Latest Reviews of Playtonic Friends Games
Review Elsie (Switch) - A Stunningly Presented Mega Man X-Esque Roguelite
X-cellent
The roguelike genre has always been a bit of a tough nut to crack for many gamers. It’s not hard to understand why: procedurally generated environments and enemies generally don’t appeal quite as much as something that’s been carefully crafted with purpose. As such, if a roguelike is going to succeed, you best hope that the actual...
Review CorpoNation: The Sorting Process (Switch) - A Corporate Conspiracy Worth Getting Embroiled In
Work hard and carry on
‘Cost of living multiplier’ is not a setting you expect to see in an options screen, but this is one of the numerous difficulty tweaks in CorpoNation. Canteen Games' dystopian employment simulator deftly balances mundane repetition and creeping dread. It looks and feels like a shadowy corporate follow-up to Lucas Pope’s...
Review Lil Gator Game (Switch) - An Incredibly Charming Adventure With A Deep Message
Chomping at the bit for a good time
There is something to be said for trying to recapture one’s childhood. Nostalgia is (and always has been) a popular tool employed by game designers, and it is something that many modern games use to try and recapture childhood wonder. And yet, for the first time in recent memory, a new release has tried a...
Mini Review BPM: Bullets Per Minute (Switch) - A Ripping Roguelike FPS, Metal But Muddy
Rip and Shred until it is done
If there ever was a genre that was perfect for Switch, it has to be roguelikes. The pick-up-and-play nature of them is perfect for getting a game in on your commute or on your work break. Another ironically great genre for a Nintendo platform is the First Person Shooter, thanks to the inclusion of gyro-aim. Mash these...
Late bloomer
In the first year of the Switch’s life, it was relatively common to see massive indie success stories from developers who managed to get their game on the eShop before the veritable torrent of new game releases — many of them excellent — flooded the store on a weekly basis. One of these titles was Blossom Tales, a cute action game...
Mini Review Demon Turf: Neon Splash (Switch) - A Brilliant Platforming Spin-Off Full Of Colour
Devilishly good platforming
When Demon Turf launched at the tail end of 2021, it left a positive impression on us thanks to its solid platforming gameplay, retro aesthetic, and focus on speedrunning. The game fell short of true greatness due to its less-than-stellar combat mechanics, which frankly brought the whole experience down a few pegs. In a...
Review Demon Turf (Switch) - A Tight, Stylish 3D Platformer With Plenty Of 'Tude
Off the hook
If there’s one thing gamers constantly crave, it’s a decent 3D platformer. Though the genre has seen its fair share of all-time classics, it’s safe to say its popularity waned as shooters and action-RPGs ascended through the 2000s. Indeed, unless a 3D platformer comes bearing the name ‘Mario’, ‘Crash’, or ‘Spyro’,...
Mini Review A Little Golf Journey (Switch) - A Relaxing If Repetitive Round
Just over par
Golf games tend to come in a variety of flavours. You’ve got the realistic sim games such as PGA Tour 2K21, the more arcade focused romps like Mario Golf: Super Rush, and abstract, minimal titles like Golf Club: Wasteland.
Latest Playtonic Friends Articles
News Yooka-Replaylee Art Team Highlight Laylee's New Fluffiness In Remaster
"She is a fan favourite already"
Yooka-Replaylee was a bit of a welcome surprise when it was announced back in June. It looks utterly gorgeous and promises plenty of tweaks, changes, and accessibility features when it eventually launches. But one thing that many fans spotted was Laylee, Yooka's purple bat companion, and her new, incredibly fluffy...
News Throwback Racer 'Victory Heat Rally' Stalls On Switch, Now Launching After PC & Mobile
A simultaneous launch was the initial plan
Playtonic Friends and SkyDevilPalm's retro-style racer Victory Heat Rally was originally set to launch simultaneously on PC, Switch and mobile this winter, but, in a new statement from the publisher, it looks like that is no longer the case. While the game will be coming to PC and mobile (via Crunchyroll...
News Neo-Retro Roguelike 'Elsie' Gets September Release Date
Electrifying
Playtonic Friends has finally given us a release date for the gorgeous-looking retro-inspired roguelike Elsie, which will land on the Switch eShop on 10th September 2024. Announced back in June 2022, Elsie combines lovely pixel art and neon colours to create a "hyperkinetic" action platformer inspired by the classics. You'll be...
