PS5

Published on October 11th, 2025 | by Nay Clark

Yooka-Re-Playlee Review (PS5)

Yooka and Laylee are back…again!? Yooka-Re-Playlee is an action-platforming adventure developed by Playtonic Games, published by PM Studios, Inc. and Playtonic Friends, and released on October 9th of 2025. Originally debuting in 2017, Yooka-Laylee was a nostalgic callback to the Banjo-Kazooie era of ambitious and charming gaming, but it was undeniably rough around the edges. After refining their formula with Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, Playtonic has returned to where it all began, giving the original adventure a full-blown reimagining. While you may consider Yooka-Re-Playlee as a remaster, it’s also a complete overhaul to the original’s design and a rebuild that aims to realize the potential fans always knew was there. Now the question is, does this rewritten chapter finally turn the page on the past?

The story once again follows the lovable chameleon-and-bat duo as they recount their greatest escapade. After a day of treasure hunting, Yooka and Laylee crash their pirate ship near the imposing Hivory Towers, home to the greedy corporate overlord Capital B and his bumbling assistant Dr. Quack. Using a diabolical invention, Capital B steals their magical book, One Book, which can grant any wish. But One Book, in a clever act of rebellion, scatters its pages across the world before being captured. To stop Capital B’s plans and reclaim their book, Yooka and Laylee set out on a sprawling journey through vibrant lands brimming with collectibles, puzzles, and plenty of sass.

While the main plot beats remain familiar, Yooka-Re-Playlee improves the storytelling flow through snappier pacing, more frequent cutscenes, and a better-defined cast. One Book now has a speaking role and both villains are more active throughout, giving the adventure a stronger sense of purpose. The tone remains light and kid-friendly, punctuated by slapstick humor, including a well-timed fart joke early on that sets the game’s goofy spirit. Yet, under the silliness lies a gentle environmental theme and a message about teamwork and persistence. The added context and polish make this retelling feel both fresher and more engaging, even if some of the original’s quirky charm gets softened in the process.

Gameplay in Yooka-Re-Playlee is energetic, fun, and easy to grasp, creating a loop that’s both satisfying for newcomers and engaging for longtime fans. Players run, jump, and roll around expansive 3D worlds, chaining together moves for momentum and using Yooka’s tail attacks to beat up enemies. Along the way, you can pick up a variety of items that give temporary powers, from breathing fire to becoming heavier for environmental puzzles, adding a layer of playful strategy. Yooka can also turn invisible and Laylee has a cool sonar blast power that makes invisible objects and enemies tangible. Quests from colorful characters, hidden secrets, and mischievous bosses keep every area feeling lively, while collecting magical Pagies remains the driving goal, unlocking new levels and gradually leading you up the tower to confront the nefarious Capitol B. This remake has overhauled and expanded nearly every aspect of the gameplay loop: many puzzles and areas are brand-new, while old ones have been redesigned to feel tighter, fairer, and more intuitive. The scrappy, sometimes punishing design of the original where spikes in difficulty could frustrate players, has been largely smoothed out, and levels now feel more cohesive and rewarding. With far more collectibles, improved pacing, and refined mechanics, the game’s core loop of exploring, collecting, battling, and progressing never feels stale, making each world a joy to traverse.

From the moment you take control, it’s clear that Playtonic rebuilt the game from the ground up. The controls are tighter, smoother, and far more responsive, giving the duo a kinetic energy that the first version lacked. Every move, from Yooka’s roll to Laylee’s sonar blast, feels snappy and satisfying. In a surprising, but smart move, all of their platforming abilities are now unlocked from the start, allowing players to experiment freely and chain moves together for fluid traversal. The old double jump is gone, but the single jump’s improved height and precision more than make up for it. A new stamina system ensures you can use your abilities often without feeling restricted.

Gone are the days of “expanding” levels mid-game. Each world is now fully accessible from the start, removing confusion and backtracking while enhancing the flow of progression. Instead of re-entering areas to unlock new sections, you simply collect enough Pagies to open up new worlds via gates reminiscent of Banjo-Kazooie’s note doors. This modern structure keeps the adventure moving without sacrificing the joy of exploration. Worlds feel alive, colorful, and packed with secrets; there’s always something rewarding around the corner.

