Games by Playtonic Games
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair Switch
- 8th Oct 2019 (UK/EU)
- 8th Oct 2019 (NA)
Reviews of Playtonic Games Games
Review Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair (Switch) - A Delicious Mix Of Donkey Kong And Zelda
Lair today, Kong tomorrow
It’s possible to beat Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair in under half an hour. Now, hold on a minute. Before you make a beeline for Amazon to start pricing pitchforks (it’s about £25 for a good one, if you’re asking), let us clarify. We said it’s possible. But there’s no way you’ll be able to manage it right...
A rare game
In a post-Super Mario Odyssey world, the bar has been set even higher for 3D platformers. How, then, can a game like Yooka-Laylee stack up - a game so firmly focused on the past rather than the future? Though it may not quite hit the heights of some contemporaries, Yooka-Laylee still stands as a fantastic modern take on 3D platforming...
Latest Playtonic Games News
Tuesday27th May 2025
News Yooka-Laylee Dev Playtonic Is The Latest Studio Hit By Layoffs
Update: Further job losses confirmed
A handful of staff at UK-based studio Playtonic, best known for creating Yooka-Laylee and for forming the indie publishing label Playtonic Friends, are sharing messages on social media as they have been made "redundant" at the developer. We were first alerted to the news by a Bluesky post from former community...
Tuesday15th Apr 2025
Feature "It's Huge For Us" - Devs Talk Switch 2 Reactions, Dev-Kit Disparity, Future Plans
What devs make of Switch 2
In case you somehow missed it, Nintendo has officially lifted the lid on Switch 2, cueing all sorts of excitement and apprehension from those of us who have been loyally playing our Switch 1s for the past eight years. It's an exciting time to be a player, but how does it feel from a developer's standpoint? Is the Switch 2...
Tuesday18th Mar 2025
Video New Yooka-Replaylee Gameplay Revealed In Deep Dive "Explainer" Trailer
"IT IS coming in 2025"
Playtonic's upcoming 3D platformer Yooka-Replaylee (aka the "remastered, remade, remixed version" of Yooka-Laylee) has officially been confirmed for a 2025 launch. It's also been revealed the game will be co-published by PM Studios. “As a fan of collectathons like Yooka-Laylee and Banjo-Kazooie before that, it’s a...
Thursday20th Feb 2025
News New Yooka-Replaylee Trailer Showcases Rextro's Revamped Minigame Arcade
This platformer's got some byte
Last month, Playtonic gave us our first look at Yooka-Replaylee's Shovel Knight in all of his remastered glory, and today, the studio is putting the spotlight on another character to showcase its sweet new looks. The delightful dino Rextro is the focus of the latest trailer, with the new footage highlighting his...
Tuesday28th Jan 2025
News Shovel Knight Returns In New 'Yooka-Replaylee' Trailer
Title seemingly heading for Switch 2
Playtonic Games has released a new trailer for its upcoming Yooka-Replaylee remaster, reintroducing Shovel Knight as an NPC with unique new challenges for our heroes. The character, based on the acclaimed 2D platformer of the same name, will receive a similar new coat of paint for the updated game, and will also...
Tuesday10th Dec 2024
News Donkey Kong Country OG Dev Says He Would Like To Work On Another Entry
The original game is now 30 years old
Ahead of the grand opening of Super Nintendo World: Donkey Kong Country this week, some of the original Donkey Kong Country development team spoke to VGC about the IP being adapted to an entire theme park. During the same chat, artist Steve Mayles - who helped co-found Playtonic Games (Yooka-Laylee) and create...
Sunday8th Dec 2024
Video Yooka-Replaylee Dev Demo Highlights "New Features And More Changes"
Expect more updates in the coming months
Yooka-Replaylee is on the way to Nintendo platforms in the future and the development team at Playtonic has been sharing more information about the remaster. In the latest update, game director Gavin Price sat down with Playtonic's senior community manager Steve James to showcase the Glitterglace Glazier...
Friday25th Oct 2024
Video Yooka-Replaylee Side-By-Side Graphics Comparison (Original & Remaster)
Yooka-Laylee returns to 'Nintendo platforms'
Yesterday, Playtonic officially announced Yooka-Replaylee would be coming to 'Nintendo Platforms' in the future. While we wait to find out more, our friends at Pure Xbox have shared a side-by-side graphics comparison video, showcasing the original game alongside this new remastered version. The footage...
