After Banjo and Kazooie defeated Gruntilda in their previous game, she returns as an undead skeleton planning to drain life energy from Isle o’ Hags in order to revive herself.
This classic platformer pits Bear and Bird against each other to save the day – one of many Rare titles fans want to see make a return to Switch Online.
Gameplay
Banjo Kazooie was an immensely successful Nintendo 64 game which followed a bear and bird’s journey to save their sister. Due to its success, it spawned its sequel in 2000: Banjo Tooie with more elaborate set pieces and larger levels. Now, it appears that this classic Nintendo title may finally make it onto Nintendo Switch; leaks indicate its inclusion as part of Switch Online service.
banjo tooie plays out much like its predecessor, with players exploring worlds and collecting jiggies and other collectables. Each world in the game features different challenges including puzzles, platforms and enemies – forcing players to use both platforming and combat skills to overcome these challenges and complete them successfully.
Banjo Tooie features an expansive musical score composed by Grant Kirkhope – who worked on Perfect Dark and Donkey Kong 64 as well. Not only did he compose music for Banjo Tooie; he also designed many of its sound effects. Furthermore, recordings for this game took place across various studios before mixing was completed in London.
Rare’s Banjo Tooie game for Nintendo 64 console was developed and released two years after Banjo-Kazooie in 2000. As with its predecessor, this sequel follows protagonists Banjo and Kazooie on their mission to rescue their sister from Gruntilda; two years after events of Banjo-Kazooie.
The game begins as Banjo, Kazooie and Mumbo Jumbo play poker during a stormy night in Cauldron Keep. When their home suddenly shakes violently, they rush outside to investigate only to discover Hag 1 tunneling out from behind their wall! After trying unsuccessfully to confront her directly outside their home, Banjo, Kazooie, and Mumbo Jumbo manage to kick her around some more until finally she vows vengeance in future games – though they never forget she’ll come back at them eventually!
Controls
Banjo-Kazooie series games were some of the premier video game platformers at their time, rivaling even Nintendo’s own Super Mario 64 in terms of quality and popularity. Furthermore, these beloved titles remain fan favorites; many would like to see Banjo and Kazooie characters resurface in future Smash Bros games; unfortunately this appears unlikely at present.
Though there has been talk of Banjo-Kazooie returning to consoles, its developers have stated it is unlikely. Gregg Mayles prefers working on new projects; as an avid supporter of modern gaming systems he feels it would be challenging to bring the old school experience from N64 onto current platforms.
Rare’s team at Rare decided that in their XBLA re-release of Banjo-Kazooie, they would implement an additional feature planned for but never implemented due to hardware limitations: Stop N Swop. Players can transfer six eggs and key from Banjo-Kazooie over to Nuts & Bolts using this feature, unlocking extra bonuses along the way.
Banjo can use his B button to perform various moves, with rolling being his go-to move. Pressing this button while moving will cause Banjo to roll along his path, making killing enemies and traversing certain surfaces much simpler. He can also dive underwater using this method; though underwater swimming may prove frustrating due to exaggerated movements from Banjo while under.
The R button allows Banjo to quickly navigate between all the eggs he’s set for Kazooie to shoot, as well as change Camera position when on land or water. C buttons control camera movement similarly to Joy Stick but with slight variations; pressing two at once rotates diagonally while holding all four will move it back and forth across screen.
C Buttons also act as control switches within the game, such as Slam, Pressure and Heavy switches found throughout Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty’s Revenge and Honeycomb Hole. Slam switches can be activated using Beak Buster while Pressure and Heavy switches must be activated using Pack Whacks to work correctly.
Mechanics
Two years after Banjo-Kazooie, Gruntilda has returned in her skeletal form, planning to drain all of the life energy from Banjo-Kazooie’s hub world to return herself to full health. However, Banjo and Kazooie are determined to stop her. After returning to Isle O’ Hags where Bottles has taught them basic camera controls and game mechanics from which they can begin exploring various realms while collecting Jiggies along their travels.
One of the primary features introduced by Banjo-Kazooie Tooie is its seamless world connection system, similar to its predecessor but more accessible and interactive than before. Characters were transported between worlds by magical means in its predecessor game; but in Tooie, Chuffy the train can transport them via various stations between worlds allowing the player to revisit previous worlds as needed. Furthermore, additional puzzles and obstacles have also been included alongside an improved jiggies collecting system.
As well as learning new jiggies, the duo can unlock and use new moves by stepping on either a Banjo Switch or Kazooie Switch – found throughout each world near Banjo or Kazooie characters and used by simply stepping on them – giving players more control of either character separately from the other for easier puzzle-solving and accessing new areas.
Reviewers were generally positive in their evaluation of this game for its level design and progression; however, reviewers criticized its many worlds and excessive backtracking. GamesRadar noted that “keeping track of what can be found in each world requires either photographic memory or copious note taking” while that its rewards often felt more like chores than enjoyable activities.
Banjo-Kazooie Switch remains an outstanding game and worthy of its place on Nintendo 64, even amid critics’ harsh critique. Unfortunately, Rare’s classic has since fallen silent; however, there remains the possibility that Nintendo will revive it via their online streaming service once again; they already host other N64 titles including Goldeneye and Diddy Kong Racing for this purpose so adding this one wouldn’t be out of place either.
Soundtrack
Banjo-Kazooie Switch Few platform games have enjoyed as much adoration or reverence than Banjo-Kazooie since it first released for Nintendo 64 console in 2000 by Rare. The story follows Banjo, K.O.Oie, the Bear, and Bird as they battle the evil witch Gruntilda to save Spiral Mountain from destruction.
This game boasts an abundance of worlds compared to its predecessor, challenging players to complete puzzles, collect Jiggies, and defeat enemies to advance through its story. Furthermore, multiplayer mode supports up to four players. Finally, an entirely new mechanic was also added allowing direct connections between worlds through doors located throughout Gruntilda’s lair and Chuffy that transports Gruntilda and Chuffy between worlds; these changes added extra complexity and backtracking, making for a more challenging gameplay experience than its predecessor.
Grant Kirkhope was responsible for creating the music of Banjo-Tooie, having previously composed music for Perfect Dark and Donkey Kong 64. Grant designed this soundtrack to be more interactive than his previous works by having its music respond to player movement within the game, changing depending on where they were. Furthermore, twice as much memory space was dedicated for sound effects and music this time due to working on such an ambitious game.
Two years after Banjo and Kazooie defeated Gruntilda in the predecessor game, two of her sisters arrive and destroy HAG 1, freeing her but leaving her rotted beyond recognition; vowing vengeance against Spiral Mountain alongside them. However, Banjo and Kazooie decide to save the day yet again!
Since Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts’ release in 2008, you haven’t seen much of Conker or his parrot since. But according to reports, they will soon make their comeback and could soon appear on Nintendo Switch Online alongside Conker’s Bad Fur Day! Whether or not this turns out true remains uncertain but if true would surely make for one of the most anticipated updates for Nintendo’s service!