Dear Reader:
Yooka-Laylee dev blog - status update, new art/animations, no new gameplay footage for awhile
After just a few months the game’s various environments are taking shape and the very first world is fleshed out and running. This is one of the most challenging constructions of the project, since as well as the environment and challenges, we’ve also had to magic up the moves, animations and basic game mechanics required to make it all work.
But if you could glimpse our screens today (you can’t – we’ve blacked the windows) you’d witness our green and purple protagonists running, swimming and soaring their way through a beautiful platforming playground. We’ve also transferred a handful of characters from paper to polygon, including Mark Stevenson’s Ghost Writer you can see – as a special treat – animated on this very page.
One new character you may have spied in a recent issue of Edge is the slender lass below. Crayoned by our own Kev Bayliss, this yet-to-be-named NPC will require Yooka and Laylee’s assistance on the very first world of the game. Obviously she’s forgot to turn the iron off or something and they’ll need to go and get the spare keys off her landlord.
Top off our current dev progress with a roster of new tunes from Grant and Dave, and the embers of what will eventually become the final game are certainly dancing in the midnight air. We’ve got a long way to go before those youthful sparks become mighty flames worthy of your consumption (use gloves), but rest assured we’ll keep you regularly updated with new artwork and in-game glimpses until they are.
@SivertFMadsen asks: When will we see some more gameplay?
Probably not for a little while, son. Though we promise we’ll do our best to keep you up to date with posts like this, we want to make sure Yooka-Laylee is looking extra spiffing before we next plaster it all over the internet in video form.
Though the Kickstarter meant we showed off gameplay earlier than we otherwise would have, we’re still early in development and our various designs remain in flux. We’ll show the full game to you when it’s at a good standard to satisfy your expectations. Because disappointment is not in our business plan.
Also, y’ know, we’re still a full calendar year away from release, so unless you want to see every framerate-destroying Steven Hurst tree spoiled ahead of playing the game yourself, we’re better off keeping schtum for a bit, right?