(5-year-old's review, typed by her dad)
You get to flap and you get to fly into the sky really high. You get to DIE
You get to flap and you get to fly into the sky really high. You get to DIE
What a game. This was my second time through Banjo-Kazooie, nabbing all the old collectables and new achievements. It is the best collectathon on the N64, and you can fight me over that! I'll be talking about the XBLA version's differences, cause some were good and some were not so good.
The models still look amazing in HD and have held up very well. I appreciate the updated HUD, but I prefer the original spritework. The colors of the Jinjos don't match their appearance and I think Banjo's face looks uncanny in the health meter. Minor issue. The widescreen was lovely and well worth it.
Lets get controversial! Obviously, the big QOL here was keeping music notes and jinjos after leaving a level. Works great for most levels, but I would argue that keeping notes was a hinderance for Click Clock Wood, Gobi's Valley, and Rusty Bucket Bay. There are so many small rooms with 3 or 4 notes together that I would prefer getting the notes in one run, instead of backtracking through every part of the stage trying to remember where you have and havent been. Click clock wood especially since each season is quite large and it's very easy to forget where you already looked. When I completed the N64 version, I made a route to get every note, but I had to double or triple check locations in the XBLA version. It's a 'me' issue, I'm sure most players won't feel this way, so lets move on.
I liked the inclusion of stop n' swop and achievements this time around. I never bothered with Bottle's puzzle on the N64 since it wasn't tied to completion, but it needed to be cleared for an achievement this time. Actually not the worst thing in the world. Yeah, the controls were overly sensitive, but it only took half an hour and it could've been much worse than that.
Overall, I really love this game. It's one of the few collectathons that would make me consider completing it more than once. The N64 version is fantastic, but the XBLA version is definitely superior. I legit wish there was an xbox controller with c-buttons for this game. If you haven't played Banjo-Kazooie yet, give it a go! It's easy to pick up and play for short sessions and is a great time.
The models still look amazing in HD and have held up very well. I appreciate the updated HUD, but I prefer the original spritework. The colors of the Jinjos don't match their appearance and I think Banjo's face looks uncanny in the health meter. Minor issue. The widescreen was lovely and well worth it.
Lets get controversial! Obviously, the big QOL here was keeping music notes and jinjos after leaving a level. Works great for most levels, but I would argue that keeping notes was a hinderance for Click Clock Wood, Gobi's Valley, and Rusty Bucket Bay. There are so many small rooms with 3 or 4 notes together that I would prefer getting the notes in one run, instead of backtracking through every part of the stage trying to remember where you have and havent been. Click clock wood especially since each season is quite large and it's very easy to forget where you already looked. When I completed the N64 version, I made a route to get every note, but I had to double or triple check locations in the XBLA version. It's a 'me' issue, I'm sure most players won't feel this way, so lets move on.
I liked the inclusion of stop n' swop and achievements this time around. I never bothered with Bottle's puzzle on the N64 since it wasn't tied to completion, but it needed to be cleared for an achievement this time. Actually not the worst thing in the world. Yeah, the controls were overly sensitive, but it only took half an hour and it could've been much worse than that.
Overall, I really love this game. It's one of the few collectathons that would make me consider completing it more than once. The N64 version is fantastic, but the XBLA version is definitely superior. I legit wish there was an xbox controller with c-buttons for this game. If you haven't played Banjo-Kazooie yet, give it a go! It's easy to pick up and play for short sessions and is a great time.
Basically confirmation to me personally that this game is something I'd have absolutely adored if not for the notes resetting, because this version doesn't have that issue, and I think that this is one of the best 3d platformers out there now! Basically every stage here strikes that perfect balance I like in a collectathon, with pretty solid gameplay with the way your moveset is utilised to lead to discovering a ton of secrets and little hidden areas, combined with some of the best atmosphere you could hope for. It's really diverse stuff too, being especially effective at balancing between more lighthearted, comfy areas with the threats being way more on the goofy side, but then throwing some really grim ideas once in a while too, especially with Clanker's Cavern and Rusty Bucket Bay.
I also find it really neat how each different collectible is handled in terms of level design, as it basically always leads to you finding something and the reward feeling accurate to the amount of effort you needed to put in to discover it, allowing for both a lot of freebies while leaving room for a few truly devious hiding spots. Honestly just one of the most charming games ever to me and now that I can play it without wanting to tear my hair out whenever I die, I can truly say that I absolutely love Banjo-Kazooie.
I also find it really neat how each different collectible is handled in terms of level design, as it basically always leads to you finding something and the reward feeling accurate to the amount of effort you needed to put in to discover it, allowing for both a lot of freebies while leaving room for a few truly devious hiding spots. Honestly just one of the most charming games ever to me and now that I can play it without wanting to tear my hair out whenever I die, I can truly say that I absolutely love Banjo-Kazooie.
Of all the games in Rare’s expansive catalog, Banjo-Kazooie best encapsulates the studio’s storied history. A quirky 3D platformer that represents Rare at the peak of the creative prowess, it was released on the Nintendo 64 at a time when the console was already flagging against Sony’s CD-powered juggernaut. The circumstances of its release, and Rare’s subsequent shift from working exclusively with Nintendo to joining Microsoft, have led the bear and bird to becoming a forgotten duo.
In any case, the creativity here is undeniable. Banjo-Kazooie feels like an indie developer’s fever-dream Unity platformer that was given enough support to blossom into a full-blown, high-quality game. Banjo and Kazooie are as zany as heroes come, and the supporting cast is even zanier. Who thought to pit the player against a crotchety green witch who always speaks in rhyme? And how about the “Game Over” cutscene, which in 2023 wouldn’t get off the drawing board, much less into the final source code? Green-skinned Barbie is so 1998.
