Completing these levels in their standard form is just the start, though. You can flip them to modified versions, in these cases either by water or wind flooding in from the outside world. And the changes create almost entirely new experiences, with direct 1:1 comparisons to the level existing solely for what feels a reason to have the player go “Oh wow, so that’s how this plays now.”And I certainly said that a few times, as the cold metallic halls of Factory Fright became a blue-tinted submerged tunnel, or the tight platforming ascending columns of Urban Uprise became wind tunnels I needed to nimbly fly through. At other points, like in Gasping Glades, the level took on a nearly unrecognizable layout, in that case becoming a vine-riding railway in its flooded level, as the jungle region became caught in a downpour.
But even when direct parallels can be drawn between the two versions of a level, each iteration feels like its own experience, testing my jumping and dodging timing in new and interesting ways. Gasping Glades’ flooded version mirrors bits of Donkey Kong Country’s mine kart levels, tasking me with worrying less about left-to-right movement and more about the painstaking precision of my jumps while grinding on vines. And the first collectible coin in Factory Fright required nimble jump dodging in its standard version. To get the first collectible coin in the flooded level, though, I just needed to easily break through some boxes in a flooded side room.Alternate stages appear to make significant and intriguing changes to levels to essentially create new but thematically similar experiences. And each one I played proved challenging and rewarding in both forms. Part of that reward is in overcoming The Impossible Lair’s difficulty which is, so far, not impossible but definitely tested my longstanding platforming skills. And another large part of it is in the audio and visual design Playtonic has delivered.
As much of a 3D platformer fan as I am, particularly of the Banjo-Kazooie series, Yooka-Laylee’s art style feels tailor-made for 2D. It’s bright color palette makes each portion of a level pop, with a variety of cute and deadly enemy design. And Grant Kirkhope and David Wise’s new score is downright delightful. I played through these levels multiple times in large part just to hear a few of these tracks over and over, particularly the chillest of chill water level themes. Playtonic needs to release a standalone soundtrack, stat.Overall, my time with these levels proved Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair’s level flipping mechanic doesn’t just serve as a cheap gimmick or a thinly veiled set of level reskins. Playtonic has made some genuinely drastic changes to levels that maintain a level of surprise, challenge, and fun even after exploring every nook and cranny of one form. Jonathon Dornbush is IGN's Senior News Editor and a huge fan of Rare's platforming catalogue. Hear him demand a Banjo-Threeie on Twitter @jmdornbush.