News Retro-Style Racer 'Victory Heat Rally' Power Slides Onto Switch Winter 2024
Published by Playtonic Friends
Victory Heat Rally has been a long time coming but the indie title published by Playtonic Friends has finally locked in a Switch eShop release date. It will be speeding onto Nintendo's hybrid system at some point in "winter 2024". The exact date will apparently be shared "very soon". As previously mentioned, this game...
News 'Yooka-Replaylee' Brings Back Playtonic's Love Letter To Banjo In Remastered Form
"Meet the definitive remastered and enhanced version"
Revealed as part of today's Guerrilla Collective presentation, Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee is returning for an encore on "PC and consoles" with Yooka-Replaylee, a glow-up for the 2017 indie original that brought back the Banjo spirit to the 3D platforming genre. As you can see from the reveal...
Video The Completionist Talks To Us About His Upcoming Roguelike Game, Elsie
Plus, we interview the lead developers
We have known about Playtonic Friends' runnin' and gunnin' roguelike, Elsie, for a little while now (since around June 2022, if we're being specific), but did you know that the game is being worked on Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil? Yes, the YouTuber who just last month bought every 3DS and Wii U eShop game...
News Neon And Gnarly Roguelike 'Elsie' Gets New 'Bosses And Biomes' Trailer
Ready to run-and-gun?
Publisher Playtonic Friends has today revealed a new trailer for its upcoming neon-drenched roguelike, Elsie, and it is looking set to be a pretty one — 'pretty' in its visuals, and 'pretty challenging' in its gameplay. Developed by Knight Shift Games, Elsie will see you taking on the role of the titular character in an...
News Nintendo Goodies Up For Grabs In Playtonic's Charity Auction For SpecialEffect
Update: Auction is live, including Banjo and DKC items
Update [Mon 3rd Oct, 2022 17:45 BST]: The auction items went up over the weekend. Up for grabs are various art prints featuring Playtonic Friends games and the developer's own Yooka-Laylee, plus retro-flavoured offerings from the creators of Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and others. There...
News BPM: Bullets Per Minute Sets Its Sights On Switch This September, Pre-Order Now
A "rhythm-action FPS rogue-like"
Awe Interactive has announced it will be celebrating its 2nd year anniversary of the rhythm-action FPS rogue-like BPM: Bullets Per Minute with a Nintendo Switch release. Fans of Nintendo's hybrid system can get ready to "rock 'n' rogue' on 8th September for £19.99/€21.99/$24.99. Playtonic Friends are publishing...
News Playtonic Friends Is Bringing Neo-Retro Roguelike 'Elsie' To Switch Next Year
Runnin' 'n' gunnin'
Playtonic Friends, the publishing arm of Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games, has announced that it's bringing Knight Shift Games and The Completionist's Elsie to Switch in 2023. Described as a neo-retro roguelike, Elsie combines run-and-gun gameplay with bullet hell elements and "neon-drenched pixel art", as you can see from...
News Here Are The Tracks You'll Be Racing Around In 'Victory Heat Rally'
Baytona, let's go away
Developer SkyDevilPalm is still hard at work on the retro-themed racer Victory Heat Rally, but it has found the time to publish another trailer which focuses on the circuits you'll be tackling in the game. These include Baytona Beach, Lavendel Forest, Cayenne Canyon, Waku Land, Bikini Cove, Mount Touge and Baytona Speedway...
News Blossom Tales Sequel Reveals August Release Date In New Trailer
Physical release also confirmed
The follow up to the 2017 indie hit Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King has finally confirmed a release date. Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince will be launching on the Switch and Steam on 16th August this year. If you played the original game, you should already be familar with the "story within a story" concept...
News Demon Turf: Neon Splash Shadow-Drops On Switch eShop
2D and not 2D
If you're a fan of 3D platformers, you probably remember Demon Turf from last year, a tight, neat-looking little gem from Fabraz (Slime-san) and Playtonic Friends that released in November. Mixing 2D visuals into a 3D space, we very much enjoyed our time with it, so it's exciting to see a new game featuring Beebz shadow-drop on Switch...