Thursday24th Oct 2024
News Yooka-Replaylee Remaster Officially Confirmed For 'Nintendo Platforms'
Ha, we all know what that means
Playtonic Games has officially unveiled the confirmed platforms for its upcoming remaster of Yooka-Laylee, dubbed Yooka-Replaylee. Curiously, Switch isn't mentioned by name, with Playtonic instead confirming a release on 'Nintendo Platforms'. Now, this could mean a couple of things: it's either a blanket way of...
Monday9th Sep 2024
News Yooka-Replaylee Art Team Highlight Laylee's New Fluffiness In Remaster
"She is a fan favourite already"
Yooka-Replaylee was a bit of a welcome surprise when it was announced back in June. It looks utterly gorgeous and promises plenty of tweaks, changes, and accessibility features when it eventually launches. But one thing that many fans spotted was Laylee, Yooka's purple bat companion, and her new, incredibly fluffy...
Thursday6th Jun 2024
News 'Yooka-Replaylee' Brings Back Playtonic's Love Letter To Banjo In Remastered Form
"Meet the definitive remastered and enhanced version"
Revealed as part of today's Guerrilla Collective presentation, Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee is returning for an encore on "PC and consoles" with Yooka-Replaylee, a glow-up for the 2017 indie original that brought back the Banjo spirit to the 3D platforming genre. As you can see from the reveal...
Wednesday15th May 2024
Feature Who Is Playtonic's Voice Of The People?
The driving force of change
Frances Williams, Head of People @ Playtonic Here at Nintendo Life we've followed Playtonic's journey since its inception back in 2015. We caught up with the team behind Yooka-Laylee and its follow-up Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair last year to see how the studio had grown and what they are working on next. During...
Monday20th Nov 2023
Video What's Going On At Playtonic, The Studio Behind Yooka-Laylee?
A Rare find
It was almost 10 years ago that a group of former Rare developers got together and established Playtonic Games. This was a team consisting of many of the minds behind Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and other such classics, so when their first title, Yooka-Laylee was released in 2017, we were relieved to see that level of creativity...
Thursday27th Oct 2022
News Kao The Kangaroo Teams Up With Yooka-Laylee In Free DLC, Out Soon On Switch
And today on other platforms
Tate Multimedia is answering one of our most burning questions — what happens when you put a kangaroo, a chameleon, and a bat together? Well, you get some free DLC for Kao the Kangaroo. This free costume pack is a crossover between Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee and the Kao. Once you download the DLC — which is available...
Monday3rd Oct 2022
News Nintendo Goodies Up For Grabs In Playtonic's Charity Auction For SpecialEffect
Update: Auction is live, including Banjo and DKC items
Update [Mon 3rd Oct, 2022 17:45 BST]: The auction items went up over the weekend. Up for grabs are various art prints featuring Playtonic Friends games and the developer's own Yooka-Laylee, plus retro-flavoured offerings from the creators of Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and others. There...
Sunday14th Aug 2022
News Yooka-Laylee Developer Playtonic Warns Of 'Lil Gator Game' Scam
"Stay safe everyone"
The Yooka-Laylee developer and publisher Playtonic Games has issued a warning via social media about a new scam currently doing the rounds - linked to a game it's publishing. It seems "someone" is offering a beta test opportunity for MegaWobble's Lil Gator Game. scheduled to be released on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other...
Wednesday23rd Mar 2022
News 'Yooka-Laylee' Creator Playtonic Expands With Second Studio
"We want to broaden our reach, without going too far"
Playtonic Games, the studio behind the Yooka-Laylee series, has opened a second office in the UK town of Leamington Spa. Playtonic – which was founded in 2015 by former Rare staffers – recently gained investment from the Chinese giant Tencent. It has released two games so far,
Sunday21st Nov 2021
News Playtonic's Original Yooka-Laylee Game Is Getting A Follow-Up Title
A new adventure is on the way
In a bit of a shock announcement earlier this week, Playtonic - the UK developer comprised of former Rare veterans and known for titles such as Yooka-Laylee - revealed Chinese video game giant Tencent had acquired a minority stake in the business. If it's got you wondering what's to come, in an interview with friends...
