Since their series’ premiere in the late ’90s, Banjo and Kazooie has become an immensely popular franchise with fans around the world. Reminiscent of times past when cute characters and vibrant worlds were considered normal, Banjo and Kazooie remains beloved today.
Banjo, a brown bear dressed in yellow shorts and carrying a blue backpack, is a kind and polite character who provides contrast with Kazooie who is excitable and impulsive.
Banjo
Banjo-Kazooie, first released on Nintendo 64 in 1998 and rereleased as part of Rare Replay in 2015 on Xbox 360, has become a cherished series among many gamers and is considered among the best games from Nintendo 64’s library. Since its introduction, two sequels – Banjo Tooie and Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts – and spinoff titles including Grunty’s Revenge and Banjo Pilot have followed, as well as spin-off titles like Grunty’s Revenge and Banjo Pilot. Banjo Kazooie is considered among many gamers as beloved series that many consider one of Nintendo 64 library’s offerings!
Banjo-Kazooie follows two bear characters named Banjo and Kazooie on an adventure to rescue Tooty from Gruntilda Winkybunion’s evil plans to capture her beauty for herself by kidnapping Tooty to be his next victim.
Players control both characters throughout the game, each offering distinct movesets and attacks such as double jumping or running faster than normal. Furthermore, Banjo can utilize his backpack as both a shield and weapon reload point; Mumbo Jumbo’s magical abilities allow him to transform Banjo into various animals or objects for additional abilities.
This game’s story takes place on Spiral Mountain, as Banjo and Kazooie travel to save their sister from Gruntilda, an evil witch who wants them dead. Your goal will be to collect Jiggies and Music Notes while progressing through Gruntilda’s lair to ultimately defeat her at the end of your journey.
Kazooie
Rare’s video game series Banjo-Kazooie first debuted on the Nintendo 64. The games feature Banjo and his feathered companion Kazooie as they attempt to stop Gruntilda, an evil witch responsible for many disasters throughout their adventures. While doing this they collect Jiggies, musical notes and other items to bring Gruntilda down.
Though they are friends, Banjo and Kazooie’s personalities differ significantly; while Banjo is polite and friendly, Kazooie can often make rude or insulting remarks towards even imposing figures she encounters. Yet she always comes ready to aid Banjo in his mission to defeat Gruntilda.
Kazooie is a red-crested breegull who usually lives in Banjo’s backpack and appears periodically to insult other characters and jabber back at him. While she can sometimes prove useful in certain circumstances, her rude behavior typically gets her into trouble as her short temper leads her to insult others regularly and give them offensive nicknames.
Although Banjo and Kazooie’s walking speed is average, their dash ability and traction values are high. Furthermore, they use the Talon Trot to carry Banjo around, which enables him to hop over obstacles that would otherwise be insurmountable. Furthermore, they use flying as well as some types of combat, making them some of the heaviest fighters in the game. They can use their teleport ability in certain instances but must wait for the opportunity before using it; also collecting Jiggies this way; similar to Snake and R.O.B’s X-ray vision ability
Bottles
Bottles is a friendly nearsighted mole who wears thick Coke-bottle-framed glasses, serving as Banjo’s tutor by teaching him various moves in the game. He is related to Bozzeye through Jamjars, fathering both Speccy and Goggles respectively and related through Jamjars through Jamjars being his brother.
Bottles first appears at the start of Banjo-Kazooie, conversing with Tooty outside his house. When Gruntilda arrives on her broomstick and kidnaps Tooty, Bottles informs Banjo of what happened while also teaching him and Jamjars how to defeat Gruntilda’s lair and defeat her witchy spirit. However, Bottles harbors a grudge against Kazooie which is shared by Jamjars as well.
The helpful mole can be found throughout the game at one of many mole hills, where he will teach the protagonists various tricks. He is also capable of operating machinery at Gruntilda’s Lair, making him friends with Klungo who works for Gruntilda herself.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts sees Bottles still alive but now as the tour guide for Showdown Town. He states that his job is one of the most taxing he has ever experienced.
The mole’s spirit appears as a devilish figure in the Tower of Tragedy quiz, even though this feature was eventually eliminated late during development. Devil Bottles can be controlled by both players while Banjo and Kazooie are being controlled by one. He can possess enemies to aid or hinder Banjo and Kazooie’s progress. Bottles’ Revenge was intended as another two-player mode where devilish Bottles would stalk his characters and possess enemies to aid or hinder their journey forward.
Mumbo Jumbo
Mumbo Jumbo is an iconic figure who can be found all across the universe. A powerful magician who can transform into different animals and cast magical spells. Additionally, his magic creates rain to water Banjo’s magical beans planted across each world.
Grunty displays both his sarcastic and playful personalities when mocking Banjo and Kazooie, as well as an affinity for beautiful women; for instance when offering Kazooie a flower during Grunty’s Revenge’s opening cinematic.
Mumbo is also skilled in various types of martial arts and has the power to control wind with his wand. In Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge, Mumbo hosts Mumbo’s Stunt Spectacular; here Banjo and Kazooie must perform stunts with prefabricated vehicles to win a prize from him.
Mumbo Pads give him the ability to transform into various animals in Banjo-Kazooie and Grunty’s Revenge, including an assortment of birds, mammals and even mice – with mice being especially useful as it allows him to fit through smaller openings than would be impossible otherwise as a bear would do; he must wait until he transforms back into his original form before attacking enemies again.
Mumbo Jumbo has long been suspected to belong to the Grublin race due to his blue hue and similarities between him and Mr. Blue from Viva Pinata (another Rare game) wearing similar skull masks in beta versions of games like Rare’s Viva Pinata beta version, who wears one himself and Mumbo Jumbo’s design (also shared on Rare’s blog by Ed Bryan) that feature rougher, more menacing characteristics compared to his final design.
Gruntilda
Gruntilda was the main antagonist in Banjo-Kazooie series. She was responsible for many misfortunes across many lands and spread terror with her army of monsters. Furthermore, Gruntilda showed an extremely greedy side; she enjoyed devouring hamburgers, french fries, and chips in her lair as a form of comfort food; furthermore she often taunted Banjo and Kazooie with insulting rhymes in order to provoke confrontation between themselves and her and them.
Gruntilda Winkybunion is an archetypical evil witch. She speaks in rhyme, sports a large nose, and uses her broomstick for transportation – she is by far the most dangerous character in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie series’ as she has long caused misery and chaos throughout their worlds, even possessing enough power to manipulate time! In fact, so powerful is she that even she herself cannot control time!
Gruntilda first appears in Banjo-Kazooie’s opening cutscene when she asks Dingpot who she thinks is the nicest looking wench. When Dingpot replies that Tooty is, Gruntilda becomes angry; wanting to be considered for that position herself. After hearing Tooty was selected instead, Gruntilda leaves on her broomstick towards Spiral Mountain to fulfill that destiny.
On arrival to her lair, Gruntilda attempted to lure Bear and Bird together through her game show; however, they managed to outwit and defeat her. Her sisters Blobbelda and Mingella then attempted to move the boulder that is blocking Gruntilda, but it remained firm beneath its weight despite all efforts from their side. Klungo eventually channelled Gruntilda’s soul into a mechanical body leaving behind only her ghost beneath this rock formation.
Gruntilda may have her eyes set asymmetrically as an allusion to L. Frank Baum’s Wicked Witch of the West from his novel and its adaptations; she wears a green hat and has asymmetrical eyes like Gruntilda does, while being unaffected by water could mean that she can stay dry even during torrential downpours.