In 2017, Playtonic Games released what was to be considered a spiritual successor to the well-loved Banjo-Kazooie series: Yooka-Laylee. After kickstarting the project with a whopping 2 million, it was met with plenty of media attention, though initially it had mixed reviews. Despite the divide on if it's nostalgia of hardcore collectathon platforming was enough to carry it- it sits pretty on Steam with mostly positive reviews.  Now , here we are quite a few years later, presented with Yooka Re-Playlee.
Supposedly: "...packed with new moves, more story, exciting challenges, hidden secrets, and more than double the collectibles to uncover..." how will it hold up? Third person platformers were nearly a staple during the Golden Age of Gaming, and you either loved them, or hated them (Why not both?). It can absolutely be a toss-up with more modern audiences, as they seem more than willing to throw copious amounts of time and money into loot-box laden sinkholes.  While it may not appeal to everyone, I think folks willing to re-visit a more tried and true game genre may find a new love and appreciation for some of the simpler things in life. Let's take a crack and see what the folks at Playtonic have brought to the table.

Some things never change.

One of the biggest things brought to the table, seems to be an increased sense of self. What I mean by this, is the original Yooka-Laylee HEAVILY banked on it's almost too-glaring-parallels to it's soul successor, and that didn't entirely work in its favour. While many had hopes that the nostalgia would be a massive driving force, many gamers found it to be too much, translating to "We have Banjo at Home".  Things like the health and energy bars as well as dialogue boxes have been re-worked to try and seem more unique, and many of the not-so-subtle Banjo-Kazooie influences have been reeled in. However, fear not:
Blasto (NOT to be confused with his brother, Blastooie!) and Kabloomie are still here.
Overall, Re-Playlee really tries to steer away from that seemingly unspoken dependance on the nostalgia of old to make something more cohesive and unique. The jabs are still here (and in droves), but many of the changes come to overall quality of life- and they seem to make quite the difference.

Warp points make map traversal easy as can be.

Most obviously is the revamp of the worlds. While still very much carrying the theme and tone of the originals, many changes have been made. From the visual upgrades to new challenges and enemies, things just seem more polished overall. Not only were more collectables added, but locations have also been modified, really to try and streamline the experience overall. That is also done by way of the maps being fully open, as well as all of Yooka-Laylees abilities being available from the start, minimizing backtracking. The story has also been tweaked, trying to streamline and "button up" what could have been seen as weakness for an overall more seamless flow.  The revamped navigation and map make tracking the copious amount of collectables... easier. Mark the Bookmark makes traversing the map a breeze, cutting out a decent amount of frustration in some of the more "complex" worlds.  As icing on the cake, your adventure is fully overhauled, not only visually, but from an audio perspective as well. The entire soundtrack is fully orchestrated by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Worry not: You can still unlock the original soundtrack as well!

If there was ever a game with a wild sense of self-awareness and comedy, this is it. 

 That being said, Yooka-Re-Playlee, while absolutely glowing with a fresh coat of paint, still suffers from some issues that are just, unfortunately cannon (so to speak) when it comes to platformers. While the controls and camera have been tightened up and polished, it still suffers at times. Now and again in more forced-perspective areas, it proved to be obnoxiously fickle. You obviously can't win them all, and as noted, some of it simply comes with the territory of what the game is. Ultimately, many of the issues were superficial, and had little impact on the overall enjoyment of the game, being rather short-lived or specific to very peculiar areas of the map (Think forced-perspective areas, like underwater where the camera is "free" but with some restraints).

I was actually blown away with some of the particle effects like fog that reacts dynamically to your movement. The small details really stand out.

Overall, Yooka-Re-Playlee is a fantastic, if not slightly unexpected early revival, bringing some much need shine to a game that let its reliance on nostalgia dampen its impact. Littered with fun jabs and cameos (which I won't be spoiling here) it has plenty of heart to bring to the table. The modifications really do help it form it's own (and much needed) identity. While not flawless, I think it's done a much better job of finding it's own path to reviving an easily overlooked genre. If you want something that isn't too much of a brain-bender and that is quick and easy to pick up and put down, honestly, look no further. Lighthearted and silly, it's a great game that would be a solid choice for both young and old audiences. Even with some of its classic "platformer woes", Yooka-Re-Playlee is a title well worth Re-Visiting.

 Yooka-Re-Playlee is available on the Steam Marketplace for $29.99 USD.