Playtonic Writer Reflects on Yooka-Laylee’s Performance

Obligatory JonTron comment.

Who else thinks we may hear a release date at e3?

Or Nintendo may surprise us with a mini ND at the end of May.

@liljmoore That seems like the most likely situation. If it is at e3, it'll probably get a spotlight in the indie developer area of their Digital Event, maybe with some bonus content. Otherwise, a small Direct beforehand, like you said, would also work.

I don't get the negativity around this game... I does exactly what I was expecting from a modern Banjo Kazooie style game. I'm 10 hours in and loving every second. The nostalgia is nice but this game definitely brings a new feel to the genre.

I've been waiting for the Wii U, now Switch version up to now. After the "is it coming to Wii U or not?" nonsense and learning about the messed up framerate I'm just waiting to see a review for Switch before I pay for it.

All the less then positive reviews couldn't keep me away from this game. Really hope we get a date soon though.

I don't care how long it takes to fix the problems Yooka Laylee has. I just want them fixed by the time I pick up the title.

@Spoony_Tech I agree. I love me a good 3D platformer, and it sounds to me like this is the best that it gets.

@Spoony_Tech I'm with you on that, couldn't help myself and listened to a bit of the OST this morning. Can't wait for it on Switch.

People wanted this game ON WIIU, so no, you didn't bring what you promised. At least you could have given more importance to the Switch version, and release it at the same time as the rest of them, and physically.
You failed the Nintendo fans, the main target of a game like this. Well played, Playtonic.

I loved this game but I just hope we will get a Banjo-Tooie like Yooka-Laylee in the future.

@JHDK "If I can't be the best, I can sure as hell be the worst!"

Yeah, that PR blunder so close to release certainly didn't help.
How big of a factor that was on the overall sales figures is anyones guess, but solely judging by the Steam forums, they certainly lost a heck of a lot of PC players.

And before anyone gets their socks wet: It has less to do with Jafari and more with how they handled the entire situation, especially so close to release.

Add to that the enormous footsteps they had to fill.
Clouded nostalgia vision and insanely high expectations surely played a big role in some peoples "disappointment".
And i have to admit, its not always easy to judge such a game on its own merits without making direct comparisons.

All in all, i guess we can all be glad that this wasn't another Mighty No.9 and i sure hope that the devs learned to keep their heads out of political internet nonsense (and maybe get some new community managers, the Team17 ones are godawful...).

they delivered a piece of junk, yet screwed over Nintendo fans on playing junk.

@BlueKnight07 lol they cancelled the Wii u version awhile ago.then announced it for the switch lol

Yooka amiibo at E3?

After Mighty No.9 & now this failing to deliver the goods I'm pretty over the whole spiritual successor to insert classic game you used to love as a kid. If it's taught me one thing, its that nostalgia really is one hell of a drug. Plus they were just dud games which didn't help lol

"They promised us an authentic throwback to 90's-era platformers, but the finished product was too much like an authentic throwback to 90's-era platformers. They shouldn't have delivered exactly what they said they would. Thumbs down."

"Also, I can't believe that they didn't want to be associated with a white supremacist. The nerve!"

@the_beaver
The thing had problems on console that had a lot more power. The wiiu version would've been awful and close to unplayable.

We can keep being mad about this, and probably not buy the game. Our just enjoy that this game is going to be payable on the go.

I heard that more people backed the wii u version than the others. If that is true than I find it insulting to Nintendo fans that we have to wait.

Yooka-Laylee was not a disappointment when it launched. NintendoLife is wrong. Some people just unfairly hated on the game, that's all.

The game is getting even better with the patches though. We all knew Playtonic would make sure th game is as good as it can be. The patches are proof of this.

"We delivered what we promised to our fans and backers."

Really!? So where's that Wii U version of the game? You know that one which funded the majority of your money?

Oh great, now I get it... Microsoft is trying to buy playtonic. My guess is Microsoft paid playtoxic to NOT release the game on Wii u and make switch owners suffer and weep... Because something smells... like gruntildas feet.

So much unwarranted anger from people.

When they sent out their announcement that they would not be able to release the Wii U version, they gave the option for a FULL REFUND. Pretty generous compensation, in my opinion.

I backed the game specifically for the Wii U version, but because I played the demo and enjoyed it, I decided to change my pledge to the PS4 version. As if it truly matters which console you play it on.

The Switch version is coming. Because it's a newer console and they did not have access to the dev kit immediately, it's logically going to take longer to release the version for that console.

