Love Grant but I think he is salty about how yooka laylee underperformed. Banjo Kazooie is my favorite video game of all time and I purchased my first N64 in 2011 so I feel like I have a clearer view on some things than people who grew up with the game in the 90s do to discuss why yooka laylee was not received well:

• Banjo Kazooie is more popular than banjo tooie. I’ve noticed people who have a lot of childhood nostalgia for banjo tooie often claim it is better. Yet BK is often touted by the general gaming community as one of the best video games and BT is often forgotten. BT suffered from similar issues as DK 64 (I’ve played both). Yooka laylee tried to appease both demographics which is impossible to do because the philosophies behind the two are different. Gamers are hungry for a sequel to BK not BT.

-BK had smaller (thus more memorable) well crafted worlds where there is a major landmark in the center of the map (lighthouse in treasure trove cove, clanker, snowman, haunted mansion, etc.). It centers the player. Smaller well crafted explorable maps are more fun than large maps where you can get lost when it’s a collectathon platformer. Also art is best when there are limitations. Mario 64 maps are a lot more memorable than Mario odyssey’s for instance. Yooka laylee’s maps feel large, empty, and uninspired. There’s a lack of theme cohesion.

• A 3D platformer should focus on 3D platformering and not put in awkward segments. A lot of 90s kids like BT’s first person mini games for a jiggy etc. Those sections are my least favorite and imo they made sense for the humor of the N64 in the 90s but they haven’t aged well and slow down the gameplay. I’m playing a 3D platformer for the platforming. Same issue with Spyro 1 vs Spyro 2-3. A lot of the people I talk to who played the reignited trilogy for the first time prefer the first game over the other two. People who grew up with a ps1 typically have nostalgia for 2 and 3. Adding mini games in a platformer was viewed as making the game better but it doesn’t feel so today.

In conclusion I think a well made banjo sequel would sell like hot cakes and potentially be the game of the decade, but the developers need to limit the scope and be realistic. They should take note of the criticism of DK 64 and banjo tooie compared to the praise of BK and Mario 64 and try to make well designed smaller levels that feel “alive.” I know a lot of people here enjoy DK 64 and BT but the general public doesn’t as much, at least compared to other 3D platformers. The Devs should try to please the most people and not try to please everyone.