Banjo and Kazooie are beloved characters from a popular franchise. Together they brave the darkness of Gruntilda and explore vast worlds full of special abilities for themselves and each other.
Their forward smash is a double-footed stretch kick which deals high damage. This attack can combo into neutral or up aerials for high damage outputs; however, higher knockback growth percentages might reduce its efficacy.
Gameplay
Banjo-Kazooie, first released by Rare in 1998, is an award-winning classic platformer game inspired by Super Mario 64 that boasts expansive worlds packed with secrets and collectibles – as well as an eccentric cast of lovable characters constantly pitted against Gruntilda the evil witch.
Fan project Banjo-Threeie recently created by fans is designed to give an idea of what a third installment could resemble, featuring various environments where our protagonists must platform through. It resembles the aesthetic from previous Banjo-Kazooie games.
Banjo-Kazooie offers an incredibly satisfying gameplay experience. The game’s physics are phenomenal, while characters all look very realistic. Level design is also superb, while its tongue-in-cheek dialogue makes for one of the most entertaining gaming experiences out there – from Gruntilda’s rhymed insults to Banjo and Kazooie exchanging jokey banter, it all adds up to make this title highly addictive and filled with laughter-inducing dialogue!
Early levels challenge players to collect notes to complete musical compositions. These scattered notes each feature their own sound effect that can be heard throughout the level; this adds another element of atmosphere and excitement for this immersive game experience. Alongside notes, there are other collectibles scattered about as well.
Some moves in the game can be immensely powerful and help players achieve high scores. For instance, in Banjo-Kazooie series back throw is an extremely potent attack capable of knocking opponents out at low percentages; with its good amount of knockback growth this move also allows up and neutral aerial combos.
Another key aspect of gameplay is the Wonderwing attack from Banjo and Kazooie, with Banjo running forward while Kazooie shields him with her magical-infused wings. This attack can be used both midair and on the edge of the stage, as it provides full body invincibility during its duration.
Other moves include the duo’s up tilt, with Kazooie poking her head out from Banjo’s backpack to lay a Grenade Egg that explodes upon contact with an opponent – useful for edgeguarding and tech chasing but with limited horizontal range; or the duo’s down tilt, similar to Pac-Man’s up smash but with lower damage output and greater ending lag.
Characters
Banjo and Kazooie are two bear and bird friends who travel on adventures together in the Banjo-Kazooie series. Although very different characters, they complement one another perfectly: Banjo is usually more witty when in difficulty while when angry, his replies can become brutally honest.
Banjo and Kazooie in Smash can take advantage of many powerful skills from Mumbo Jumbo and Humba Wumba as allies, as well as having access to Mumbo’s Revenge which grants various transformations and abilities.
The duo is known for its signature moves: forward aerial, forward tilt, multiple smash attacks and Wonderwings. Furthermore, they use zone and edge traps; however, their grab game falls below average with noticeable amounts of lag; furthermore their walk speed falls short and initial dash speed remains slow.
Banjo & Kazooie was met with positive reception upon its launch, garnering an impressive playerbase and featuring the first ever music composed by Grant Kirkhope for any Smash videogame.
Banjo and Kazooie stand out among fighters as a unique tag team who fight as one. Due to this dynamic duo’s tag team mechanic, their damage increases when more opponents hit than expected resulting in lower maximum damage totals than other heavyweights in the metagame.
Contrary to most tag teams, this duo’s taunts differ both in animation and content from one another. Their up taunt is a shorter version of what appears when all 10 Jiggies have been collected or when unlocking Note Doors in Banjo-Kazooie; their down taunt is a bowing animation with Banjo saying “Guh-huh!” twice like their final battle animation in Smash 4.
Banjo & Kazooie was initially perceived as being viable mid tier characters, which was further strengthened by their performance at Glitch 7, where Tweek finished 5th overall with them. Unfortunately, results and popularity since have decreased – currently ranking 66th by ESAM with many players, such as Huto and Raito abandoning them for other characters.
Story
There are numerous platform games featuring fun-loving talking animals such as Crash Bandicoot, Earthworm Jim, or Sonic the Hedgehog; but Banjo-Kazooie truly shines out from them all due to its superb combination of perfectly constructed gameplay, top-tier soundtracks, and an amusing story arc.
Banjo and Kazooie must rescue Tooty from Gruntilda, an evil witch who has stolen her beauty. To do this they explore nonlinear 3D worlds with various themes; collecting various MacGuffins such as Jiggies (golden puzzle pieces that unlock new levels) or notes (golden musical notes which unlock moves). Worlds themselves contain colorful creatures including monkeys who throw oranges called Conga; Chimpy (a Diddy Kong-resembling chimp); termite stacks; termite stacks; salty hippos; termite stacks; termite stacks hippo; and even shaman who make mysterious statements mystical statements prone shaman statements when necessary!
One of the major changes in this series was its transition from traditional platformer to 3D world, made possible through the Sixaxis motion controller. While this increased the realism and appeal of the game, it also required players to master several new controls in order to progress through it’s worlds.
Banjo-Kazooie has long been considered an influential platformer design classic and often drawn comparisons to Super Mario 64 due to its unique features. Since its release, two sequels (Banjo-Tooie and Nuts and Bolts) and two spin-off titles (Grunty’s Revenge) have followed with even greater innovation.
Rare’s reputation as an independent developer and strong partnership with Nintendo have allowed it to keep the franchise alive through HD remakes of the original trilogy and including Banjo and Kazooie in Super Smash Bros, no doubt designed to please longtime fans while sparking interest among new audiences.
Collectibles
Banjo and Kazooie created an unforgettable cast of endearing characters and won over an entire generation of gamers with their quest to stop Gruntilda and her sisters, earning high critical acclaim and amassing a large fan base. While their franchise may currently be dormant, fans can still experience them via First 4 Figure statues.
These statues are now available on Youtooz and will begin shipping between June 4 and 11. Each limited-edition statue features Banjo and Kazooie in flight pose and comes with Jiggy as its base – so fans should place their orders quickly!
As with other collectibles in Smash Bros, Banjo and Kazooie statues can be customized to unlock additional abilities. For instance, using an Ice Key unlocks a shield which deflectively increases HP levels, and Mystery Eggs grant weapon upgrades that increase special move attack power. Furthermore, an Ice Key grants access to an outfit giving Banjo and Kazooie more regal looks.
As an extra bonus, the two statues unlock a remix of Grant Kirkhope’s original theme for Mumbo’s Mountain that was composed before Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts was cancelled – complete with additional orchestration and percussion as well as an exclusive clip from Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge’s final scene!
Banjo and Kazooie are an impressive fighting duo with an extensive moveset. With good reach and varied attacks, their moveset provides plenty of KO options; their grab game may disappoint some however; up throw has awkward angles with low knockback growth while back throw can’t always provide reliable setups. Their down smash is particularly useful in finishing off opponents as it hits on frame 13 with excellent interruptibility allowing it to become the go-to move for knocking them out quickly.
The duo is highly agile, possessing impressive recovery with up aerial, forward aerial, and down smash attacks – which boast low base damage but rapidly increase after landing hits for high KO percentages. Furthermore, up aerial can also create combos when combined with down smash and up throw.