Im looking forward to picking it up. While delivering an unpolished product at full price is what has bred most of the negativity and instanteneous slandering of developers and publishers nowadays and rightly so, i dont think these guys realised how much of a double edged sword setting hype and high expectations is in todays market.

Mark my words: We get a inferior version, months after the release of the other versions, digital only, higher price, maybe some Amiibo-nonsense thrown in, Nintendo will market it at E3 as if it is super-exclusive to them!!

Lost interest in the game now, may pick it up on the switch at some point but not too bothered of it doesn't make it out

The game was awesome. Played it on XBone and loved every minute of it. Give me a physical release on Switch and I'll double-dip.

Good point we made. **** the negative reviewers.

This is game delivers exactly what WE backers wanted, supported and financed from its inception.

"It's too much like a 90's N64 game"

Good! That's what WE paid them upfront to do!!!

They did deliver on exactly what they promised... with all the drawbacks that come with resurrecting a style of gameplay which hasn't really existed in the mainstream in 15+ years.

As far as I'm concerned, they haven't delivered anything, not even a release date for their Nintendo fans...
But as far as reviews go, most negative reviews say it's just like a n64 game. You know, the thing the exact thing they were going for... No backer I know didn't love the game.

@InnerSpirit its exactly as they promised yes but reviewers don't care about that since its not their job in that since, reviewers have to kick out nostalgia and review it by the standards that lay nowadays. Mind you this is just a more blunt answer.

@InnerSpirit I don't trust the reviews much, particularly in this case.

I've read a few and couldn't possibly see an original thought. Parroting each other showing each other they "know" things. I stated before that these reviews in particular read like virtue signalling.

I'll see for myself once the game hits switch.

I had backed it for Wii U, and happily switched (no pun intended) my pledge to Switch, thinking I could wait for a few months to play it. Then I saw how great the gameplay looked (grew up with Banjo, Crash and Croc here, so those videos hit me right in the childhood), caved, and got a copy for Xbox One - and I'm absolutely adoring it. It's fun, colourful, and it's exactly what a 90's platformer revival should be; I'm about 30 hours in and about to beat the final boss, and I'll happily do it all over again when I get my Switch backer copy. I don't understand how all those negative reviews are based on the fact that "it's straight from the 90's" and "it plays like a N64 game" - those are the things that make it so good for us backers!

Does anyone have this on PS4? How does it run on its current build?

Despite the reviews I will keep an eye on it and any Switch reviews.

He's not wrong though.

The dialofue sound effects have always been enough to turn me off from this. I've not played any of the games this was inspired by.

I'm gonna wait for a used copy for a fiver.

It's not out on Nintendo yet so it's too early for "reflection".

The frame rate is nauseating to me, even on PS4 PRO.

Maybe I should try the PC version.

I really don't care about this game anymore. Been too long coming to the Nintendo platform. By the time it comes to the Switch it will likely be on some sale on other platforms where most people already own it.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Tries to hit the reply button but damn near reported you instead. YIKES!

Anyway, I agree, but I also think they made the right decision in making the change to the Switch.

Having played the game for about 20 hours now on PS4, I'm disappointed about what it could have been if they wanted to make a good game rather than just an N64 game. I feel like with some more feedback during development and another 6 months of polishing this could have been a standout platformer.

The first 6 hours were great, I was super excited to be playing this, even with the awful gibberish voices I can't stand. They made Conker Bad Fur Day fully voice acted way back when, so they can't just say "nostalgia" and have that be an excuse, they practically invented voice acting in games.
The loading screen freezes almost every time, making me think the game is frozen, it's annoying. It's a loading screen.
Flying controls are garbage. I guess it's hard to make good flying controls, but that doesn't make it good.
Hub world is a disaster. My kids tell me BK was like this too, but I don't get it. 5 worlds and it's annoying getting to 3 of them. And they made fast travel in the last world, which doesn't even need it b/c you can fly by then. I think you needed to fly to get to it. I'm not sure though b/c the hub world is such a mess.
The last 2 world's gameplay kind of sucks. And world's 3 + 4 don't actually expand when you expand them, doors just open.

If these guys made a 2nd game I think it could be really good if they wanted it to be and tried a little harder. Game was looking like 8/10 first 6 hours, now it's 6/10.

My background - didn't play these guys original games so I recently bought an Xbox One just for Rare Replay, I don't like Mario64 but the 3 Sony platformers - Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Sly Cooper - are some of my favorites. Starfox Adventures, which Rare did 15 years ago with full voice acting, is better than YL, even with awful sidekick Tricky and no jump button. That was supposed to be an N64 game but they held it over for Gamecube, so maybe Switch can get the definitive version of YL.