Thursday18th Nov 2021
News Playtonic Announces Tencent Investment And Major Expansion Plans
"Things are going to get Bat Ship Crazy over the next few years"
Playtonic has undergone rapid expansion since its initial Kickstarter success with Yooka-Laylee over six years ago, with a number of Rare veterans on board. It followed that up with the rather good Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, before delving into publishing last year with...
Friday12th Feb 2021
News Yooka-Laylee Studio Playtonic Celebrates Six Years In The Biz With New Publishing Label
"Playtonic Friends had been brewing as a serious ambition for a while"
Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic turns six this year – and is marking the occasion by showing off a brand-new logo and by launching a new publishing label which aims to bring some of the world's best Indie games to market. Playtonic Friends is the name of the new label, and it...
Sunday3rd Jan 2021
Feature Banjo-Tooie Turns 20 - The Rare Team Tells The Story Of Bombs, Bugs And Bottles
"Bottles got what was coming to him"
Nowadays, there's nary a game that doesn't finish with a post-credits tease to tee up a sequel or spin-off. There's always a tantalisingly loose thread or Easter Egg hidden in the DLC hinting at a further instalment. It would be a very bold move, though, to name your sequel and directly reference it in a game...
Saturday26th Dec 2020
Feature Switch Developers Open Up About The Impact Of COVID-19
We speak to Dotemu, Image & Form, SMG Studio and Playtonic Games
Most of you reading this will have encountered some sort of social restrictions over the past month or so due to the COVID-19 pandemic the world is currently experiencing. While security measures designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus vary on a per-country basis, necessary...
Friday25th Dec 2020
"It’s very much like being in quarantine and lockdown all the time"
Last month music label Materia Collective put out the original soundtracks to both Yooka-Laylee and its sequel Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair on a host of digital storefronts and streaming platforms. The music from both of Playtonic Games' love letters to platformer
Wednesday18th Nov 2020
News Yooka-Laylee Teams Up With GungHo's Volta-X For A New Collab
Update: Now live
Update: The Yooka-Laylee x Volta-X collab is now live! GungHo Online Entertainment America has shared all the details you need: Introducing the playable crewmate, Yooka (with sidekick Laylee on his back) and a new story mission. You can now experience new, character-specific skills and abilities once the loveable duo join your...
Tuesday25th Aug 2020
Book Review Flicking Through The Vibrant World Of Yooka-Laylee And The Kracklestone
Over a hundred pagies long
The spiritual successor to the legendary bear and bird besties, Yooka-Laylee, nearly shook the earth when they were revealed through a Kickstarter project by Playtonic Games, the brand new studio made up of ex-Rare developers. Since the original reveal back in 2015, the team has managed to put out not just one, but two...
Thursday21st May 2020
News Still On The Fence About Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair? Now's The Time To Strike
It's currently on sale with 33% off in all regions
We really liked Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Playtonic dropped the full-3D approach of the original for a purer 2.5D look, and, in our book, came up with something of a spiritual successor to the Donkey Kong Country series (yes, we know that series is ongoing, but this was made by the many...
Sunday12th Apr 2020
News Yooka-Laylee Is Now Three Years Old
Happy Birthday!
Can you believe it? Playtonic's unlikely duo Yooka-Laylee is now three years old! The original game of the same name was first released on the 11th of April 2017 after a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. And although it never saw the light of day on Nintendo's Wii U, it did eventually show up on the Switch. To celebrate this...
Friday13th Mar 2020
The perfect (Play)tonic
In these trying times we could all do with a some relief - a little pick-me-up to get us through the day. When we're feeling blue, throwing on some classic Rareware tunes from the likes of Donkey Kong Country and Banjo-Kazooie perks us up no end. As luck would have it, both composers behind those winners feature on the...
Thursday30th Jan 2020
Reminder Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Demo Is Now Available On Switch
Try before you buy
Update (Thu 30th Jan, 2020): As promised, a free demo for Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair is available to download on Switch as of today. If you haven't tried this one out yet, what are you waiting for? Original Article (Mon 20th Jan, 2020 14:45 GMT): When we reviewed Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair back in October...
