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[Rokal]

I posted a page or two back about how they sent me the wrong key (PS4) via my $100 kickstarter pledge and how the poor game performance soured my first impression of the game. I contacted Playtonic/Backerkit CS to ask about a key exchange this past weekend.

The bad news is that they haven't gotten back to me 4 days later, and that I ended up throwing another $40 at the game for a Steam copy on top of my original $100.

The good news is that the game feels monumentally better on PC. I would normally have been the first in line to denounce people for 60-FPS purity tests, but Yooka Laylee feels like a completely different game on PC. The movement and combat feels more responsive. The camera is smoother and much less obstructive. It feels like a modern version of the Banjo Kazooie formula with crisp visuals, bigger worlds, and improved performance. The PS4 version of the game, on a PS4 pro no less, feels like an unpolished 2017 homage. Movement feels unresponsive. The constant manual camera movement requirement is unpleasant because the movement of it isn't smooth enough. All the collectibles and enemies in the world feel harder to parse visually, and the game ends up feeling too busy.

They really needed to focus on performance more for the console versions of the game. I suspect reviews and impressions here on GAF would be much more positive if the game played as well on console as it does on PC. As it is, if the PS4 version of the game is any indication, the console ports are a complete disservice to Playtonic and people who backed the game.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

So I spent a solid hour trying to collect the Witch Hat in World 2 for the snowman. I drove all the way through the crystal caves, up the slide, and through the freezing ice caves. That was hard as fuck, because whenever I pushed down on the stick (you know, to REVERSE) Yooka would TURN and not just regularly back up. It made jumping on to the platform rage inducing. When I finally collected the hat, I realised I forgot about the god damn door beside Puzz that takes you to the top area.

Feel like an idiot, but that sense of accomplishment (however short) was awesome.

Oh my God, I did the exact same thing, but I realized before I got the hat. I was so pissed at myself.

 

[Yoshi]

I have now collected all pagies and am prepared for the boss fight. Great stuff, I really enjoyed level 5, though 3 remains my favourite. But I also really liked the Rextro game in world 5, it was mildly challenging, had a fun mechanic and good level design, no complaints here. I was looking for my last six Quills for what felt like an eternity though (they were

Spoiler

in the area where you need to press a sequence of buttons for a period of time while being under fire

).

I really don't get the complaints about the difficulty. Yooka-Laylee is not braindead simple, but it certainly is not a cruel game either. Especially the recent conversation of the slide has me puzzled. The obstacles are just there to slow you down, damage plays no role on this slide whatsoever (if you don't start it with no life left) and removing the timer would totally destroy what is otherwise a nice, but ultimately still rather easy challenge. Trying something that lasts only a few seconds thrice does not strike me as unreasonable.

 

[DieNgamers]

I think the Rextro Flappy Bird game in world 5 is much harder than almost anything up to that point. Maybe because I never was good at this type of game, haha.

Overall all challenges in the game were perfectly manageable and fair. Even that slide which you can actually master by just memorizing your moves.

There seems to be a gap in terms of responsiveness between console and PC versions though....Hmmmm. I sometimes think people are playing a different game but maybe they actually are?

 

[Blitzrules240]

Well I got Worlds 1-3 at 100% but I might have got hit with that unfortunate glitch in Capital Cashino. Now at first I thought Kartos didn't award you the Pagie during the track before the

Spoiler

INEPT boss fight.

but he did...

So I have 21/25 Pagies.

I haven't got the Quills, Boss Pagie, Rextro's High Score.

That gives me 24/25 when I get there...

I have 9 tokens.

I missing 1.

And yes, I have the one on the golf flag and under the ramp...

 

[Salty Hippo]

I had at least 3 seconds left on my 2nd run and got hit twice I believe. So you can make like 3 mistakes and still do it, seems pretty fair to me.

Having a very hard time believing that. I got hit once and barely made it, one second left on the clock tops. Yeah I understand the sliding mechanics, I pushed forward all the time except the parts you're supposed to brake. One hit aside it was a very good run, and a lucky one because you need luck to have the obstacles in optimal places. And you got hit twice with 3 seconds to spare? Ok. Unless you can do something nobody else can like jump from the sliding I don't understand how that happened.

 

[jmartoine]

It certainly is interesting seeing how some people struggled with certain pagies and challenges and others breezed past them. Would be fun to see a comparison with BK and BT and the spread there.

 

[Ionic]

I have 9 tokens.

I missing 1.

And yes, I have the one on the golf flag and under the ramp...