@rjejr It's funny, I haven't played Yooka yet (backed for a Wii U, now Switch version), but it seems to me we have almost opposite opinions regarding 3D platformers. I love Banjo, think Mario 64 is the best Mario bar none, and think DK64 is woefully underrated (and I finished it only two years ago, in the Wii U Virtual Console release). On the other hand, Ratchet and Clank was my biggest PS4 disappointment, with its linearity, focus on an extremely dull story, and invisible walls everywhere. I yearned for the more open, gameplay-focused N64 releases, and now I've decided I just won't spend my money on thr Crash Bandicoot remastered collection, as that seems to be way more Ratchet than Banjo.

I still think Playtonic should have postponed the game to have a Nintendo platform there day one, as that's where most of their fans are bound to be. Still, I'm eagerly awaiting the game, and if performance issues don't ruin the experience, everything points at me having an absolute blast.

We need on the Switch now!

I was going to, but I just don't know if I am really interested the mood for a colect-a-thon right now....

They delivered? Where in that kickstarter said they'd only release the Nintendo version on a long delay (and for remaining owners) that they'd also cancel the WiiU release? Pretty sure I didn't see that when people were happily handing over promised funds. Companies like this need to be punished for screwing over not just their own funding source, but also one console over another as history shows late releases get leftover level low sales.

I feel horrible in thinking that Yooka-Laylee is a big disappointment. It IS what they promised, yes. But I guess my expectations were too high. I love and adore all N64 platformers, especially the Rare games and Mario 64, but somehow Yooka-Laylee just feels like a cheap imitation of those games rather than a return to form. I just can't place my finger on it, I just don't find it fun. The challenges are annoying and tedious, not fun. The levels are big, almost TOO big and complex, and also not fun. The camera and controls aren't even the issues for me. The game design is just not fun. I say this as a GIGANTIC fan of N64 platformers and Rare's old stuff. Banjo-Kazooie, Tooie, Conker's bad Fur Day, Donkey Kong 64...all absolute classics and most of them are masterpieces IMO. But Yooka-Laylee... Ugh. I really don't know what they could've done to make it better. perhaps Make the levels a bit smaller and make more levels. I put 15 hours into the game and have 1 level left, and I'd say I've only truly enjoyed 1/3 of those hours. The other 2/3 consists of me wandering around aimlessly wondering how the hell do I navigate these levels as well as trying to complete seriously frustrating challenges (mine cart and Rextro's arcade, anyone???) Easily the most disappointing game of 2017 so far.

I can't imagine the Switch version running very well based on the performance issues reported on xbox one and PS4. Those screenshots @rjejr posted are unacceptable for a finished product, and that was on PS4.

I'm definitely going to grab it on Switch...but I'm a bit worried about whether I will enjoy it or not if I'm honest.

Typical flak response but still looking forward to playing this (except for the casino level).

@RedMageLanakyn Of course I posted them in an unrelated article yesterday when I should have just put them here. Thanks for reminding me.

@ricklongo It's sunk home recently how I really don't like open world games, I need linearity. Not 2D linear, I hate 2D linear, the Minecart levels in YL I'm not going to even bother beating, but I like 3D linearity. The Super Mario Galaxy games were great, and I think I liked SM Sunshine more. Besides linearity I also need a story. The new R&C on PS4 was lame. But then again I knew it was just a shiny remake. I can see why people prefer open world, but I need something to drive me forward, not back. I hate Metroidvania backtracking as well. I really don't like much, so what I do like I expect it to feel finished and as good as it can be.

Lol now their lies are becoming even more blatant.
They promised a Wii U version and didn't deliver.
I was so glad I got my refund after reading how terrible it is in NL's review.

I want just to note that the game got 84% Positive reviews on Steam.
Eventually it isn't good to some reviewers but definitely the gamers are appreciating it.

The more and more I hear negative feedback regarding Kickstarter games and other games with transparent development, especially in regards to what it "could" have been, the more convinced I am that transparency in game development isn't worth it.

I was around when Mega Man Legends 3 had its Devroom, around during the raise and fall of Mighty No. 9, and around with Yooka-Laylee, and every time I see this same sort of thing happen. Promising things and keeping fans updated with developmental progress just poises for hopes raised and disappointment.

I feel like this is a case where the less you know, the better. What you don't know won't hurt you. Ignorance is bliss. The fact is that all games see major changes and cancellation of plans in their development, but people are generally never told of this and thus it does not affect them (as much).

