The demo for Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair sounds generous

Get a taste of the endgame gauntlet

Playtonic is making a demo for Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair after all.

The collectible-nabbing 2.5D platforming adventure is getting a demo on all platforms, but the timing will vary from release to release. The Steam demo is up first on January 23, followed by Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on January 30, and then Xbox One at a not-yet-pinned-down later date.

According to Playtonic Games, the Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair demo has no time limit – you can inspect everything – and progress will carry over to the full game. Here’s what to expect:

• An assortment of vibrant and exciting 2D levels.
• A terrain-transforming “Pagie Challenge.”
• A State Change!
• Tonics to sample. Give Yooka a massive head.
• The Impossible Lair itself!

To quickly sum up the Impossible Lair, it’s the endgame challenge. The more bees you collect on your journey, the more health points you’ll accumulate – enough to eventually squeak through the gauntlet.

As for the post-launch timing of this demo, the developers respectfully explained that they’re “a small studio (around 30 developers worked on Impossible Lair)” and “resources were pretty limited.” It’s also worth remembering that “a demo is a good bit of extra work (plus certification and all that).”

If you’re only vaguely aware of this series, the first Yooka-Laylee is a 3D platformer in the vein of Banjo-Kazooie, while Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair plays more like a Donkey Kong Country romp.

This sequel is arguably the better of the two, and that has me excited about game number three.

Playtonic Games [Twitter]