Saturday25th Jan 2020
News Playtonic Releasing A "Little Patch" For Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair On 30th January
"no Beettalion were harmed"
One of the best platformers released last year was Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Although the game launched in a perfectly playable state, the developer Playtonic has since been working on a "little" patch for it that includes multiple bug fixes and general changes. This update has already been released on Steam...
Friday22nd Nov 2019
News Playtonic's Steve Mayles Releases Special Donkey Kong Country Artwork To Mark Its 25th Birthday
As other staffers share mementoes from the period
Donkey Kong Country turned 25 yesterday, an event which is sure to have made many of us feel very old indeed. To celebrate the anniversary, Playtonic's Steve Mayles – who worked on the game during his tenure at Rare – has posted a special piece of artwork showcasing the game's heroes: Mayles...
Saturday9th Nov 2019
"What’s changed? So far as I can tell, not a lot!"
Earlier this week, Playtonic Games announced that veteran character artist Ed Bryan was joining the team behind Yooka-Laylee on a full-time basis. The ex-Rare man has been away from the games industry since leaving Rare eight years ago, but now reenters the fray as Playtonic enjoys the success of...
Thursday10th Oct 2019
Video Digital Foundry Thinks Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Runs Pretty Great On Switch
Find out how the Switch version compares
Earlier this week, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair arrived on the Switch, so how does it hold up compared to other versions? As usual, Digital Foundry has released a technical comparison and we're happy to report it's good news for anyone who has picked up a Nintendo copy. The Switch version runs at a...
Wednesday9th Oct 2019
News Escape 'The Impossible Layer' In Playtonic's New Yooka-Laylee-Inspired Mario Maker 2 Course
Celebrating Impossible Lair's launch
Having released Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair to great reviews just yesterday, we'd like to think the good folks over at Playtonic Games are sitting with their feet up, relaxing after shipping one of them there vidya games. Of course, as with all devs who have just shipped a game, they're probably still...
Tuesday8th Oct 2019
News Playtonic Is Adding Impossible Lair's N64 Tonic To The Original Yooka-Laylee Game
Retro glory
If you pre-ordered Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, you'll get access to a special Yooka 64 Tonic. This formula makes the unlikely duo look like they were created during the Nintendo 64 era. It follows on from an update earlier this year, tha
Monday7th Oct 2019
Video Playtonic On Why Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Is Worth Your Time And Money
Straight from the chameleon's mouth
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair launches tomorrow, and we've already decided that it's well worth your time. However, what would the lovely folks at Playtonic say if they were making one last, desperate plea to get you to part with your cash? Ponder this question no longer, as we've enlisted those very same...
Friday2nd Aug 2019
Feature Yooka-Laylee Devs Make Super Mario Maker 2 Courses
Play four levels from Playtonic Games!
Next up in our Super Nindie Maker 2 series, we're lucky enough to have a bumper offering from Playtonic Games. Following on from the opening gambit courtesy of Shovel Knight designer Mike Herbster, the developers behind Yooka-Laylee and its upcoming 2.5D sequel Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair have cooked
Sunday14th Jul 2019
Feature Yooka-Laylee's Audio Identity Is More Than Just Famous Ex-Rare Composers And Soggy Socks
"There’s quite a lot of pressure on us to start matching Dave and Grant"
When you think Rare and video game music, then chances are two names will spring instantly to mind: David Wise and Grant Kirkhope. These two massively influential composers are behind some of the company's greatest soundtracks and are now in huge demand as freelance...
Friday14th Jun 2019
Feature We Don’t Want To Be Shackled To Our Rare Past, Says Yooka-Laylee Studio Playtonic
"Everything we do from this point on is a brand-new concept for us"
A lot has happened since we last had the good fortune to visit Playtonic Games. The previous time we popped by the studio's offices outside the rural English town of Burton-on-Trent (acclaimed actor Paddy Considine was born and still lives there, fact fans), the team was still in...
