered Nintendo 64 Mode In Action
Coming soon to Switch
Playtonic Games has shared a brand new video for Yooka-Laylee, giving us a good look at the game's promised 64-bit mode. This demastered Nintendo 64-inspired mode has been promised for the game ever since the project first started out on Kickstarter. Players have had to wait for the mode to arrive for quite some time (our...
News The Next Yooka-Laylee Adventure Will Be A Crowd-Funded Graphic Novel
Kickstarter runs until 16th November
Yooka-Laylee started out life on Kickstarter and went on to become the fastest video game project to hit $1 million on the crowd-funding platform. Following their first outing on the Switch and multiple other systems, the bat and chameleon are now ready for their next adventure. The only catch is it'll take on...
September2018
Talking Point What Are You Playing This Weekend? (September 8th)
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
After another week of non-stop Nintendo news and drama, it's finally time to spend a weekend relaxing with your favourite games. As ever, the team at Nintendo Life will be aiming to do just that, too, with rounds of football, first-party megahits, old-school platformers, and even the odd "saucy" game or...
News Yooka-Laylee Physical Editions Sell Out In Minutes, One Last Chance To Pre-Order Later Today
Times included for your region
You may remember that we recently reported on the much-awaited physical release editions of Yooka-Laylee on Switch. Including standard, classic, and 'Collectathon' bundles, the first batch of these went on sale earlier today, but all versions other than the standard one sold out in a matter of minutes. Limited Run...
News Limited Run Games' Yooka-Laylee Collector's Edition Available To Pre-Order On 7th September
Retro-inspired
If you want to relive the days of the Nintendo 64, Limited Run Games' retro-inspired Yooka-Laylee Collector's Edition might just be for you. Available to pre-order this Friday on 7th September, there'll be a total of 3,000 up for grabs. Each one contains Yooka-Laylee on Switch (the case & game), a retro-style Collector's...
News Yooka-Laylee Physical Pre-Orders Have Been Delayed Until Friday, More Details To Come
Secure yours later this week
Just over a week ago, we reported on the news that Limited Run Games - a company which specialises in releasing indie games in physical form - was just about to open pre-orders for a physical edition of Yooka-Laylee. The previously announced date of 31st August has now been and gone, however, and pre-orders are still yet...
August2018
News Limited Run Games Lists Yooka-Laylee And Dust On Website, Prepares For Pre-Orders
“Coming soon”
Physical video game specialist, Limited Run Games, has two new games listed as “coming soon” on its website. Previously revealed in June, these new titles are Dust: An Elysian Tale and Yooka-Laylee. Dust will cost $29.99 and pre-orders go live on 31st August. Playtonic?
News Yooka-Laylee Is Ready For Battle In The New Brawlout Trailer
Fight!
In July, Angry Mob Games gave us a glimpse of the new Brawlout fighter, Yooka-Laylee. It was evident from the trailer, Playtonic's duo would feature their trademark attacks. This new Gamescom clip essentially shows more of the same. What's most interesting, though, is the part at the end
July2018
News Yooka-Laylee Joins The Battle In Brawlout On Nintendo Switch
A new challenger has appeared!
If you didn’t pay much attention to Brawlout when it was originally released on the Switch eShop at the end of last year, perhaps now you will. Playtonic’s Yooka-Laylee has just been revealed as the latest guest fighter for the game. Based on the trailer below, it looks like the deadly duo will have all of...
News Here's Your First Look At Yooka-Laylee's Demastered Nintendo 64 Mode
From the age of 64 bits
Yooka-Laylee has already been out for a while, but that doesn't mean developer Playtonic Games has completely moved on from the chameleon and bat duo - in fact, the British studio is hard at work on the previously teased '64-bit tonic' mode that demasters the whole game so it looks like it's running on Nintendo 64...
June2018
News Limited Run Games Announces Eight New Physical Game Releases For Switch
Yooka Laylee, Golf Story and more
Limited Run Games - a video game distributor who lovingly releases some of the most loved indie titles in physical form - has just held its own E3 stream. During this stream, a staggering total of eight new Switch releases were announced, and we've got the full rundown below. Golf Story Title: Golf Story |...
