If Rare won’t make a new 3D platformer, the folks at Playtonic Games are happy to. Players seem eager to help out, as Yooka-Laylee has already blown past its original goal of $270,000.
Right now, Yooka-Laylee’s sitting at $354,000, but it’s likely to be past that when you read this.
Up, up, up...clearly, Yooka-Laylee is going to blow well past its desired number. It won’t be a surprise to see this one settle for one or two million dollars, when it’s all said and done.
Here’s the pitch from some of the former Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country creatives:
In case you don’t have time to watch the video itself:
Yooka-Laylee is an all-new 3D platformer from the creative talent behind the Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country games. We’ve come together to form Playtonic Games and create a spiritual successor to our most cherished work from the past!
Our new heroes, Yooka (the green bloke with no pants) and Laylee (the wisecracking lady-bat with the big nose) were conceptualised from the ground up for stellar platforming gameplay, created by the same character artist behind the rebooted Donkey Kong family and legendary N64 heroes Banjo and Kazooie.
Using an arsenal of special moves like Yooka’s tongue grapple and Laylee’s tactical sonar blast, players will explore – and expand – gorgeous 3D worlds drawn up by esteemed environment artist Steven Hurst (Banjo-Kazooie series, Viva Pinata) and through skill discover the plethora of delicious collectibles hidden within.
The characters look a little boring, but maybe they’ll grow on me. I spent way too many hours with the Banjo-Kazooie games as a kid, and I’d certainly invite a chance to revisit that magic.
You can reach the author of this post at patrick.klepek@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @patrickklepek.