Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 68 | 6 |
| Creator reviews (5 tracked) | – | 63 | 2 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 75% | 70 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 63 | 23 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 84% | 77 | 2 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 6 reviews sampled · 3 total reviews in window · weighted 2.8 up / 0.5 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (57)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 20
“Yooka-Laylee is a game out of time, clinging so desperately to past glories it doesn't seem to understand the Earth kept spinning after the N64 was discontinued. It's everything wrong about the formative years of 3D platforming and it somehow retained none of what made the genre's highlights endure. Yooka-Laylee is, in a word, rubbish.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The game isn’t interested in coasting on nostalgia, but in establishing brand-new memories for the next generation.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“Yooka-Laylee doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. It's an extremely classic 3D platformer yanked out from the Nintendo 64 glory days and as such it doesn't quite fit into today's standards. But it's not a bad game - despite an old soul, Yooka-Laylee can provide lots and lots of fun.”
read full review ↗ - 86
“Like turning on your Nintendo 64 or your first PlayStation, time freezes and you're stuck in front of your screen for several hours of gameplay mechanics and charisma that are pure joy and in color. Yooka-Laylee is great in almost every respect, in a trip of typical worlds, backtracking with lots of jumps, trials and minigames. It's lengthy, and takes good advantage of Unity engine. Playtonic has been successful: this game evokes the best of Rare.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“It's colourful, there are collectibles, and it's got a rotten camera: Yooka-Laylee is a 90s platformer to a tee. Unfortunately, rather than a rose-tinted look at the titles of yore, this game falls into all of the same pitfalls as its predecessors: it's rough around the edges, often annoying, and at times even a chore. And yet for all of its flaws it's still packing the most important ingredient of all: the compulsion to collect everything is strong here, and it'll remain even when you're grinding your teeth. ”
read full review ↗ - 50
“When the original is so readily available, and still so thoroughly playable, Playtonic's recreation of the recipe can't help but fall flat.”
read full review ↗ - 50
“A heartfelt homage to Banjo-Kazooie, lacking the grace, technical mastery and playability that made the original a classic.”
read full review ↗ - 60
- 70
“Of all the potential hurdles to snag on in creating a 3D platformers in the style of the late nineties classics, Playtonic deftly avoids the most egregious ones by far. At its very core, Yooka-Laylee succeeds in reviving a format long forgotten and does so with such vigor and passion. However, players shouldn’t expect it to reinvent the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 87
“Yooka-Laylee at times feels more like a remake of Banjo-Kazooie than a completely new game, that's how much they are alike. But in this case it is only meant in a positive way. The world needs more games likes this, you know.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It perfectly fulfils its brief of being a new Banjo-Kazooie game in all but name, but Yooka-Laylee’s reliance on nostalgia may struggle to find new fans.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Misplaced hype? Nostalgia done poorly? A shinier clone of Banjo-Kazooie? Yooka-Laylee is a prime example of all of these things, serving up fifteen passable hours of entertainment yet not managing to surprise at any point along the way. But while those looking to revisit their youth will likely find the game enjoyable enough, Yooka-Laylee is also a testament to why the book should stay closed on the lessons gaming has already learned.”
read full review ↗
The Jimquisition
Slant Magazine
GRYOnline.pl
Push Square
Eurogamer
Easy Allies
TheSixthAxis
Power Unlimited
Metro GameCentral…and 45 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Our Latest Update!!!Jun 2, 2026
- Kickstarter Backer Credits | Name Change UpdateSep 27, 2024
- Yooka-Laylee - Bug Fix Update!May 19, 2020
- Camera & Voice Patch - NOW LIVE!Jun 27, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Camera & Voice Patch - NOW LIVE!Jun 27, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Big Patch Details & Community Highlights!Jun 7, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Big Patch Details & Community Highlights!Jun 7, 2017significant · resets scoring window
- Post Release - Spit 'N' PolishMay 2, 2017significant · resets scoring window