Banjo-Kazooie franchise has gained increasing prominence over time, notably being added to Nintendo Switch Online last year and featured as playable characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
Yooka-Laylee’s team have hinted that Rare may return soon with another game; however, key members from Rare have expressed doubt that this will happen anytime soon.
The Story
Banjo-Kazooie Remastered brings this timeless platformer back for a new generation to enjoy. The game follows two bumbling bears and an eccentric bird on an adventure to rescue their sister from Gruntilda and collect golden musical notes and Jiggies; these items will allow players to unlock doors, gain entry into her lair and advance the storyline.
Rare, a British video game developer with a reputation for crafting memorable characters in gaming history, created Banjo and Kazooie in 1996. Their creator was known for being one of the most innovative developers at that time – setting themselves apart from standard console developers such as Nintendo or Sega who struggled to establish themselves during this period.
Rare was delighted by the critical success of Donkey Kong Country before pushing themselves further and creating something even greater: Banjo-Kazooie was created, cementing Rare’s legacy within gaming while inspiring other developers to create similar 3D platforming collect-a-thons that blended storytelling with humorous, often fourth wall-breaking dialogue.
Banjo-Kazooie allows players to control Banjo the bear and his wisecracking avian companion as they attempt to rescue Tooty from Gruntilda, an evil witch bent on taking Tooty for herself. Their journey begins on Spiral Mountain where various animals inhabit Spiral, including flying cauliflower. Banjo and Kazooie must use navigational and combat skills in order to advance through its nine nonlinear worlds and collect golden Jiggies needed in order to progress deeper into Gruntilda’s lair.
Along their travels, Banjo and Kazooie meet Brentilda, Gruntilda’s friendly sister who provides valuable information that aids Banjo and Kazooie in defeating Gruntilda at her lair on top of her castle roof. Once their journey comes to an end, Tooty is saved while Gruntilda is finally defeated – all thanks to Banjo and Kazooie!
The Art Style
Banjo-Kazooie is a classic franchise among millennial gamers, having first been released on consoles back in 2008. Since its last console game Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts in 2008, however, this bear and bird franchise has endured on Xbox for an extended time period with HD repackaging released through Rare Replay 2015 as well as making cameo appearances in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
Banjo-Kazooie Remastered marks the latest installment in this beloved franchise to come to consoles, with improved graphics and gameplay elements as well as cut content such as various worlds, Tooty’s level, Cauldron Keep’s return, and Gruntilda getting her own full level. Furthermore, composer Grant Kirkhope of the original team behind Banjo-Kazooie added an updated soundtrack as well as tweaked controls to optimize flight and swimming abilities.
Rare Revealed, a YouTube series which offers inside information about Rare’s games and developer Gregg Mayles gave fans an idea of what Banjo-Kazooie Remastered might entail, telling us it will keep the blocky art style from the first two titles while being self-aware enough to alter its behavior accordingly. While they initially tested out smoother, higher polygon designs as an option, ultimately decided on sticking with what their fans remembered most as being classic gameplay.
Stop ‘N’ Swop Items were another highlight of the remaster, allowing players to collect various objects throughout the game and use them in a special vehicle to advance through levels. This feature was only available in the XBLA version that wasn’t present in its Nintendo 64 counterpart; additionally, some hints were left regarding its potential inclusion – Alan Pierce and Mitchell Kleiman had discovered its access via cheat codes in the original release but never made its way into its final form in this remaster release.
The Music
Banjo-Kazooie was one of the defining 3D platform games of its era, acclaimed for its charming cast of characters, complex collect-a-thon gameplay that could be tailored to suit individual play styles, rich cartoony worlds with secrets to discover and catchy music composed by Grant Kirkhope.
Banjo-Tooie was released for Nintendo 64 back in 2000, followed by Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts in 2008. Since then, however, its famed franchise had become dormant until its revival earlier this year with Nintendo Switch Online hosting an original N64 game while Banjo and Kazooie characters appeared as playable characters in Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Xbox boss Phil Spencer even hinted at its return in 2023, though ultimately Rare would decide how best to proceed with their return in 2023.
One reason for this renaissance can be traced to Project Dream, an ongoing fan remaster featuring updated graphics and an original soundtrack remade for this remake video that was released early this year and quickly garnered praise on YouTube and gaming blogs alike.
Project Dream has overhauled all major areas from both games, as well as including some previously cut content, creating stunning new visuals and audio that makes a pleasant change from what was available before. A variety of talented contributors were recruited to assist in crafting a cinematic score for Project Dream’s remake, as well as concept art pieces representing various areas from these titles.
If you’re a Banjo-Kazooie fan, this fan remaster should definitely be on your radar. Unfortunately, however, it remains in its early stages and may never see a full release any time soon; still it is impressive work that shows what could be possible from Rare’s creators in creating new games with similar themes and mechanics.
The Controls
Banjo-Kazooie Remastered will take you back to the N64 era with all its charm. From characters to environments, everything about this game is creative and amusing – even after repeated plays! Playing Banjo-Kazooie Remastered is guaranteed to leave a smile on your face no matter how often you do it!
Banjo-Kazooie was the initial title to make an impressionful mark and is still widely considered one of the greatest 3D platformers ever produced. Many compare it with Super Mario 64; indeed, any true Nintendo fan should make time to experience its glory firsthand!
The controls in this game are fairly intuitive, with a great tutorial at the start teaching all of the basic moves (punching, swimming and jumping). After that, you can progress through and learn on your own as you go along – although attacks tend to be slow without much combo potential making this more of a “bruiser”-style platformer where hard hits may be necessary instead of stringing together multiple attacks at once.
There are some amazing features in the game as well. The music and sound effects are wonderful; Banjo and Kazooie give fantastic performances as voice actors; voice acting is top notch; voiceover work also outstanding, with voice actors like Chrissie Barrows giving stand-out roles; plus it features an ending sequence which teases some special content that may come later with Banjo-Tooie!
After its initial release, Microsoft acquired Rare Limited and brought its entire series onto Xbox 360, including Banjo-Kazooie and its sequel as well as its third entry, Banjo-Tooie: Nuts & Bolts. However, Banjo-Kazooie remains dormant ever since then with only occasional reappearances in crossover titles like Sega All-Stars Racing or Nintendo Super Smash Bros series games.