Fans of classic platforming and collecting have a special love letter arriving this fall as Yooka- Replaylee is coming from Playtonic Oct. 9 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and yes, the Nintendo Switch 2 for $29.99. A special physical edition is $49.99.
Yooka-Laylee, which released in 2017, was a spiritual successor to the Banjo-Kazooie series made by a team of former Rare employees. A sequel, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, came in 2019.
“Yooka-Replaylee is built to shine on every platform, and we’re chuffed to bits it’s on Switch 2 from day 01, it holds a special place in our hearts (and hands),” Gavin Price, PlaytonicStudio Director said.“It’s bigger, brighter, bolder, and packed with all the little touches we always dreamed of. We can’t wait for players to jump in.”
“It’s rare to see a game get this kind of second life - not as a remaster, but as a true reinvention,” Ami Blaire, Chief Marketing Officer at PM Studios, said. “It’s the kind of release that reminds me why I fell in love with platform games in the first place.”
Here are some of the features players can look forward to.
- REFINED STORY – The events of the first game are relived and retold by the main characters, Yooka and Laylee. New sequences and plot points have been added throughout the adventure at key milestones too.
- NEW ART – With an art and animations overhaul and enhanced performance and resolution, the favourite buddy duo has never looked or moved better.
- BRAND-NEW REXTRO'S ARCADE – The old minigames are no more! Instead, you'll jump into the feet of Rextro the dinosaur and undertake brand-new isometric platforming challenges for collectible rewards.
- NEW COLLECTIBLE CURRENCY – Capital B's inept minions have dropped their hard-earned coins all over the place. Collect the official currency of the Hivory Towers to spend on video games' most beloved sentient vending machine.
- VENDI HAS PLENTY TO OFFER – Tonics are back with all new flavours! With the option to equip multiple game-changing enhancements, you can truly customize your playstyle. And as if that wasn't enough, Vendi has new lines of merchandise for the modern fashionable adventurer.
- NAVIGATING THE WORLD – Yooka-Replaylee introduces a brand-new map and collectibles tracker, making it easier for you to traverse the environments, track NPC and Pagie locations along with tracking their progress. We're also introducing a new character in the form of (book) Mark who acts as your warp point and guide.
- REVISED CONTROLS & CAMERA – The buddy-duo now has access to their entire move set from the start of the game and can sequence the moves together a lot smoother than in the original game. This, combined with the revamped camera controls, makes Yooka-Replaylee feel like a lot more modern, snappier experience while also directly addressing player feedback on the original game.
- A DREAMY ORCHESTRAL SOUNDTRACK – The original score from famed video game composers Grant Kirkhope (Banjo-Kazooie) and David Wise (Donkey Kong Country) returns but as a beautifully arranged orchestral score. Now seriously, clean out those ears.