Yooka-Replaylee Brings Back the Collectathon Platformer in October

Developer Playtonic Games and publisher PM Studios have revealed the release date for Yooka-Replaylee. The remake of Yooka-Laylee will be available worldwide on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 on October 9.

The Return of Yooka and Laylee

Back in 2017, Playtonic Games released Yooka-Laylee, a 3D platformer in the collectathon category created by some of the creative minds behind classic Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country games. The original title was created after a very successful Kickstarter campaign in 2015.

Now, Playtonic comes back to the series with Yooka-Replaylee, a remake that aims to enhance the game for modern systems. Besides the graphics uplift for the classic areas, the game also includes remixed challenges, a new orchestral score by Grant Kirkhope and David Wise for the soundtrack, and a new collectible currency.

According to the developers, the new game aims to preserve the qualities of the original release and enhance them with a careful redesign. At the same time, new quality of life features and updates to the gameplay make Replaylee a more modern experience that newcomers and casual players may also appreciate.

The new release date announcement trailer shows the new game in action, presenting some of these revamped elements while also teasing a few surprises. The colorful and expressive animations, exploration, combat and a few costumes can be seen in the video.

A New Chance to Shine with Extra Polish

The gameplay input has also been revamped, allowing players to use any actions in their move set from the start of the game and the transitions from one action to the next are smoother this time around. This update to controls also applies to handling the camera, and the developers claim that these changes should make the experience more modern and address some feedback they've received on Yooka-Laylee.

Another quality of life element in Yooka-Replaylee is a brand-new map and the ability to track collectibles, NPCs and Pagie locations easily. A new character called Mark acts as a warping point, guiding players through areas when exploring. Minigames have also been changed so that now players will use the dinosaur called Rextro in isometric platforming challenges instead.

There are also some refinements to the story, which will now include new sequences and plot points. While the additions affect various points of the journey, the idea seems to revolve around improving how some key milestones are presented to the player compared to the original Yooka-Laylee.

According to the developers, the new game aims to preserve the qualities of the original release and enhance them with a careful redesign.

Yooka-Replaylee will be available on the digital storefronts for PC and consoles at the cost of $29.99 USD. Players who already have Yooka-Laylee will have a discount of 30% when buying the new game on the same platform family. Since the previous game was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Switch, the discount applies to these consoles' successors.

Collectors and players who prefer physical media will also be able to get the game at retailers. The physical edition costs $49.99 USD and it includes exclusive goodies. Pre-orders are available now.