Best Platforming Games of 2019
Second Runner-Up: Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair
Editor-in-Chief Ed McGlone: I’m going to have to be the one to stick up for Yooka-Laylee and The Impossible Lair here on staff for Twinfinite. While a few staffers played and enjoyed the game, I found myself in love with it and I think it should be considered one of the more underrated games of 2019.
The effort on the end of Playtonic of creating a rich, expansive, and creative 2D/3D world is fantastic.
The overworld of Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is probably the best platformer overworld since Super Mario World, and it might be one of the most/fun interesting to explore of all-time.
There are secret exits from levels that will take you to hidden areas on the map, new levels themed around alternate stats that you can unlock by solving puzzles on the map, and plenty of nooks and crannies to explore that will reward you with neat Tonics to change up your gameplay.
The levels themselves are among the most creative I’ve played in years, and stands up with the best of this generation. The design and themes in each level are wonderful. There’s varied environments, lots of secrets paths to explore and the level states offer significant twists that make the same area feel completely new and fresh.
I was really looking forward to a refined sequel to the original Yooka-Laylee game, but now I’m not so sure. Perhaps Playtonic should stick to 2D platforming until they get the green light to take on Banjo-Kazooie again? Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is that good.
