First off, thank you!
Over the last week, more than 7,000 of you jumped into our very first Super Yooka-Laylee Kart playtest. Watching you battle for leaderboard positions, invite your friends to join in, share clips and send us your feedback has been incredible.
Speaking of feedback... wow.
We've spent the last week reading through every survey response, discussion and comment you've shared. It's been incredibly valuable and has already helped shape our priorities for the next playtest. While we won't be able to implement every suggestion, every piece of feedback helps us understand how you're playing the game and where we should focus next. Super Yooka-Laylee Kart is already a better game because of it, so thank you.
Leaderboard Champions
Before we get into the feedback, we'd like to celebrate the fastest racers from Playtest #1!
A huge congratulations to our two overall champions, who have both won themselves a physical copy of Yooka-Replaylee.
Tribal Stack
KLOREL - 1:04.100
See how they did it!
View game pageMarsh Demo
CAMJO-Z - 1:52.534
See how they did it! (PS. We have fixed this track exploit)
Congratulations to both of you, and well done to everyone who fought for a place in the Top 10!
What We've Been Working On
After working through all of your feedback, a few key themes really stood out. Here's what we're already working on.
PSSST... You can watch (and hear!) us talk through all of the feedback from Playtest #1 on our latest weekly livestream here:View game page
Controls & Driving
One of the biggest pieces of feedback was accidental forward item throws.
Here's what we're working on:
New animations to make it easier to tell whether you're aiming items forwards or backwards. (Pictured above)
More precise input zones to help prevent accidental forward throws.
Full button remapping.
Including dedicated button inputs for forward throws, backwards throws and using an item yourself.
Auto-accelerate as an optional accessibility feature.
Increased hop-turning angles at low-speed & standstill for faster recovery and getting back on track
Accessibility & Visual Comfort
Motion sickness and visual comfort were by far the most common areas of feedback.
We're already working on:
Depth of Field slider.
Parallax slider.
Pixelation slider.
Additional camera behaviour and comfort improvements based on your feedback.
Track Readability
Another common request was making tracks easier to read at speed.
We're exploring improvements including:
Mini maps.
Better track signposting.
Improved corner readability.
The possibility of on-screen track prompts.
Investigating racing lines as a visible aid
Time Trial Improvements
We know many of you are already chasing those perfect laps.
Some of the improvements we're exploring include:
Friends leaderboards, making it easy to compare your best times against your friends.
Downloadable ghosts.
Lap segment splits to help identify where you're gaining or losing time compared to your ghost.
Looking Ahead - VS Races Are Coming!
This is just the beginning.
The next playtest will include a number of improvements based directly on your feedback because we want every playtest to feel like a meaningful step forward.
Playtest #2 will focus on online VS races. You've had your chance to learn the tracks and perfect your racing lines. Now it's time to take on your friends and the rest of the world.
You'll also get your first taste of some of the game's weapons, bringing an entirely new layer of strategy and chaos to every race.
We'll share more details, including the start date, very soon. If you haven't already, make sure to WISHLIST and follow Super Yooka-Laylee Kart so you're first to know when the next playtest goes live.
We'd also love for you to join our Playtest Discord, where players are already sharing tips, discussing strategies and continuing to provide invaluable feedback.
We genuinely want to make Super Yooka-Laylee Kart the best kart racer it can be, and your feedback is helping us get there.
Once again, thank you to everyone who took part. Whether you completed one lap or hundreds, set a world-class time or simply shared your thoughts, you've helped shape Super Yooka-Laylee Kart.
We'll see you back on the starting grid for Playtest #2!
FAQ Regarding Playtests
I've already signed up. Do I need to request access for the next playtest?
If you requested access to our first playtest, there's no need to do it again. We'll grant access to the next playtest automatically. Just keep an eye on your Steam email notifications, and be sure to follow our social channels for updates on when Playtest #2 begins.
I missed out. How do I join the next playtest?
If you missed our first playtest, don't worry, there's still plenty of time to sign up for the next one.
Simply head over to the Super Yooka-Laylee Kart Steam page and click Request Access. We'll be inviting more players when Playtest #2 begins.
