Meet Yooka and Laylee, the lead characters in Yooka-Laylee, the new 3D platformer from the creative team behind Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country.
Yooka is the chameleon and Laylee, the bat, and if the dynamic and style seems familiar it’s because they were created by Steve Mayles, the same character artist who designed platforming icons Banjo and Kazooie and the modern Kong family during his time at Rare.
Using their unique abilities, the two characters work together to fight enemies and traverse the world around them. Yooka, being a lizard, uses his tongue like a grappling hook, while Laylee can pick up its partner and fly for a short period of time or unleash a sonar blast. The duo have a variety of moves to draw upon. You can see the characters in action in the news video up above.
Formerly known as Project Ukulele, Yooka-Laylee is the first game from Playtonic Games, a new studio formed by several veterans of acclaimed developer Rare. All footage in the news video above is the product of three month's work. Playtonic is launching a Kickstarter for the project on May 1st, with all backers able to pick up the finished copy for £10/$15. There are also plans include extras like soundtracks, art books, and a special '64-bit' special edition, a callback to the team's N64 pedigree. Full details will be revealed tomorrow.
If funded, Yooka-Laylee will be released on Windows, Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U. The exact timing of each version is contingent upon the success of the Kickstarter campaign and its stretch goals.
For everything on Yooka-Laylee included lots of exclusive footage you can’t find anywhere else, stay right here on IGN.