Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair announced by Playtonic Games

The new game has made the change from 3D to 2D.

Playtonic Games have revealed that their new game is a follow-up to their 2017 hit Yooka-Laylee, and it looks just as charming as its predecessor.

The new game, named Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, appears to have taken a radical step in a new direction. Whereas the previous game was a 3D adventure in the same vein as classic Rare titles like Banjo-Kazooie, the main portion of the new game will be in a more traditional 2D style platformer that uses a 3D overworld.

It promises plenty of exploration, puzzles, and challenges to explore in a vibrant world, including music from classic Rare video game composers Grant Kirkhope (Banjo games, Perfect Dark, Kingdoms of Amalur) and David Wise (Battletoads, Donkey Kong Country series).

Wahey! Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is coming to #NintendoSwitch, #PS4, #Xbox One and Steam in 2019!

Traverse through charming and challenging 2D levels, all found within a sprawling 3D overworld filled with secrets and puzzles.

And yes, there are bees. Lots of ’em. pic.twitter.com/HILSVETPK8

— Playtonic (@PlaytonicGames) June 7, 2019

The announcement follows a teasing Tweet yesterday from the company, which confirmed that an announcement would come today.

Whether the game will be at E3 is unclear, and there is no release date as of yet, but going 2D is a curious move, perhaps brought about by some of the criticisms of the first game, where many thought that the classic adventure mechanics didn’t work in a modern game. However, the move to 2D platforming worked well for other franchises though including Rayman with Origins, so we shall see its impact soon enough.

The game is being published by UK publisher Team 17 and is due to be released on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC Steam.