Developer: Playtonic Games
Publisher: Team 17
Genre: 2D Platformer, Puzzle, Collectathon
Gameplay Stats: 25 hours, 47/47 achievements
The Yooka Laylee team is back with another modern re-imagining of a classic. This time it's Donkey Kong Country! Not to be confused with Donkey Kong Country Returns or Tropical Freeze (coming soonish!), this one uses their cast of characters from Yooka Laylee but it is definitely not required to play the first game first.
Visuals: This game looks really nice! As it should, having released in 2019. There aren't too many ugly games out there anymore. The levels look great and so does the over world. The characters and enemies look great too, it all looks like it belongs in the same universe! It's nice to have a thematically consistent game. My only complaint on the visual front is that some of the hitboxes seemed a little bit weird to me. Several times I landed on a platform and stopped moving, but then kind of rolled off. My first thought was that when I released the control stick it flipped a small amount back the opposite direction, but the character model didn't seem to budge. I was facing the direction indicated by my jump. It only happened a couple times, but it was definitely confusing.
Audio: The music in this game is GREAT. I really, really enjoyed it. It's the only game lately where I am legitimately tempted to buy the soundtrack. The music was made by Grant Kirkhope and David Wise, the original composers for Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country. Are there two better people that could've handled the soundtrack? I don't think so. The sound effects are solid, there's really nothing to complain about in this domain. It's a strength.
Plot: Capital B, the big-bad from the first game, is back and this time he has taken a wand that gives him power over other bees, called the Hivemind. You have to free the bees and then take your fight to Capital B himself in the titular Impossible Lair! It's silly and serviceable, rife with puns, and pretty enjoyable to be honest. What I think is cool is that the more bees you save in the games levels, the more hits you can take in the Impossible Lair. The Lair is available the entire game and you can definitely beat it at any time. Well, you can. I'm not that interested in grinding out the game to be that skilled.
Gameplay: This is another strength! The levels play as a very nice update to the formula set forth by Donkey Kong Country in the 1990's. The jump arc and physics feel really solid and consistent. I didn't see too much use for the tonics, or alterations, you can make to the game. I liked the one that pulled items towards you, but the rest were kind of lame. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the levels and the over world. I think the only issue I have with the game, and it's a small one, is the difficulty spike when you attempt the Impossible Lair. The game goes from short levels with relatively abundant check points to a very long (probably 15 minutes) long level with no checkpoints. Also, the tonics you were used to using in the levels are no longer able to be used which seems weird. The tonics were introduced as only working in books (not the over world) and the Impossible Lair is in a book, so why can't I use them? The final level also includes bossfights, which was a very different thing than the rest of the game. I get that they wanted to make a satisfying conclusion, but the final level is so different than the ones that cam before in so many ways. It seems a little disjointed looking back on the experience. I understand that it's "The Impossible Lair", but it seems like it was developed in isolation. I could go on, but I don't see the point. Suffice it to say it felt weird. I'm glad I overcame it, but if I replay the game I don't think I will do it again.
Overall I really liked the game! It's kind of a shame that the final bit was arguably the worst, because it's liable to leave a bad taste in player's mouths. Plus the bad bit is the titular bit. I think the levels were 10/10, but the Impossible Lair was maybe closer to a 7/10 which leaves me in an odd spot with rating the game as a whole. I don't think I will, but suffice it to say that I enjoyed my experience.
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