@Tetsuro

The disproportionate positivity on a single platform leads me to believe, not without reason, that the majority of backers that received a play copy did so on Steam. Given that it was built in Unity, and how important smooth, consistent framerate is to a retro-styled 3D platformer with a camera that is mediocre at best, it's the only decent option. Speaking as an owner of the game that bought it on PS4, there are numerous stutters, and I've seen instances where the XB1 version is almost unplayable at times.

@JohnGrey It can be that some platforms got it less optimized, though I have seen very good reviews on PS4 too, like this one below. I don't know if you find it fair, but he too found the camera no good while not overshadowing its pros.
Eventually the game just needs optimization, and certainly the developers are culprit for not releasing it in a fair state on those platforms. Though we are talking about Nintendo Switch here and if they will actually deliver an optimized game this time it should not be judged thinking at the past.

Just an excerpt from that PS4 review, tell me if it's unfair:

Pros:

• Great and responsive controls.
• Satisfying and sometimes challenging platforming.
• Great use of moves to solve puzzles.
• Progress is customizable as you can choose when to learn a move or move on to another world.
• Massive and colorful worlds.
• Hilarious and charming characters.

Cons:

• Camera can get very irritating at some points.
• Lack of threatening enemies.
• Not exactly a very hard game.

@Tetsuro No, it's not unfair but it's not indicative of the general tenor of reviews, either user or critical, for the game on console. There are definitely those that are more forgiving of the game because they are amenable to concept of review with stipulations, they're the same people that spout the asinine notion that we should only evaluate the game in terms of what it's trying to be, not what it effectively is. What it's trying to be is a 90s platformer during the 90s, hampered, whether deliberately or not, with all of the problems of that genre. It is a 90s platformer released in 2017. The current-year argument, however much people hate it, is a valid one: the game was not going to be hugely popular, or in line with modern gaming preferences. The second that the decision was made to move from delivering to backers to publishing it to the community as a whole, all obligations toward contextual evaluation were destroyed.

@JohnGrey I definitely don't see this as a mediocre game, it just can't appease some people. Then they have to optimize it to make it shine, but I can't understand a vote under 7 for it (like the laughable Polygon review). It's definitely a game for kids, I'm not interested on it but I can't just bash it because it's not my cup of tea... It isn't bad nor mediocre, it looks decent with some faults. For some kids it will be definitely great, even with those weaknesses.
'Current year' isn't a valid argument, in fact WonderBoy got high votes, and Kamiko took underserved high ratings for a game that's near stupid. I can see that Kamiko as mediocre to decent (not bad).
It's not mediocre, just for kids, and some people have grown up.
Super Mario 64 is still top platforming in my opinion (THE top), and this Yooka is the same old collectathon that many still likes. As for me I NEVER liked it but understand that it's just about taste (and age).

P.S.: If developers don't fix technical issues for the Nintendo Switch release they will be just plain stupid.

@Tetsuro

That's your prerogative, but I, and it seems many others, disagree. You're welcome to that opinion and I consider to be 100% valid, I just don't happen to follow your line of thought. Wonder Boy did somewhat better with users, though that's not really indicative given that the review pool is one-quarter the size and the audience on the Switch, which probably constituted a significant percentage of sales, is more amenable to that sort of game that on the PS4 or XB1. Critically, it fell perfectly in line with Yooka-Laylee: the mid-70s.

@Hydrus13

That's precisely the issue; it is a cheap imitation. There's no plot of any substance, and no personal stakes on either side. Yooka and Laylee aren't going after the pagies to save the world, they're doing it so that they can reassemble their antique book and sell it for profit. Capital B isn't a criminal mastermind or insane megalomaniac, he's a mid-level corporate buffoon that relies on a absurd, stupid lieutenant and an evil redshirt army with two character models (imp and bruiser) and a handful of skins. In BK, you're trying to save your sister from certain death at the hands of a witch; BT is, at least in part, a revenge epic after your said sister's best friend is killed as collateral damage in an ongoing feud, leaving behind a wife and two small children. The Banjo series worked on multiple levels for multiple age groups. Young kids got a bright, colourful adventure, while slightly older players got a plot that surprisingly dark and adult in places. Yooka-Laylee is just blah.

