Finally beat Yooka Laylee

Ugh. I was so excited for Yooka Laylee. Now I'm just glad it's over. End my life now.

It's not that it's a bad game. It's that it's just above mediocrity, and its far below the thresh-hold of expectation for the team that made it. They were a kick-a team back in the 90s. They made so many great games. But this one just fell below their standards.

The level design was so bad. Something I found surprising for the team that used Mario Maker to explain how level design can be used to help a guide a player through with visuals. Capital Cashino was probably one of my favorite levels, but the whole experience felt hollow and empty. The worlds are too big for their own good, and getting around is basically just a time sink. I eventually stopped having fun and just started playing to finish. I was going through the motions, but the gameplay wasn't engaging or enticing. There's too many conflicting elements and bad hit detection that made the overall experience frustrating. Consistency was lacking in this game (from a gameplay standpoint).

At times, it felt like certain things weren't tested properly, like certain movesets or how they behaved. And the controls weren't always super responsive for certain abilities. The last boss fight had different phases. And I would die and learn how to get over those hurdles. That wasn't a problem, and it felt fair and enjoyable. It was a challenge, and I had to learn how to tackle each phase. I got really good at it, too. But the very, very last phase of the fight was soooo incredibly dumb. It just made the whole thing not even worth it. I must've replayed it about 5 or 6 times, making it to the very last phase the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th times. Usually with most of my health. But that last phase was just stupid. I can do it now and it's not a problem. But my gosh. I hated it. Figuring it out wasn't enjoyable, and it was like slamming into a brick wall repeatedly until I finally got what to do and overcame it. (For notes on how to slam into a brick wall and make it feel like an accomplishment, look at the Souls games and Bloodborne).

I've never been so happy to put a game behind me. And it makes me really sad because of how much I was looking forward to it. The charm and foundation was there. I hope they're able to make something better in the future.