News 'Yooka-Laylee' Creator Playtonic Expands With Second Studio
"We want to broaden our reach, without going too far"
Playtonic Games, the studio behind the Yooka-Laylee series, has opened a second office in the UK town of Leamington Spa. Playtonic – which was founded in 2015 by former Rare staffers – recently gained investment from the Chinese giant Tencent. It has released two games so far,
News Playtonic Announces Tencent Investment And Major Expansion Plans
"Things are going to get Bat Ship Crazy over the next few years"
Playtonic has undergone rapid expansion since its initial Kickstarter success with Yooka-Laylee over six years ago, with a number of Rare veterans on board. It followed that up with the rather good Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, before delving into publishing last year with...
News Demon Turf Brings Stylish 3D Platformer Action To Switch Next Month
A 3D platformer "with attitude"
Last year in June, Fabraz - the team behind the excellent 2D platformer Slime-san - lifted the lid on a brand new 3D platformer "with attitude" known as Demon Turf. It was more recently confirmed it would be published by
News Blossom Tales Sequel To Be Published By Playtonic Next Year
Zelda X Chrono Trigger X Princess Bride
Playtonic — the folks behind Yooka-Laylee — just announced their publishing arm, Playtonic Friends, and now they're announcing their next title: Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince, a sequel to the original Zelda-inspired adventure game by Castle Pixel. "Think A Link to the Past meets Princes
News Lil Gator Game Is An Adorable Adventure Waddling Onto Switch
Playtonic Friends unveils its latest signing
Playtonic Friends - the publishing arm of the rather popular Yooka-Laylee team - is making early waves as it supports and releases smaller Indie games. It's now confirmed its next partnership, teaming up with development newcomers MegaWobble to bring Lil Gator Game to Switch and PC in early 2022. As you...
News Yooka-Replaylee Art Team Highlight Laylee's New Fluffiness In Remaster
"She is a fan favourite already"
Yooka-Replaylee was a bit of a welcome surprise when it was announced back in June. It looks utterly gorgeous and promises plenty of tweaks, changes, and accessibility features when it eventually launches. But one thing that many fans spotted was Laylee, Yooka's purple bat companion, and her new, incredibly fluffy...
News Throwback Racer 'Victory Heat Rally' Stalls On Switch, Now Launching After PC & Mobile
A simultaneous launch was the initial plan
Playtonic Friends and SkyDevilPalm's retro-style racer Victory Heat Rally was originally set to launch simultaneously on PC, Switch and mobile this winter, but, in a new statement from the publisher, it looks like that is no longer the case. While the game will be coming to PC and mobile (via Crunchyroll...
News Neo-Retro Roguelike 'Elsie' Gets September Release Date
Electrifying
Playtonic Friends has finally given us a release date for the gorgeous-looking retro-inspired roguelike Elsie, which will land on the Switch eShop on 10th September 2024. Announced back in June 2022, Elsie combines lovely pixel art and neon colours to create a "hyperkinetic" action platformer inspired by the classics. You'll be...
News Retro-Style Racer 'Victory Heat Rally' Power Slides Onto Switch Winter 2024
Published by Playtonic Friends
Victory Heat Rally has been a long time coming but the indie title published by Playtonic Friends has finally locked in a Switch eShop release date. It will be speeding onto Nintendo's hybrid system at some point in "winter 2024". The exact date will apparently be shared "very soon". As previously mentioned, this game...
News 'Yooka-Replaylee' Brings Back Playtonic's Love Letter To Banjo In Remastered Form
"Meet the definitive remastered and enhanced version"
Revealed as part of today's Guerrilla Collective presentation, Playtonic's Yooka-Laylee is returning for an encore on "PC and consoles" with Yooka-Replaylee, a glow-up for the 2017 indie original that brought back the Banjo spirit to the 3D platforming genre. As you can see from the reveal...
Video The Completionist Talks To Us About His Upcoming Roguelike Game, Elsie
Plus, we interview the lead developers
We have known about Playtonic Friends' runnin' and gunnin' roguelike, Elsie, for a little while now (since around June 2022, if we're being specific), but did you know that the game is being worked on Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil? Yes, the YouTuber who just last month bought every 3DS and Wii U eShop game...
News Neon And Gnarly Roguelike 'Elsie' Gets New 'Bosses And Biomes' Trailer
Ready to run-and-gun?
Publisher Playtonic Friends has today revealed a new trailer for its upcoming neon-drenched roguelike, Elsie, and it is looking set to be a pretty one — 'pretty' in its visuals, and 'pretty challenging' in its gameplay. Developed by Knight Shift Games, Elsie will see you taking on the role of the titular character in an...
