Who says Platformers are dead?
Even though it\’s been delayed until Q1 2017, Playtonic Games have taken the time to show some new screenshots and footage from the upcoming Yooka-Laylee. Check it out!
[youtube link=\”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1gxLvbX3Ow\” width=\”590\” height=\”350\”]
It would be an understatement to say this project absolutely blew up on Kickstarter. Playtonic, who requested £175000, ended their campaign with a massive £2,090,104. That\’s over 3 million for you US dollar fans.
If this game hits all your deja-vu buttons, don\’t worry, you\’re not crazy. Yooka-Laylee is very much a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie. Widely considered a pioneer of 3D platformers, Banjo-Kazooie was well received when it was released on the N64 in 1998. You might think this looks like a shameless clone, but hold fast! Playtonic Games is a new studio, comprised of a majority of ex-employees of Rare, the studio behind Banjo-Kazooie. Even if it feels like swapping your bear-bird for a lizard-bat, this project is completely justifiable as their baby, and I couldn\’t imagine anyone else being on the project. It\’s been a long time since great 3D platformers have been in the mainstream, but with games like Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze being one of my favorite Wii U titles, it\’s exciting to see a project like this get the kind of production love it\’s receiving.
![\"Yooka_Glacier-1-1280x720\"](\"http://pixelrater.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Yooka_Glacier-1-1280x720-1024x576.jpg\")
On the topic of Wii U, it may sound crazy for a system that seems to be dead in the water, but Yooka-Laylee is being developed in house by Playtonic for the Wii U and PC. Porting will be done to PS4 and Xbone by Team17 studios. In a recent Interview with mcvuk.com, Playtonic\’s Gavin Price said not only did a majority of Kickerstarter backer\’s opt for the Wii U version of the game, but further iterated, \”I also think it feels right playing it on a Nintendo system…\”
![\"YL_Capital-1280x720\"](\"http://pixelrater.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/YL_Capital-1280x720-1024x576.jpg\")
Wow! It\’s refreshing to hear of that kind of community love and third party praise of the Wii U! I don\’t know about you, but color me excited.
I’m super pumped for this game! Especially with the kind of love Ratchet & Clank received during development and from fans and critics alike. Yooka-Laylee is clearly what everyone wished 3D platformers would have looked like in the N64 era. I can’t wait to dive in!