I was also missing 1. I found that my missing one was in the tunnel with the roulette wheels you jump on. I just happened to pass it by. Check there again.

 

[Mistle]

100% the casino just now, first level to do so. Actually I didn't get the skull, but I dunno if I have the persistence to find all of those. I've stumbled upon one in the marsh, but that's all. Can anybody provide very vague hints per level where the skulls are? Are they all hidden in places that would be natural to explore if you pay attention to surroundings, or are they just scattered in unthinkable places?

Finding the last 2 coins was a struggle, turns out they were in an obvious place and I just rolled past them at full speed (during the window breaking area). Annoying that the "hunter" tonic doesn't work on those. That said the hunter tonic glitched out on me, I thought it was supposed to notify when down to the last 10 quills in a level, but it stopped when there were only 3 left O_O

Overall it was a fun level, definitely not the travesty impressions had me believe (though I could apply that to the whole game). I even enjoyed Kartos and the boss, cool concept.

Continuing my streak of beating all the Rextro minigame highscores on my first try... >_>

 

[DieNgamers]

Help! I'm missing 5 coins in the casino. Is there an exceptionally well hidden slot machine I may have missed? I've spent at least 2 hours flying around and searching everything.

 

[Ionic]

Can anybody provide very vague hints per level where the skulls are? Are they all hidden in places that would be natural to explore if you pay attention to surroundings, or are they just scattered in unthinkable places?

The skulls seem to be in pretty interesting places. I stumbled on the level 2 skull purely by luck.

Hints:
Level 1:

Spoiler

In or around Rampo's pyramid.

Level 2:

Spoiler

Not in the main outdoor area. Somewhere dark and out of the way.

Level 3:

Spoiler

In a chimney.

Level 4:

Spoiler

Near the beginning of the level.

I haven't managed to find it in the rather massive level 5 yet.

Help! I'm missing 5 coins in the casino. Is there an exceptionally well hidden slot machine I may have missed? I've spent at least 2 hours flying around and searching everything.

Did you get the slot machine in the entrance to the tunnel with the roulette wheels you have to jump on?

 

[Violet_0]

I suspect reviews and impressions here on GAF would be much more positive if the game played as well on console as it does on PC.

perhaps, if it wasn't for the fact that the game crashes regularly to the point where I can't continue until they patch it because I'm kind of sick of grabbing the same collectibles again and again (the autosave system is not helping at all)

but I gotta admit that the game runs quite well on my laptop otherwise, it's just that stupid graphic card problem

 

[Lynd7]

Geez Kartos on world 4 is annoying... Playtonic should do away with variable speed control on their minigames, just makes it more annoying.

 

[bede-x]

I really don't get the complaints about the difficulty. Yooka-Laylee is not braindead simple, but it certainly is not a cruel game either.

I have no doubt that if the Banjo games released today for the first time and people didn't have nostalgia and familarity with the worlds and puzzles, they would make people rage in much the same way. Just having every world asking the player to get 100 notes without dying would make many furious

Difficulty in games have changed a lot over the years and for better or worse Playtonic need to realise that.

 

[Lynd7]

I have no doubt that if the Banjo games released today for the first time and people didn't have nostalgia and familarity with the worlds and puzzles, they would make people rage in much the same way. Just having every world asking the player to get 100 notes without dying would make many furious

Difficulty in games have changed a lot over the years and for better or worse Playtonic need to realise that.

They make all the harder minigames/challenges too close to having to be absolutely perfect, there's not enough leeway, especially because on things like Kartos, it can be annoying just to dodge or shoot things.

Needs more testing on some of this stuff I think.

 

[DieNgamers]

The skulls seem to be in pretty interesting places. I stumbled on the level 2 skull purely by luck.

Hints:
Level 1:

Spoiler

In or around Rampo's pyramid.

Level 2:

Spoiler

Not in the main outdoor area. Somewhere dark and out of the way.

Level 3:

Spoiler

In a chimney.

Level 4:

Spoiler

Near the beginning of the level.

I haven't managed to find it in the rather massive level 5 yet.



Did you get the slot machine in the entrance to the tunnel with the roulette wheels you have to jump on?

Yes ;_; I won't give up but I'm REALLY curious as to what will end up being the solution whenever I finally find them.

 

[nkarafo]

Geez Kartos on world 4 is annoying... Playtonic should do away with variable speed control on their minigames, just makes it more annoying.

Ι can't beat it either. I either die or finish with much less of the gems it asks. It's too long and it asks you to be near perfect i think. After the 10th try i lost my patience. I will wait for a patch to fix this before i try again or i will just not finish the game 100%.

