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Yooka-Laylee sequel shows off its transforming level tech

Bat an eyelid.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is the follow-up to Playtonic's platforming debut, and it's looking very lovely indeed.

If you missed its reveal during the busy E3 period, this is the long-awaited sequel to the original Yooka-Laylee - but it comes with a bit of a twist.

Instead of the 3D platforming areas a bit (okay, a lot) like Banjo-Kazooie, this is Playtonic's take on the side-scrolling levels of Donkey Kong Country.

The trailer below showcases how many of those courses can also change form via a method catchily known as "Alternate Level States". It's something I got try back at E3, and see how altering something in Impossible Lair's top-down 3D overworld impacts the levels around it.

For example, opening a floodgate situated next to a level portal will then change that level into a waterlogged version of itself. There's more in the video below:

Cover image for YouTube videoYooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair - Alternate Level States Gameplay Trailer

We're still waiting on a final release date for Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, but it's headed to Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sometime before the end of 2019.