Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is getting a free demo on Steam, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. The demo comes several months after the game's initial release date of October 8th, 2019, but it's a welcome offering for those who've not given the side-scroller a proper shot.
Back in 2017, the original Yooka-Laylee was funded on Kickstarter. Playtonic, the studio behind the effort, was made up partially of former Rare developers with experience on games like Banjo-Kazooie, a title they only recently denied having anything to do with in the modern age. During Yooka-Laylee's run on Kickstarter, it set records as the fastest game to earn $1 million in backing bucks. When the game finally dropped, it was met with a mixed critical reception. Despite the average launch, it performed well enough for Playtonic to go back to the well. They dropped the sidescrolling spin-off, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, roughly two years later. The good news? It reviewed favorably, and most regarded it as even better than the 3D platforming adventure that came in 2017.
Now, developer Playtonic took to Twitter to announce an impending demo for Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair on all platforms. The demo is, of course, free, and it will roll out to each platform on different dates. First, Steam will see the demo on January 23rd, 2020. The PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch will have access on January 30th. As for the Xbox One? Playtonic hit the platform with a TBA, so owners of that system will need to hold on for more information regarding the demo.
Playtonic went on to detail the contents of the demo, too, sharing that players would have access to what seems like a wealth of content. The studio indicated that the demo would include a few 2D levels, one of the "terrain-transforming" Pagie Challenges, a State Change, Tonics (basically power-ups) to try, and access to the titular Impossible Lair. Finally, all content cleared in the demo can be fully transferred over to the complete game, should players decide to make the purchase.
While they used to be rather standard in the gaming days of yore, demos have become a rarity in the modern era. Given today's news of Yooka-Laylee and word about a demo for Biomass only days ago, maybe demos are coming back. Once offered up, fans should absolutely take a crack at them.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Source: Playtonic Games/Twitter