 

[bede-x]

They make all the harder minigames/challenges too close to having to be absolutely perfect, there's not enough leeway, especially because on things like Kartos, it can be annoying just to dodge or shoot things.

Needs more testing on some of this stuff I think.

The fact that many are complaining makes me think you're right. I've seen friends raging over the game and observing a few youtube streamers I got the impression they found the game punishing, as many do in this thread.

 

[Yoshi]

I have no doubt that if the Banjo games released today for the first time and people didn't have nostalgia and familarity with the worlds and puzzles, they would make people rage in much the same way. Just having every world asking the player to get 100 notes without dying would make many furious

Difficulty in games have changed a lot over the years and for better or worse Playtonic need to realise that.

Has it really changed so much? Since Banjo, I have played so many more challenging games than Yooka. Of course, there are some games that go the "simulated challenge" route, like Zelda, where some one-hit kills without consequence make it seem difficult without it being difficult or Uncharted, where "amazing" actions on the screen do not correspond to nothing breathtaking in regards to controller actions. But just this generation alone, DKC Tropical Freeze gold medals, Super Mario 3D World post credits content, Yoshi's New Island extra levels, NSMBU challenges, Pikmin 3 gold medals, were all much much more difficult than anything in Yooka. In fact, I would have preferred the game to be significantly more difficult. I don't think anything took me more than ten tries and if something took this many, it was a short passage (the Flappy bird thing may have taken me 10 tries overall). The claim that you need to do anything in the game perfectly is just wrong. There is leeway everywhere in the game. I just don't get what people want and why. If a game is even easier than Yooka, it gets completely trivial. And yes, getting 100 notes in Rusty Bucket Bay is also more difficult than anything in Yooka.

(Note that this comment does not include the final boss, which is the only thing in the game that I have not yet played)

 

[Lynd7]

Ι can't beat it either. I either die or finish with much less of the gems it asks. It's too long and it asks you to be near perfect i think. After the 10th try i lost my patience. I will wait for a patch to fix this before i try again or i will just not finish the game 100%.

I've done it now, just kept redoing till I got it perfect thru that middle bit.. I'm close to beating the boss now, but am tired and will do it later now.

 

[Maximo]

Geez Kartos on world 4 is annoying... Playtonic should do away with variable speed control on their minigames, just makes it more annoying.

I think I completed one Kartos challenge the rest I avoided.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Did the second Nimble cloud race on ice last night on world 1.....the race itself wasn't terrible, but the ice controls were very unforgiving if you slightly messed up. After many tries I got it, but damn, it was annoying!!!

The worst part for me was the unskippable cutscene everytime I lost, and then all the unskippable txt I had to read to get to try again. In this day and age, after the first viewing of it, we should be able to instantly get by it....or hell at least an option to restart the race if you know you screwed up bad!!!

 

[jmartoine]

I have no doubt that if the Banjo games released today for the first time and people didn't have nostalgia and familarity with the worlds and puzzles, they would make people rage in much the same way. Just having every world asking the player to get 100 notes without dying would make many furious

Difficulty in games have changed a lot over the years and for better or worse Playtonic need to realise that.

Just thinking about a few of the Jiggies that would drive people crazy today.

BK:
Mr. Vile
Boggy's second race
Helping the twinklies reach the Christmas tree
Defeat Sir Slushes
Rusty Bucket Bay engine room
Swimming through the propellers in RBB

BT:
Racing Canary Mary in Glitter Gulch Mine
Saucer of Peril
Dodgems Challenge
The majority of the underwater sections in Jolly Roger's Lagoon
Stomping plains
Majority of Grunty Industries
Hailfire Peaks kickball tournament
Chilli Billy and Chilly Willy
Canary Mary race in Cloud Cockooland

I don't honestly think anything in YL is much harder than anything in BK and BT but games aren't designed like that anymore so the difficulty spikes can be quite apparent

 

[balladofwindfishes]

Mr Vile's minigame is pretty fun, though.

Tooie has a ton of annoying minigames and jiggies, though. A lot of YL's worst pagies remind me a lot of Tooie's worst jiggies. Although, I don't think even YL hits the same lows that Canary Mary hit.

 

[jmartoine]

Indeed. But it can be infuriating in that making just one mistake can cause you to lose it.

 

[Yoshi]

Indeed. But it can be infuriating in that making just one mistake can cause you to lose it.

But making on mistake over the course of maybe a three minutes is quie significant, isn't it?

