Banjoo & Kazoo who? We are looking at the spiritual successor to this classic franchise. The decisions the developers had to make, and what we can learn from them.
I'm not a great fan of the Impossible Lair either honestly. It seems tightly done, but it's a bit dull, with highly repetitive art assets. If we are talking a recent take on the DKC (not including Retro Studios, as that's too obvious) then I would rather highlight Kaze and the Wild Masks instead.
So this is a fairly clear example of a developer who attempted to give the fans what they wanted, a spiritual successor to banjo kazooie falling flat. Then pivoting to a smaller scope that being Donkey Kong Country with some fresh ideas. This is smart, this is the thing that I encourage most developers do in 2024.
I kickstarted this and upon getting it really didn't enjoy it. Levels felt very empty, game was buggy, that vending machine was full of fun sounding functions that in practice were gimmicky and included only for stretch funding goals. I wouldn't say that it was because the fans didn't know what they wanted. I replayed Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie a year or two after Yooka Laylee came out and had just as much fun as I did years ago. Same with a Hat in Time, Mario Odyssey and other games. Yooka Laylee just wasn't executed very well. Also disappointed they cut out JonTron. Over basically nothing. Shows their priorities were about satiating the wrong crowd.
I'm not a great fan of the Impossible Lair either honestly. It seems tightly done, but it's a bit dull, with highly repetitive art assets. If we are talking a recent take on the DKC (not including Retro Studios, as that's too obvious) then I would rather highlight Kaze and the Wild Masks instead.
So this is a fairly clear example of a developer who attempted to give the fans what they wanted, a spiritual successor to banjo kazooie falling flat. Then pivoting to a smaller scope that being Donkey Kong Country with some fresh ideas. This is smart, this is the thing that I encourage most developers do in 2024.
I kickstarted this and upon getting it really didn't enjoy it. Levels felt very empty, game was buggy, that vending machine was full of fun sounding functions that in practice were gimmicky and included only for stretch funding goals.
I wouldn't say that it was because the fans didn't know what they wanted. I replayed Banjo Kazooie, Banjo Tooie a year or two after Yooka Laylee came out and had just as much fun as I did years ago. Same with a Hat in Time, Mario Odyssey and other games. Yooka Laylee just wasn't executed very well.
Also disappointed they cut out JonTron. Over basically nothing. Shows their priorities were about satiating the wrong crowd.
@@JohnSmith-eu2dt that's some great inside perspective thank you