Yooka-Laylee channels the best of gaming’s 3D platforming past

If you liked Banjo-Kazooie, you will love this game

Yooka-Laylee is a game that’s stuck 1998 — and I mean that as a compliment. Playtonic Games, a UK-based developer comprised of former core members of British game maker Rare, set out to create a spiritual successor to the classic Nintendo 64 platformer Banjo-Kazooie. Flush with nearly $2.6 million in Kickstarter cash, the company has spent the last two years creating a polished and refined love letter to the colorful 3D platformers that have been pretty much phased out by time.

Playing a near-final version of Yooka-Laylee last week reminded me of the giddy excitement I felt sitting in front of the N64 two decades ago. Playtonic has created a solid modern rendition on a classic formula, updating and tweaking the platforming systems Rare helped pioneer in the ‘90s while keeping the spirit fully intact. The game looks gorgeous and feels equally as satisfying to play. And Yooka-Laylee not only highlights the best qualities of its since-retired genre, but also feels bigger, bolder, and more challenging.

Many of the game’s elements feel ripped straight out of Banjo-Kazooie. Collectible “jiggies,” short for jigsaw puzzle pieces, are now called “pagies, while the colored “jinjo” creatures are now hidden “ghost writers.” Sorcerer Mumbo Jumbo has been replaced with Dr. Puzz, a tentacled scientist who can transform Yooka and Laylee into various other life forms and anthropomorphic objects, enhancing the duo’s powers and means of movement in level-specific ways.

Every character still speaks in an indecipherable form of gibberish, with text bubbles building the narrative in place of speech. That includes the walkie-talkie-toting snake Trowzer, the new move-set teacher that replaces the mole Bottles from Banjo. By spending quills, the updated version of Banjo’s music notes, you can gain new skills that help you breathe fire, jump higher, and perform any number of other platforming staples.