Canary was definitely the greatest junk in any Banjo game.

 

[jmartoine]

Canary was definitely the greatest junk in any Banjo game.

Ironically I never had problems with either of the Canary Mary races, I just stuck behind her until the final 20 seconds or so then mashed the buttons all the way home.

 

[Stop It]

I'm going to make a better post later down the line as I play more but so far I'm conflicted.

I really want to love the game but it seriously doesn't want to love me at times.

I haven't had "throw my controller and shout obscenities" moments since the errr... Well since counter strike but not for a platformer for a long while.

Like others, yes, the mini games are going to be an arse going forward aren't they?

 

[JayWood2010]

Been playing Yooka Laylee on PC, and really loving it. Maybe I wasn't as blinded by nostalgia as others since I played Banjo just last year(and several other times since 1997), but Yooka Laylee is what I wanted from it. Its practically banjo. I saw people complaining about the voices in the game...and Im just thinking, you realize this is suppose to be a banjo spiritual successor right? Not sure I get the complaints, but each to their own i suppose.

If you like N64 3D platformers such as Banjo, i think you will love it. The only complain i have is the camera. Its fine for the most part, but it can be annoying sometimes too.

Really interested to see what Playtonic does next. I do hope they explore YL2 one day though.

 

[Yoshi]

Ironically I never had problems with either of the Canary Mary races, I just stuck behind her until the final 20 seconds or so then mashed the buttons all the way home.

Well, I said it's junk, not that it is difficult. It just is absolutely not a good choice for a gameplay mechanic.

 

[hydruxo]

I think I completed one Kartos challenge the rest I avoided.

Yeah I'm doing the same. I'm enjoying the platforming and almost everything else, but the Kartos sections are just not fun to me.

This is what Playtonic needs to model their minecart sections from in the future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGRwiHoTcwY

Not littering the track with enemies, barrels, and fire that make you lose gems every time you hit one. It's just a recipe for frustration.

 

[Fantastapotamus]

How the hell do people find all the quills in a level? I have 197 in the ice world and no idea where to look, I think I ran around the level for an hour now and found nothing. I should probably just ignore the quills be but ..it itches.

 

[hydruxo]

How the hell do people find all the quills in a level? I have 197 in the ice world and no idea where to look, I think I ran around the level for an hour now and found nothing. I should probably just ignore the quills be but ..it itches.

Not sure if it'll be the same for you, but I was also missing 3 and they were

Spoiler

underwater across from the underwater entrance of the Icymetric Palace

 

[maxcriden]

I'm trying to find a discounted copy of the game and am being offered one for $30. Is that a pretty reasonable price for this game? XB1 version, that is. Is that a pretty reasonable price for this game or can I do a bit better?

 

[Two Pikachus]

Yeah I'm doing the same. I'm enjoying the platforming and almost everything else, but the Kartos sections are just not fun to me.

This is what Playtonic needs to model their minecart sections from in the future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGRwiHoTcwY

Not littering the track with enemies, barrels, and fire that make you lose gems every time you hit one. It's just a recipe for frustration.

Please no. I hate the way the mine cart controls in DKC. I have the same frustrating experience with this game's carts that many seem to have with YL's carts, which I actually enjoy.

How the hell do people find all the quills in a level? I have 197 in the ice world and no idea where to look, I think I ran around the level for an hour now and found nothing. I should probably just ignore the quills be but ..it itches.

Use the Hunter tonic!

I'm trying to find a discounted copy of the game and am being offered one for $30. Is that a pretty reasonable price for this game? XB1 version, that is. Is that a pretty reasonable price for this game or can I do a bit better?

I'd avoid the console versions if you can. The performance issues make the game feel lesser. That's not a PCMR thing either, that's this game specifically. But $30 is good for this game on PC. I think the $40 asking price is a bit much.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

I'm trying to find a discounted copy of the game and am being offered one for $30. Is that a pretty reasonable price for this game? XB1 version, that is. Is that a pretty reasonable price for this game or can I do a bit better?

I paid full price at $40 (PS4 version) and its well worth it to me, so i'd say $30 is a steal if you like old school platformers and challenge in the BK, and DK64 realm.

 

[SilverArrow20XX]

How the hell do people find all the quills in a level? I have 197 in the ice world and no idea where to look, I think I ran around the level for an hour now and found nothing. I should probably just ignore the quills be but ..it itches.

Equip the Hunter tonic. It makes a whistling sound when you get near rare items. Quills make the sound if there are less than 10 left.

