Yooka-Replaylee review for Nintendo Switch 2

System: Switch 2
Release date: October 9, 2025
Developer: Playtonic Games
Publisher: Playtonic Games

The original Yooka-Laylee released eight years ago during a period of time when collectathon 3D platformers were few and far between. It was developed and released by Playtonic, an indie development team compromised of exciting new game creators and also veterans that were at Rare during their period of dominance in the N64 era. Harkening most closely to Rareware classics like Banjo-Kazooie and Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Yooka-Laylee was a breath of fresh air into a dormant subgenre in gaming that was much beloved and sorely missed. Having been one of the key games in revitalizing 3D platformers that still holds up quite well, it surprised me a bit that the decision was made to remake the title entirely. I had so many questions going into Yooka-Replaylee because it wasn’t something I expected to see. How does the game change things up?

The narrative is a little different this time around. Instead of just living through the original game again, this time, we are being told the events of Yooka & Laylee’s adventure from their perspective, with some embellishments and exaggerations on their part about some particular events or elements. I absolutely loved this approach – it felt a bit like The Lion King 1 1/2, a film in which Timon & Pumbaa retell the first Lion King film with some slight changes here and there. This plot had that same energy, and I found it very entertaining. A lot of the original witty dialogue and humor is retained from the original release too, so there’s plenty of laughs to be had in this adventure. There is also a brand new ending to the game, so that does give the new story some merit beyond what it holds from a comedic standpoint.

There has been a stark visual overhaul and reworking of character animations, which are now decidedly more fluid and good looking. A significant change comes in the expansion of the worlds that players explore. The themes of the stages are the same, and a lot of the missions remain intact, there has been some challenges that have been altered and improved, and also new areas added. There are more collectibles than in the original, and more enemy types per world as well. The main collectible in the game is Pagies, which are required to unlock the doors to each world and the final boss. This might seem intimidating at first, but you only need 125 Pagies to face off with the Final Boss, and with 50 Pagies in each world (not counting the 50 Pagies that players can find in the Hivory Towers hub world), you will find yourself with more than necessary Pagies to beat the game. This will take most players about 15 or so hours, but if you’re going on a completionist run, the game time could easily double. Other things for Yooka and Laylee to find include the brand new coin currency Q.U.I.D.S, which can be traded for Tonics, of which there are 35 that can be unlocked for purchase, and Quills, which you can trade with Trowzer the snake, who is dressed eerily close to someone who is famously not so fond of snakes. There are also the five Ghost Writers in each world, all of different colors, which have different requirements to find and catch them. Each world also has a Mollycool, which when used, transforms Yooka and Laylee into a different being entirely. In the first world, for example, they become a flower that can shoot water.

One other collectible worth mentioning is Arcade Tokens, of which each world contains one. You give these to the bubbly gamersaurus Rextro, and this allows you to play a quick 3D platforming challenge as Rextro to earn three Pagies. These short isometric puzzle stages can also be found within Rextro’s Arcade and are new to this release, taking the place of the so-so mini games that were there before. This game center is located in the Hivory Towers. These aren’t the only mini-games that can be played though. Kartos, an old mining kart, can be found within levels and with his help, Yooka and Laylee can collect gems that can be exchanged for Pagies in an on-rails karting excursion not dissimilar to what we’ve seen Nintendo’s tie-wearing ape participate in during his games. The levels themselves also change things up, like Glitterglaze Glacier’s Icymetric Palace, which as you’d imagine, is played from an isometric angle on ice-based slippery game physics. Each world also has a boss to contend with, all full of charm. From Trev the Tenteyecle, who’s upset he’s having to miss the soaps to fight you, to I.N.E.P.T, a sentient super-computer who sadly needs to get his eyesight checked. So, while the adventure is largely a 3D collect-a-thon, the gameplay does change up enough to keep players on their toes so they don’t start feeling like the game is sticking to cycles.

One massive improvement from the original release that I didn’t even realize was an issue concerns the map system. Originally, it was a tad antiquated and there was no means of fast travel in the game. Thus comes the introduction of Mark the Bookmark, a new friend on our adventure that can be found throughout each world. When you wake him up, his position is logged on the map and you can warp to him at any time. Pagie locations and NPC placements are also kept on the map screen, so this makes navigation considerably more smooth than the first go around. These changes are significant, and worthy of praise to Playtonic for implementing. One last new feature that I thoroughly loved was that the original Yooka-Laylee soundtrack, composed by the legends that are Grant Kirkhope, David Wise and Steve Burke, has been completely re-done and orchestrated by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. It sounds amazing, and takes already great pieces of music and cranks them up a notch. The new sound really adds a sense of grandeur to the adventure. My favorite new rendition is of Galleon Galaxy, I think the orchestration is absolutely stellar.

My only criticism of the game really comes in the fact that I played this on Nintendo Switch 2, and there were some light compatibility issues. I had an instance where I pressed the home button after launching the software to answer the front door and when I returned, the game had frozen and I had to exit the game and start over. Other tiny issues like that happened during my considerable hours of gameplay, but not anything significant. I’m happy to report that even this small critique is something Playtonic are aware of, and have informed us they are actively looking to fix these issues with a day one patch. Also note that the game runs at 30 frames per second on Nintendo Switch 2, but there is some hope for a future performance mode.

Save for some minor glitches that are going to be ironed out and a few long loading screens, Yooka-Replaylee is a fantastic 3D platformer that builds on an already spectacular base and makes a brilliant game even better. It was value for money at the time of release, and the same holds true almost a decade later. It goes to show that a mixture of fun gameplay, googly-eye NPCs and truckloads of personality is a recipe that can stand the test of time, and I hope to goodness that we don’t have to wait another decade to see this duo collect Pagies in a 3D landscape once again.

Yooka-Replaylee copy provided by the publisher for the purposes of this review.