News Nintendo Goodies Up For Grabs In Playtonic's Charity Auction For SpecialEffect
Update: Auction is live, including Banjo and DKC items
Update [Mon 3rd Oct, 2022 17:45 BST]: The auction items went up over the weekend. Up for grabs are various art prints featuring Playtonic Friends games and the developer's own Yooka-Laylee, plus retro-flavoured offerings from the creators of Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and others. There...
News BPM: Bullets Per Minute Sets Its Sights On Switch This September, Pre-Order Now
A "rhythm-action FPS rogue-like"
Awe Interactive has announced it will be celebrating its 2nd year anniversary of the rhythm-action FPS rogue-like BPM: Bullets Per Minute with a Nintendo Switch release. Fans of Nintendo's hybrid system can get ready to "rock 'n' rogue' on 8th September for £19.99/€21.99/$24.99. Playtonic Friends are publishing...
News Playtonic Friends Is Bringing Neo-Retro Roguelike 'Elsie' To Switch Next Year
Runnin' 'n' gunnin'
Playtonic Friends, the publishing arm of Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic Games, has announced that it's bringing Knight Shift Games and The Completionist's Elsie to Switch in 2023. Described as a neo-retro roguelike, Elsie combines run-and-gun gameplay with bullet hell elements and "neon-drenched pixel art", as you can see from...
News Here Are The Tracks You'll Be Racing Around In 'Victory Heat Rally'
Baytona, let's go away
Developer SkyDevilPalm is still hard at work on the retro-themed racer Victory Heat Rally, but it has found the time to publish another trailer which focuses on the circuits you'll be tackling in the game. These include Baytona Beach, Lavendel Forest, Cayenne Canyon, Waku Land, Bikini Cove, Mount Touge and Baytona Speedway...
News Blossom Tales Sequel Reveals August Release Date In New Trailer
Physical release also confirmed
The follow up to the 2017 indie hit Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King has finally confirmed a release date. Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince will be launching on the Switch and Steam on 16th August this year. If you played the original game, you should already be familar with the "story within a story" concept...
News Demon Turf: Neon Splash Shadow-Drops On Switch eShop
2D and not 2D
If you're a fan of 3D platformers, you probably remember Demon Turf from last year, a tight, neat-looking little gem from Fabraz (Slime-san) and Playtonic Friends that released in November. Mixing 2D visuals into a 3D space, we very much enjoyed our time with it, so it's exciting to see a new game featuring Beebz shadow-drop on Switch...
News 'Yooka-Laylee' Creator Playtonic Expands With Second Studio
"We want to broaden our reach, without going too far"
Playtonic Games, the studio behind the Yooka-Laylee series, has opened a second office in the UK town of Leamington Spa. Playtonic – which was founded in 2015 by former Rare staffers – recently gained investment from the Chinese giant Tencent. It has released two games so far,
News Playtonic Announces Tencent Investment And Major Expansion Plans
"Things are going to get Bat Ship Crazy over the next few years"
Playtonic has undergone rapid expansion since its initial Kickstarter success with Yooka-Laylee over six years ago, with a number of Rare veterans on board. It followed that up with the rather good Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, before delving into publishing last year with...
News Demon Turf Brings Stylish 3D Platformer Action To Switch Next Month
A 3D platformer "with attitude"
Last year in June, Fabraz - the team behind the excellent 2D platformer Slime-san - lifted the lid on a brand new 3D platformer "with attitude" known as Demon Turf. It was more recently confirmed it would be published by
News Blossom Tales Sequel To Be Published By Playtonic Next Year
Zelda X Chrono Trigger X Princess Bride
Playtonic — the folks behind Yooka-Laylee — just announced their publishing arm, Playtonic Friends, and now they're announcing their next title: Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince, a sequel to the original Zelda-inspired adventure game by Castle Pixel. "Think A Link to the Past meets Princes
News Lil Gator Game Is An Adorable Adventure Waddling Onto Switch
Playtonic Friends unveils its latest signing
Playtonic Friends - the publishing arm of the rather popular Yooka-Laylee team - is making early waves as it supports and releases smaller Indie games. It's now confirmed its next partnership, teaming up with development newcomers MegaWobble to bring Lil Gator Game to Switch and PC in early 2022. As you...