 

[stargateheaven]

So in the toybox demo they had a secret about hitting a rock near the pirate ship.

i cant for the life of me find it.. any ideas?

 

[Camjo-Z]

So in the toybox demo they had a secret about hitting a rock near the pirate ship.

i cant for the life of me find it.. any ideas?

World 5.

 

[stargateheaven]

World 5.

ah.. explains it. well i've wasted 20minutes at the wrong rocks. lol

 

[maxcriden]

I'd avoid the console versions if you can. The performance issues make the game feel lesser. That's not a PCMR thing either, that's this game specifically. But $30 is good for this game on PC. I think the $40 asking price is a bit much.

I paid full price at $40 (PS4 version) and its well worth it to me, so i'd say $30 is a steal if you like old school platformers and challenge in the BK, and DK64 realm.

Thanks guys! I can't avoid the console versions, though - XB1 is my only option to play it at the moment. Does it not run solidly enough post-patch?

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Thanks guys! I can't avoid the console versions, though - XB1 is my only option to play it at the moment. Does it not run solidly enough post-patch?

There are no performance issues....DF (I believe) tested them all post patch and the PS4 version for sure and I believe the Xbone version too run at a rock solid 30fps all the time.

EDIT- Play mine on a PS4 Pro and ive had no framerate issues at all, just the camera stuff mentioned below that is easily figured out after playing it for a short time.

The camera can be a little wonky at times but if you've played platformers for a long time, its nothing you cant handle and get used to rather quickly.

 

[Two Pikachus]

There are no performance issues....

Read this post:

The good news is that the game feels monumentally better on PC. I would normally have been the first in line to denounce people for 60-FPS purity tests, but Yooka Laylee feels like a completely different game on PC. The movement and combat feels more responsive. The camera is smoother and much less obstructive. It feels like a modern version of the Banjo Kazooie formula with crisp visuals, bigger worlds, and improved performance. The PS4 version of the game, on a PS4 pro no less, feels like an unpolished 2017 homage. Movement feels unresponsive. The constant manual camera movement requirement is unpleasant because the movement of it isn't smooth enough. All the collectibles and enemies in the world feel harder to parse visually, and the game ends up feeling too busy.

They really needed to focus on performance more for the console versions of the game. I suspect reviews and impressions here on GAF would be much more positive if the game played as well on console as it does on PC. As it is, if the PS4 version of the game is any indication, the console ports are a complete disservice to Playtonic and people who backed the game.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Read this post:

Great, but your post is 100% the complete opposite of my experience playing it on a PS4 Pro for over a week now. I don't know what to tell you.

 

[Two Pikachus]

Great, but your post is 100% the complete opposite of my experience playing it on a PS4 Pro for over a week now. I don't know what to tell you.

Awesome, good for you. But more information for a consumer is always better than one source. To say 'there are no performance issues' kinda discounts anyone else's experience. I'm glad yours has been perfect but not everyone's has.

Case in point, I think this game is fantastic overall, as do many others in this thread. Most reviews would have you believe it's hot garbage pizza. Different perspectives. It's good to get as much info as possible.

 

[Luigi87]

Still waiting on my KS copy D=
Got a tracking number, and apparently it went from the UK to Switzerland back on April 3rd, and hasn't moved since April 6th.
... I'm in Canada.

 

[Yoshi]

The game is only 30fps on Xbox One, granted, but it is still quite stable except for some periodic hitches in Cashino. Nothing all too detrimental, but still, it is recognisable. 30$ is a good price, persoanlly, I would have gladly payed 70€.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

Awesome, good for you. But more information for a consumer is always better than one source. To say 'there are no performance issues' kinda discounts anyone else's experience. I'm glad yours has been perfect but not everyone's has.

Case in point, I think this game is fantastic overall, as do many others in this thread. Most reviews would have you believe it's hot garbage pizza. Different perspectives. It's good to get as much info as possible.

I never said it was perfect at all....I was talking about performance and framerate which was shown to be 30fps locked. I mentioned the camera issues I and many others have run into, and other little things too that make it far from a perfect experience. There are also plenty of people who think the PC version has issues too and prefer the console version. You seem to have had an experience that not everyone has had with the PC version....so, awesome, good for you.

 

[JayWood2010]

I have a question.

Is there a way I can tell how many quills and pagies I have in a level. The old Banjo games did this when you pressed pause I believe, but i dont see that in YL.

 

[Two Pikachus]

I have a question.

Is there a way I can tell how many quills and pagies I have in a level. The old Banjo games did this when you pressed pause I believe, but i dont see that in YL.

Pause > totals