Yooka-Laylee release date set, celebrates with new world trailer

Yooka-Laylee is the 'spiritual successor' to Rare's 1998 console hit Banjo-Kazooie which doubled its initial Kickstarter ask just hours after the campaign went live last year. We've since been teased a handful of retro-inspired platforming trailers, however Team 17 and Playtonic Games have now announced a concrete launch date: April 11, 2017.

To mark the occasion, the pair have also dropped a new trailer which showcases new world Capital Cashino—a sprawling casino-like arena filled with roulette machines, one-arm bandits, and a miniature 70s-styled LED dance floor where the security guards appear to be aggressive decks of cards. Obviously.

If pre-orders are your cup of tea, Yooka-Laylee can now be purchased ahead of time via Steam and GOG for £34.99/$39.99/€39.99. Doing so will grant you immediate access to the Yooka-Laylee Toybox which Playtonic say isn't a traditional demo but a "self-contained, spoiler-free sandbox designed to give Yooka-Laylee backers a taste of the platforming to come in the final game."

The developer continues: "There are moves to try, custom-built props to play with, secrets to discover and yes, shiny collectibles to hunt out and we’ve even included a never-before-seen NPC to chatter with, but it’s only a small sample of the finished production—and visually it’s incomparable".

Yooka-Laylee is due April 11, 2017 - keep your eyes on Playtonic's blog for updates in the meantime.