Collecting is still at the heart of the experience, but it’s handled with far more finesse. Pagies remain the key objective, but now you’ll also find Q.U.I.D.S., a new currency dropped by Capital B’s careless minions. These can be used to buy hints from Mark the Bookmark, or cosmetics and Tonics from the returning vending machine, Vendi. Tonics offer creative perks like adding hearts or quirky visual filters and now you can equip multiple at once, allowing players to tailor their playstyle. There’s also Tonics that make the game harder, like adding fall damage, making gameplay more expressive. Other collectibles include piggy banks to chase, ghost writers to find, hidden pirate treasures, and color-coded coin challenges that test reflexes and timing. The sheer variety keeps things fresh and gives younger players constant incentives to explore.

A standout addition is the revamped Adventurer’s Notebook, which tracks progress across all collectibles, challenges, and mini-games. It’s intuitive and incredibly useful, eliminating the frustration of getting lost or missing objectives. Similarly, the new Bookmark fast-travel system allows you to warp between key points in a world which is a small but appreciated touch for younger players or completionists. That said, fast travel is limited to within the same area, meaning you’ll still need to manually traverse between world gates in Hivory Towers. It’s a minor inconvenience in an otherwise streamlined experience.

Another highlight is Rextro’s Arcade, which has been completely overhauled. Instead of throwaway mini-games, Rextro now stars in his own playable isometric platformer, adding a fun “game within a game” twist that feels substantial. These sections reward exploration and lend a nostalgic charm, offering a welcome change of pace between collecting sprees. Rextro has an arcade machine set up in every level, but you can visit his actual arcade in Hivory Towers where you can replay any of the games you’ve unlocked at any time.

Visually, Yooka-Re-Playlee looks stunning on PS5. Environments are lush and bursting with detail. Grass shimmers, fur textures look plush, and lighting gives each world a storybook glow. Character models have been subtly redesigned for stronger personality, and everything feels more cohesive tonally. The presentation leans a bit more toward a kid-friendly cartoon aesthetic, but it’s a perfect fit for its intended audience. While there were occasional slowdowns during more visually cluttered moments, the game ran smoothly overall.

The orchestral soundtrack deserves special mention. With contributions from legendary composers Grant Kirkhope, David Wise, and Steve Burke, alongside newcomers Dan Murdoch and Matt Griffin, the score bursts with whimsical energy. It’s both nostalgic and newly dynamic, with bombastic brass sections, playful strings, and memorable melodies that stick in your head long after you stop playing. Sound effects are just as delightful. Every thwack, chirp, and quip adds personality, and the gibberish-style “voice acting” channels pure Banjo-Kazooie spirit.

Of course, not everything is perfect. Swimming still feels clunky, lacking the grace of the land movement, and it’s one of the few areas that didn’t receive much improvement. Swimming still feels a little too stiff for comfort. For a game about fluid motion, it’s ironic that being in the water feels the least fluid. A proper boost button (rather than relying on the awkward attack input) would’ve made swimming feel much smoother. The hub world’s limited fast-travel can make moving between areas a bit more tedious than it should be, though it’s less a complaint and more a missed opportunity to make an already great feature even better, especially since it wasn’t in the original. While the simplified level expansion system improves pacing, it does slightly reduce the sense of discovery that made the original concept unique and purposeful within the story. Still, these are small nitpicks in an otherwise remarkable reimagining.

Final Thoughts?

Yooka-Re-Playlee is everything the 2017 version wanted to be and more. It’s smoother, funnier, more focused, and bursting with personality. For kids and parents alike, it’s an ideal family game. It’s approachable, colorful, and loaded with secrets to uncover together. Longtime fans of Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country will appreciate how much Playtonic has learned from its past, while newcomers will find a cheerful, imaginative adventure that celebrates the joy of classic platforming in a modern package. With its generous content, refined gameplay, and heartwarming humor, Yooka-Re-Playlee doesn’t just replay history…it rewrites it. This is the definitive version of Yooka and Laylee’s debut and a perfect holiday pick-up for families and fans of feel-good adventure alike.

About the Author

Nay Clark Gaming holds a special place in my heart and I never stop talking about video games. I really love all types of games and have an interest in games that have complicated stories and lore because I enjoy untangling the mystery of it all. When I'm not gaming, I unsuccessfully try to control three amazing and incredibly bright kids.

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