There's no coherent level design within the worlds; the magic storybook theme started strong in Tribalstack Tropics, peaked in the magical snow-covered kingdom of Glitterglaze Glacier, waned precipitously in Moodymaze Marsh, and was unceremoniously taken to the back garden and shot by the time one gets to Capital Cashino. There's a feigned attempt to return to it with the plagiarism of Jet Force Gemini in Galleon Galaxy but that level is so schizophrenic in tone that it just feels sloppy and unfinished. Additionally, there's no effective sign-posting at all, no proper balancing on obstacle resolution to prevent constant backtracking; the existence of the Hunter tonic is more than enough to show that there was a sufficient lack of confidence for the a player to find everything.

The movement is a bit stiff in walking mode, slippery and occasionally uncontrollable in rolling mode, and both were hampered with one of the most stupid cameras I've encountered since the turn of the century. It constantly tries to zero itself against user input direction via the right stick, gets stuck on obstacles (walls constantly), even other characters (such as when I was racing Nimble in Galleon Galaxy, the camera actually fixed to him when he managed to pass me and I was forced to just stop and wait till he finished the race).

All in all, it felt mediocre on every level, an indie game with the wartiest possible connotation. It's playable, depending on how forgiving you are, but it's so far below the bar set during the golden age of Rare and that, for some of us, is painful.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
My thoughts exactly.

@Jezebel95

'those are the things that make it so good for us backers!'

Perhaps the most asinine justification I've seen in regards to this game. 'Look, I got what I wanted! Aren't you thrilled for me!'

I don't give a toss about how much fun that you're having, or the other eighty thousand like you, and I would wager that most gamers aren't either. The negativity is a byproduct of you getting precisely what you wanted, which was mostly what others didn't want, hence why you had to help crowdfund the game in the first place.

@JohnGrey I don't think my justification is any worse than that of those reviewers who said that the game was bad because it was an old-fashioned collectathon platformer - it's just personal preference and different points of view on a defining aspect of the game. It is a project that only came to life because of eighty thousand nostalgic backers, and as one of them I am glad they delivered exactly on their promise, but I understand how the game would only appeal on this level to a relatively niche group of gamers. But it makes me wonder, have you played it? Or are you just basing your opinion on the general negativity that has surrounded the game due to the Jon-Tron debacle, camera issues and old-fashioned gameplay?

Edit: sorry, I went back into the comments to read your posts, and you have played the game. Fair's fair. Let's just agree to disagree on this one.

Well considering YL was made in Unity... I can understand the low chances of the Wii U version ever existing. I understood that as soon as I read their project pitch when I backed it. The PC version was the best way to go, because just in case any crazy stuff like what rjejr posted had happened, the PC version would be more likely to see fixes. The more consistent performance doesn't hurt either.

@Jezebel95

Played it to 100%, just as I've done with virtually every game that I purchase. Believe me when I say that every minute I was hunting quills stuck in trollish places or replaying one of Rextro's mini-games for the seventeeth time, I was wishing that that wasn't part of who I am. I had to binge on Double Fine games just to wash the bad taste from my mouth.

@JohnGrey Banjo Kazooie is an extremely violent and brutal game, when you think about it. So many creatures you kill burst into body parts... It would have been rated M if it were portrayed more realistically. And if you die, the villain turns into an super sexy green woman, and your sister gets turned into an ogre... Somehow, I kinda didn't mind getting a game over...

@PlywoodStick Glad to see someone else pointing this out. Other developers have pointed out years ago how Unity struggles to work on Wii U. Any developing team worth their salt would have been able to figure it out, yet they used Unity anyways, despite their claims of keeping the Wii U version in-house to give it the treatment it deserves. Combined with the fact that they never showed off progress with the Wii U version, yeah, I'd say it's doubtful a Wii U version in any working capacity ever existed.

I got to play Yooka Laylee on PS4 and had a lot of fun. Hoping to see it get more patches to make for a nicer flow of gameplay. (The odd camera issue, framerate drop was frustrating however)

I'm not mad that the Wii U version, the one I intended to get initially, was cancelled. The system is behind us now, so I'm thinking the Switch version will be the 'definitive' edition when it releases to make up. I wouldn't be surprised if Playtonic got their development kit late hence the long wait. It will be great to play portably though.

@FNL Ironically, he's not even White either.

I'm confused why everyone thinks they lied about the Wii U version. The Wii U was easily the least powerful console, but if they had so much Troy le making it work right on the far more powerful Xbone and PS4, then maybe they really couldn't make a salvageable Wii U version?

@Kayfios
Fine IMO, haven't had any performance issues yet.

I was originally a backer for a Wii U version, but changed it to the Switch. I still haven't gotten an email as to when it will release. I'm hoping sometime soon.