April2018
News Limited Run Games Is Totally Down For A Physical Edition Of Yooka-Laylee
Come on, we all want this
Limited Run Games is helping bring some of Nintendo Switch's most beloved indie titles into the realm of boxed editions - check out its limited edition versions of Flinthook and Mercenary Kings Reloaded - but what about one of Switch's best platformers? What about Yooka-Laylee
News Looks Like Playtonic Is Ready To Reveal Its Next Game
Plus "extra content" for Yooka-Laylee
UK studio Playtonic has broken its silence to celebrate the first birthday of Yooka-Laylee, as well as hint that it's about to lift the lid on its next project. In a recent blog post, Playtonic said: Yes, hands up, we’ve been a bit quiet for a while. But we promise it’s because we’ve been far too busy...
March2018
Soapbox With Microsoft Playing Ball, It’s Finally Time For Banjo-Kazooie To Return To Nintendo
And we know just the studio that could pull it off...
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In today's article, editor Dom tackles a subject very close to his heart - his rabid love for a certain seminal platformer from Rare, and...
Talking Point What Games Are You Playing This Weekend?
These are our picks, but what are yours?
It's a packed session this week as a veritable stampede of writers on Nintendo Life share their chosen gaming goals for the weekend. As you might imagine, there's a lot of Splatoon 2 to be had over the next couple of days, but there's also a handful of unexpected entries, a few predictable entries and even a...
Talking Point What Games Are You Playing This Weekend?
Here are our picks, but what are yours?
The weekend has arrived, and with it comes (we hope) a little free time to do we all love best... play video games. If you're in the UK like us, you'll likely be knee-high in snow, so get you feeling warm and toasty why don't you gather round the fire and warm your hands on our fiery hot picks for the next...
December2017
Nintendo Download 14th December (North America)
Yooka-Laylee! Brawlout! Romancing SaGa 2! Enter The Gungeon! Many more!
It's that time again, dear readers, for the North American Nintendo Download update. This week is a bit of a beauty for Switch owners with a whopping 21 new download titles, many of which look rather tempting. There's a lot to get through, so that's enough pre-amble... Switch...
Nintendo Download 14th December (Europe)
Yooka-Laylee! Poly Bridge! Romancing SaGa 2! Mudds Collection! Many more!
Well, the European Nintendo Download Update is live, and it's another big 'un. The Switch is packed with high profile downloads which is sure to lead to stiff competition, while there are also some tempting DLC and demo options. As an additional note, you'll notice this...
News Digital Foundry Heaps Praise On Yooka-Laylee Switch Port
A "superb" conversion
Yooka-Laylee finally arrives on Switch today, and as you'll know if you've already consulted our review, it was worth the wait. Playtonic has personally handled conversion duties this time around (Team17 ported the PS4 and Xbox One editions earlier in the year) and the developer has taken an inordinate amount of care in...
News This Playtonic Art Could Be The Closest We'll Get To Seeing Banjo-Kazooie And Switch Together
Former Rare artists celebrate their Nintendo past
To celebrate the long-awaited release of Yooka-Laylee on Switch, Playtonic's artists have been paying tribute to their past connection with Nintendo. As you know, Playtonic's core team is made up of former Rare staffers who worked on some of the company's most famous NES, SNES and N64 era titles...
Video Yooka Laylee Runs Surprisingly Well on Switch Compared to the Xbox One Version
Quite the looker, against the odds
Yooka-Laylee is finally making its way to Switch, but the big question on literally some people's minds is 'how does it look?' and 'how well does it run?'. Well thankfully we can say that on the whole the Switch version holds up surprisingly positively compared to the Xbox One version. There are some notable...
