Review: Yooka-Replaylee (PS5) — the second chance that worked

Some games you don't review: you reunite with them. When the original Yooka-Laylee arrived in 2017, I was one of those who funded the dream on Kickstarter, driven by nostalgia for Banjo-Kazooie, and then swallowed the disappointment of a stubborn camera, gated progression, and worlds too big for their own good. Eight years later, I sat down on PS5 with Yooka-Replaylee not quite knowing what to expect: a lazy remaster or a genuine second chance? The answer surprised me from start to finish.

Playtonic didn't just apply makeup. It rebuilt systems, redesigned challenges, doubled the collectibles, and, most importantly, fixed exactly what pushed players away. I played from the opening to the verdict with the strange, wonderful feeling of being in front of the collectathon 2017 always wanted to be, only this time competent enough to sustain its own ambitions.

What changed compared to 2017's Yooka-Laylee

The most immediate change is philosophical: the moveset is now unlocked practically from the start. In the original, you unlocked abilities little by little, buying them with collectibles over the hours, which left early exploration clumsy and forced constant backtracking. Here, the duo begins with a complete, even expanded repertoire. The spin attack became an almost infinite tool for dealing with enemies, and the "reptile roll" can be chained continuously, turning traversal into something fluid and enjoyable.

The other big shift is structural: the number of Pagies (the collectible pages that unlock and expand the worlds) was more than doubled, surpassing 300. This isn't just number inflation: with it came brand-new challenges, inhabitant quests, time trials, and better-distributed rewards. The game went from "big and empty" to "big and packed."

Gameplay and controls: the fluidity that was missing

Controlling Yooka and Laylee on PS5 is a tactile pleasure. The commands were reworked and respond with a precision the original never had. Tricky jumps, glides, and platforming sequences I used to fail because of the game are now failed because of me, and that distinction is everything in a 3D platformer. Chaining moves lets you cross scenarios with rhythm, something that brings Replaylee closer to the best of the genre.

The Kartos sections, the mine cart that was always a point of friction, gained a more distant camera and more responsive controls, with jumps and cannon shots that finally feel fair. They're not the game's peak, but they stopped being an annoying toll between one Pagie and the next.

World and level design

The structure is organized into five Grand Tomes, the themed worlds, connected by Hivory Tower, the central hub. Each Tome can be expanded, changing its layout and unlocking new areas, which rewards those who return with the full moveset. The high point for me was Galleon Galaxy, the final, space-themed world aboard a cosmic pirate galleon: creative, colorful, and with a verticality that makes great use of the duo's abilities.

The variety of challenges is what gripped me most. Some drink shamelessly from Nintendo's well, with objectives that yield triple Pagies and red-coin trials against the clock, in the best Mario spirit. Others have their own identity, like green-coin races, "ghost writer" hunts, and small quests from each Tome's residents. It's this mix that keeps the map from ever feeling like a repetitive to-do list.

Replaylee didn't ask me to tolerate its flaws in the name of nostalgia. It fixed them and let me enjoy the nostalgia in peace.

Graphics and performance on PS5

Visually, the leap is obvious. Running at a solid 4K and 60 fps on PS5, the environments gained lighting, textures, and redone animations that make the worlds shine, and now the camera cooperates instead of sabotaging. In fact, this is where perhaps the best silent change lives: the camera, once a declared enemy, became practically invisible, in the best possible sense. It simply works, and you forget it exists. For anyone who suffered in 2017, that sounds like redemption.

Soundtrack: Kirkhope and Wise at their best

The soundtrack was already good; now it's memorable. Grant Kirkhope and David Wise, names legendary for Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country, sign a fully orchestrated, re-recorded score, with arrangements that give weight and charm to each Grand Tome. It's the kind of music that stays in your head hours after turning off the console, and that reinforces the game's spiritual kinship with the classics that inspired it. Hearing Galleon Galaxy carried by these arrangements was one of my favorite moments.

Content, length, and price

With more than 300 Pagies, secondary collectibles, and optional challenges, anyone chasing 100% will find dozens of hours of play. A more story-focused run still delivers a generous campaign, and free exploration invites you back. The price helps close the deal: launched at around $30, with a discount for those who already owned the 2017 original, it's an honest package for how much new content it offers. Few remasters deliver so much rework for so little.

Comparison with Banjo-Kazooie

It's impossible to talk about Yooka-Replaylee without mentioning Banjo-Kazooie, its declared inspiration, since much of Playtonic comes from the old Rare. Where the 2017 original had the right soul but crooked feet, Replaylee finally walks steadily: the charismatic duo, the goofy humor, the themed worlds, and the compulsive collecting now come with the control fluidity and polish that made Banjo work. It doesn't surpass the master, but for the first time the comparison doesn't sound like a joke, it sounds like legitimate homage.