Back in early 2015, Playtonic Games, an indie developer mostly made up of ex-Rare employees, pitched Yooka-Laylee, an ode to N64-era 3D platformers, to the public. Yooka-Laylee was a surprise success, raising over £2 million British pounds (or $3 million), but we haven’t seen much from the game since then, which is always a concern with Kickstarter-backed stuff. Some crowdfunded spiritual successors, like the endlessly-delayed Mighty No. 9, haven’t exactly turned out the way backers wanted, so fans of Conker’s Bad Fur Day and Banjo-Kazooie have been on pins and needles.
Well, Playtonic has finally released a full Yooka-Laylee trailer, and thankfully the game is looking pretty great. The game’s visuals are impressive for an indie, but beyond that, Yooka-Laylee really seems to capture the spirit of old-school 3D platformers – the varied worlds, sense of adventure, wacky characters, and cheesy humor all appear to be fully intact. I mean, how can you not root for a game featuring a snake wearing pants?
Unfortunately, Yooka-Laylee has suffered a short delay – from Holiday 2016 to the first quarter of 2017 – but it looks like the game is going to be worth the wait. What do you folks think? Ready for some new colorful, crazy, collect-a-thon goodness in your life?