News Yooka-Laylee's Nintendo Switch eShop Price Is Revealed
Same as the Steam version, but more expensive than PS4
Yooka-Laylee will cost £34.99 (likely converting to $39.99USD / €39.99) when it launches on the eShop next week. That's in-line with the Steam and Xbox One versions of the game, but is above what physical copies are changing hands for in stores and online. The price of the digital...
November2017
Feature Yooka-Laylee Jumps Onto Switch in December - We Learn All About It
Resolution, unique features and hopes for the future
Yooka-Laylee was one of the most high profile and successful Kickstarter campaigns of 2016, but its path to Nintendo systems has been a little troubled. The planned Wii U version eventually bit the dust, with confirmation coming after it was already suspected, and the game had a mixed critical...
October2017
News TriForce Announces The Yooka-Laylee Collector-Boxie
10-inch statue of your favourite buddy duo
TriForce - a creator of high-end, officially licensed scale replicas of famous video game characters - has revealed its next venture, and it's likely to be of interest to fans of Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee, which is due out on Switch some time in the near future. The company is producing a 10-inch...
September2017
News Playtonic Games is Working on Unity Issues for Yooka-Laylee on Switch
"We understand the frustration that it’s taken so long"
Yooka-Laylee arrived back in April across PC and various systems, but it's had a longer route to Nintendo hardware. The Wii U version somewhat predictably bit the dust, and since then it's been a wait for the title to make its way to the Switch. Playtonic has given various updates, and...
News Fashionable Buddy Duos Can Now Purchase These Fetching Yooka-Laylee T-Shirts
Start grabbing those Pagies!
While we still wait for the fine folks at Team17 and Playtonic Games to lovingly prepare the ultimate Switch edition of Yooka-Laylee for us, we can now at least look the part. Insert Coin Clothing has put together some charming t-shirts designs based around the game, which will ensure that you remain at the height...
August2017
News Playtonic Gives Update On Yooka-Laylee For Switch
Studio needs to be 100% confident before giving a release date
With the prospect of taking it anywhere, some have held off on purchasing Yooka-Laylee as they wait for it to be released on the Switch. Developer Playtonic Games has now given a little insight into how far along it is, saying that the "final issues" are being worked out. This news comes...
June2017
News Playtonic Outlines Yooka-Laylee Improvements and Switch Version Progress
On a roll
Yooka-Laylee is now settled into a variety of platforms, but the release hasn't been without its critics. Playtonic has been keen to address complaints and work towards improvements, however, and has been developing a bumper update to resolve some issues. In the latest blog post from the studio it's confirmed that the major update is...
May2017
News Playtonic Writer Reflects on Yooka-Laylee’s Performance
"We delivered what we promised to our fans and backers."
Yooka-Laylee was admittedly a bit of a disappointment when it launched last month; given the pedigree of the developers working on the project, many were expecting a home run, but instead were met with something much more middling. The game is still due out on the Switch—in an improved...
News Yooka-Laylee Could Be Much Improved By The Time The Switch Version Arrives
Playtonic working "with speed" towards Switch port
It's fair to say that Yooka-Laylee didn't exactly live up to the monumental expectations placed upon it by critics and fans alike, garnering mixed reviews last month when it landed on non-Nintendo platforms. Our sister site Push Square awarded the PS4 version 6 out of a possible 10, concluding that...
April2017
Round Up Yooka-Laylee's Scores Are In, And Critics Appear Divided
A return to form or a step backwards?
Yooka-Laylee isn't out on the Nintendo Switch yet, but it launches on other platforms very soon - so soon, in fact, that reviews have just gone live. As one of Kickstarter's most successful video game campaigns there was a lot of expectation surrounding this title, the debut of Playtonic Games - a studio made...
News The Yooka-Laylee Rap Tries to be the Best and Worst Thing All at Once
The spirit of the DK rap lives on
The DK Rap is iconic, well known for being pretty awful while also being loved by plenty of retro gamers. It was typical Rare, and so the freshly revealed Yooka-Laylee rap is perhaps 'typical Playtonic'. It's no secret that many of the leading developers in the Playtonic team have lucrative histories at Rare, and...