Sunday9th Jun 2019
News Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair Isn't A Direct Sequel To The First Game
It's a "fresh take"
A few days ago, Playtonic Games revealed its new title to the world. The 2.5D game is called Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair and is a follow-up to the original 2017 3D platformer. Is it a direct sequel, though? Apparently not. An FAQ on Playtonic's
Saturday24th Nov 2018
News More Than One Million People Have Now Played Yooka-Laylee
A milestone for the unlikely duo
Yooka-Laylee originally began life as a Kickstarter project and went on to become the fastest video game project to reach the one million dollar mark on the crowd-funding platform. This followed with its eventual release on the Nintendo Switch and multiple other systems in 2017 According to a tweet by the official...
Wednesday14th Nov 2018
News Brains Behind Yooka-Laylee Demaster Wanted To Recreate "The Good Old Days"
Bringing back the past
For a while now, Playtonic has been busy working on a free N64-inspired visual update for Yooka-Laylee. In a recent Q and A on Playtonic's website, Technical Director Jens Restermeier - the brains behind the operation - spoke about ideas and challenges encountered along the way: When we decided we were going to implement...
Wednesday17th Oct 2018
News The Next Yooka-Laylee Adventure Will Be A Crowd-Funded Graphic Novel
Kickstarter runs until 16th November
Yooka-Laylee started out life on Kickstarter and went on to become the fastest video game project to hit $1 million on the crowd-funding platform. Following their first outing on the Switch and multiple other systems, the bat and chameleon are now ready for their next adventure. The only catch is it'll take on...
Wednesday5th Sep 2018
News Limited Run Games' Yooka-Laylee Collector's Edition Available To Pre-Order On 7th September
Retro-inspired
If you want to relive the days of the Nintendo 64, Limited Run Games' retro-inspired Yooka-Laylee Collector's Edition might just be for you. Available to pre-order this Friday on 7th September, there'll be a total of 3,000 up for grabs. Each one contains Yooka-Laylee on Switch (the case & game), a retro-style Collector's...
Tuesday28th Aug 2018
Exclusive Here's What King K. Rool's Creator Thinks Of His Appearance In Smash Bros. Ultimate
"I couldn’t have done a better job myself!"
Nintendo stunned everyone when it revealed that Donkey Kong Country villain King K. Rool would be part of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster, but it might come as a surprise to learn that the man who created this iconic baddie was just as shocked as the rest of the world. Former Rare designer Steve...
Saturday21st Jul 2018
News Yooka-Laylee Joins The Battle In Brawlout On Nintendo Switch
A new challenger has appeared!
If you didn’t pay much attention to Brawlout when it was originally released on the Switch eShop at the end of last year, perhaps now you will. Playtonic’s Yooka-Laylee has just been revealed as the latest guest fighter for the game. Based on the trailer below, it looks like the deadly duo will have all of...
Wednesday11th Jul 2018
News Here's Your First Look At Yooka-Laylee's Demastered Nintendo 64 Mode
From the age of 64 bits
Yooka-Laylee has already been out for a while, but that doesn't mean developer Playtonic Games has completely moved on from the chameleon and bat duo - in fact, the British studio is hard at work on the previously teased '64-bit tonic' mode that demasters the whole game so it looks like it's running on Nintendo 64...
Friday20th Apr 2018
News Limited Run Games Is Totally Down For A Physical Edition Of Yooka-Laylee
Come on, we all want this
Limited Run Games is helping bring some of Nintendo Switch's most beloved indie titles into the realm of boxed editions - check out its limited edition versions of Flinthook and Mercenary Kings Reloaded - but what about one of Switch's best platformers? What about Yooka-Laylee
Monday16th Apr 2018
News Looks Like Playtonic Is Ready To Reveal Its Next Game
Plus "extra content" for Yooka-Laylee
UK studio Playtonic has broken its silence to celebrate the first birthday of Yooka-Laylee, as well as hint that it's about to lift the lid on its next project. In a recent blog post, Playtonic said: Yes, hands up, we’ve been a bit quiet for a while. But we promise it’s because we’ve been far too busy...
Tuesday27th Mar 2018
Soapbox With Microsoft Playing Ball, It’s Finally Time For Banjo-Kazooie To Return To Nintendo
And we know just the studio that could pull it off...
Soapbox features enable our individual writers to voice their own opinions on hot topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the site. In today's article, editor Dom tackles a subject very close to his heart - his rabid love for a certain seminal platformer from Rare, and...
