Yooka-Laylee Backer Prototype Out July, New Screens

It was around this time last year that a group of ex-Rare fellows asked the world for £175,000 in crowdfunding cash to create nostalgia-driven Yooka-Laylee [official site] - a "spiritual successor" to the classic N64 3D platform 'em up Banjo-Kazooie. Evidently some folk thought this was reasonable, for its Kickstarter campaign concluded with over two million smackeroos. Fast forward 12 months and, if you chipped in at the £20 tier or higher, you can soon look forward to getting to grips with a prototype that's due out in July.

Developers Playtonic Games have also released a batch of new screens and story tidbits, which you can cast your eyes over after the drop.

So, what are the roving chameleon and bat duo Yooka and Laylee getting themselves in for then? Well, they'll be venturing into the headquarters of an unscrupulous business in order to grab the "magical Paiges" needed to explore the Grand Tomes. A nasty chap named Capital B is in charge there, we're told, and he's drummed up a scheme to absorb all of the world's literature in order to "convert them into pure profit". Naturally, this doesn't sit well with the titular stars of the show and so begins their quest to put the evil conglomerate to bed. Here's Capital B himself:

If that sounds like your idea of fun, and if you pledged 20 quid or more last year, you'll get the chance to sample the idea come July. Here's the official word on the incoming Toybox prototype:

"As promised in our Kickstarter campaign, the Toybox 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. There are plenty moves to try, custom-built props to play with, secrets to discover and yes, shiny collectibles to hunt out."

Still no final release date for now, however Playtonic say they're currently on track to release later this year as planned. They also explain that the Yooka-Laylee demo has taken slightly longer to put together because it's grown in scope since it was first announced and now offers a "much more significant chunk of playable content."