Mini Review: Yooka-Replaylee (PS5) – A Second Draft Worthy of the Banjo-Kazooie Comparisons

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I remember when Yooka-Laylee came out in 2017 – there was so much hype! A lot of us were really looking forward to it, but honestly, it didn’t quite live up to expectations. It was okay, but ultimately just a pretty average game, if I’m being honest.

Yooka-Replaylee’s second attempt is a big improvement in nearly every way. It’s more than just an updated version; it completely reimagines a rather unremarkable original game, making it something truly worth remembering.

Yooka-Replaylee has been improved in a lot of ways to make it more fun to play. One big change is that you don’t need to unlock parts of worlds anymore. While unlocking things can be satisfying, it’s much better that you can explore everywhere without having to leave a world first.

You start with all abilities fully unlocked, giving you complete freedom to explore the maps immediately. These abilities have also been improved to feel more responsive and fun. For instance, the Reptile Roll now doesn’t drain stamina, and you can repeatedly use the Tail Twirl to create a powerful, spinning attack that quickly defeats enemies.

Across the board, everything just feels much smoother, which includes the camera controls.

The way you collect items in Yooka-Replaylee is similar to Super Mario Odyssey. Like in that game, you find different colored quills that are unique to each world, and coins are scattered everywhere.

The game is full of collectible items called Pagies, scattered throughout each level. Finding them is now celebrated with a cute dance from Yooka and Laylee, a detail that fans of classic 3D platformers will appreciate. During your first playthrough, you’ll be rewarded for exploring every corner of each location.

Generally, the gameplay feels thoughtful and well-balanced. We did encounter a few bugs that required us to restart the game, and some boss battles felt unnecessarily long due to waiting periods between attacks.

Yooka-Replaylee is a fantastic reimagining of the original game. It’s a huge improvement in almost every way, making the first release feel outdated. After a long wait, Yooka and Laylee finally star in a 3D platformer that truly lives up to the comparisons with Banjo-Kazooie.

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2025-10-08 16:06