Yooka-Laylee: A beginner’s guide to the game on NVIDIA SHIELD

Now that Yooka-Laylee is available on NVIDIA SHIELD via GeForce NOW, a new generation of gamers can discover the sheer joy of roaming gorgeous environments, leaping along ledges, interacting with strange characters, and in general just having a great time in this spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie. A GeForce NOW membership ($7.99 a month with one month free) enables SHIELD owners to stream a rich library of games with certain premium titles available to purchase and stream separately including Yooka-Laylee.

If you've never played a 3D platformer in the vein of Yooka-Laylee, the whole experience can be a bit intimidating at first. There are a few things to keep in mind that can get you started off on the right foot, so you can skip right past the awkward learning phase and get started on the fun.

Butterfly kisses

You will do battle. You will take damage. But that doesn't have to be the end of you, as long as you nab a butterfly or two. They sometimes appear when you defeat enemies, or you can find them in crates and such. Maybe you'll even come across a few in random locations, just flying about with no apparent care in the world. Whatever the case, make sure that you slurp them up, if your life meter needs a little TLC.
Where there's a quill, there's a way

Your chameleon-and-bat duo starts out relatively underpowered, but you can change that condition by collecting quills. You'll find them all over the place, which is good because they're this world's equivalent to cash. Hand the quills in to Trowzer, the traveling salesman, and you can unlock special moves to gain a better shot at surviving the sometimes harsh world.

Heroes transformed

Chameleons and bats are interesting and surprisingly resourceful, but their default forms can only get you so far. To truly explore the world, it helps to change into something rather different, like... a snow plow? There are alternate forms available in each world, it turns out, and all it takes to bring about a little transformation is some Mollycool. Bring the unique currency to Dr. Puzz, who will use it to fire up her D.N.Ray. The only problem is that Mollycool can be difficult to find. Get used to searching in places no sane individual would ever dare visit.

The idol master

See those translucent platforms? You know they must lead somewhere interesting, but you'll just pass through them if you try to walk across them. Fortunately, there's a way to fix the problem. Look around and you should find an idol statue nearby. Wake it with a sonar blast (you'll have to purchase the upgrade from Trowzer first) and the corresponding platforms will become solid. That's just what your climbing needs require…

Turn the Pagie

It's up to you to choose how you advance through the game, but at some point, you'll need special collectibles known as Pagies. You can find them all over the world, either taunting you from hard-to-reach locations, or waiting as your reward for completing certain objectives for the characters you meet. Grab them whenever you can and expand your world.

Arcade fun-damentals

Have you met Rextro? He's a dinosaur who manages the local arcade machines. Sadly, he's a stickler for the rules, which state that you can't play unless you bring him Play Coins. Look for them—you guessed it—in remote locations. Bring the coins to Rextro and he will allow you to challenge his machines and possibly even earn a Pagie. Best of all, you can access any arcade machines that you've unlocked from the game's Start menu, and even practice playing them with friends.

Now that you know what to look for on your adventure, it's time to dive into the world of Yooka-Laylee. You'll save the day in no time, and doubtless have a great time doing it.

Yooka-Laylee is now available to purchase for unlimited streaming on NVIDIA SHIELD via GeForce NOW for $39.99. If you buy the game on GeForce NOW, you will also automatically receive a code to download the game on PC at no additional cost.