Every room is different from the last, and the game always kept me in the dark about what was coming next. But when every level is an experiment, there are bound to be a few flops, and in Banjo-Kazooie the questionable design decisions disproportionately weigh down the back half. Rusty Bucket Bay and Click Clock Wood have finicky platforming bits, with long walks of shame when you inevitably fall and need to try again. Then there’s Grunty’s Furnace Fun, the final stage, whose name that’s only two-thirds true. It feels like a throwback to NES-era game design, with the bonus addition of guide-proof trivia questions thrown in just for kicks. I didn’t much enjoy it, though I admit I felt a small sense of satisfaction upon passing it and then laying the smackdown on the final boss.
While these sections are annoying in a modern context, one in which I have thousands of games to play and not enough time to play them, I suspect if I went back in time to 1998 I’d feel differently. Nintendo 64 game carts were expensive, and for a kid with just a couple of them, Banjo-Kazooie’s level of difficulty would’ve been a godsend, providing extra hours of fun. Although many players gave up before reaching the true ending, the good vibes they felt while dashing, jumping, and flying around the game’s lovingly crafted levels were crystalized in their memories for decades to come.
As I write this review, it’s already been over a week since I finished Banjo-Kazooie. Yet even now, with my playthrough not even a month behind me, I can already feel my recollections of the game growing fonder. Frustration fades away and only fond impressions of pure creative exuberance remain. Perhaps this explains why everyone thought Yooka-Laylee was a good idea until they didn’t.
In any case, the creativity here is undeniable. Banjo-Kazooie feels like an indie developer’s fever-dream Unity platformer that was given enough support to blossom into a full-blown, high-quality game. Banjo and Kazooie are as zany as heroes come, and the supporting cast is even zanier. Who thought to pit the player against a crotchety green witch who always speaks in rhyme? And how about the “Game Over” cutscene, which in 2023 wouldn’t get off the drawing board, much less into the final source code? Green-skinned Barbie is so 1998.
Every room is different from the last, and the game always kept me in the dark about what was coming next. But when every level is an experiment, there are bound to be a few flops, and in Banjo-Kazooie the questionable design decisions disproportionately weigh down the back half. Rusty Bucket Bay and Click Clock Wood have finicky platforming bits, with long walks of shame when you inevitably fall and need to try again. Then there’s Grunty’s Furnace Fun, the final stage, whose name that’s only two-thirds true. It feels like a throwback to NES-era game design, with the bonus addition of guide-proof trivia questions thrown in just for kicks. I didn’t much enjoy it, though I admit I felt a small sense of satisfaction upon passing it and then laying the smackdown on the final boss.
While these sections are annoying in a modern context, one in which I have thousands of games to play and not enough time to play them, I suspect if I went back in time to 1998 I’d feel differently. Nintendo 64 game carts were expensive, and for a kid with just a couple of them, Banjo-Kazooie’s level of difficulty would’ve been a godsend, providing extra hours of fun. Although many players gave up before reaching the true ending, the good vibes they felt while dashing, jumping, and flying around the game’s lovingly crafted levels were crystalized in their memories for decades to come.
As I write this review, it’s already been over a week since I finished Banjo-Kazooie. Yet even now, with my playthrough not even a month behind me, I can already feel my recollections of the game growing fonder. Frustration fades away and only fond impressions of pure creative exuberance remain. Perhaps this explains why everyone thought Yooka-Laylee was a good idea until they didn’t.
Jogado no Xbox Game Pass pelo Cloud Gaming. Banjo-Kazooie é um jogo muito especial. A inventividade dos cenários, a diversão das músicas, o espírito de procurar e coletar, o design de personagens, tudo é muito, muito especial, remanescente de uma época em videogames que não vai voltar.
Mas Banjo-Kazooie também é um jogo antigo, com seus problemas (mesmo que a versão de X360 resolva alguns). Desafios levemente obtusos, controles que decidem não funcionar, progressões estranhas.
Podem me chamar de frouxo, mas o mês que esse jogo ficou parado já diz bastante sobre o porquê de eu deixar ele de lado por enquanto. Talvez as pessoas lembrem dele com carinho pela nostalgia, em uma época onde essas coisas não eram problemas, mas o melhor que tinhamos? Eu comecei tão animado, eu fiz o passeio na 1ª fase... simplesmente porque foi o que eu mais joguei do jogo quando criança.
Jogar Banjo-Kazooie e entender o quão especial ele é... só me faz querer que alguém reimagine Banjo-Kazooie para mais pessoas, incluindo eu, consiga entender o quão especial ele é.
Mas Banjo-Kazooie também é um jogo antigo, com seus problemas (mesmo que a versão de X360 resolva alguns). Desafios levemente obtusos, controles que decidem não funcionar, progressões estranhas.
Podem me chamar de frouxo, mas o mês que esse jogo ficou parado já diz bastante sobre o porquê de eu deixar ele de lado por enquanto. Talvez as pessoas lembrem dele com carinho pela nostalgia, em uma época onde essas coisas não eram problemas, mas o melhor que tinhamos? Eu comecei tão animado, eu fiz o passeio na 1ª fase... simplesmente porque foi o que eu mais joguei do jogo quando criança.
Jogar Banjo-Kazooie e entender o quão especial ele é... só me faz querer que alguém reimagine Banjo-Kazooie para mais pessoas, incluindo eu, consiga entender o quão especial ele é.
always wanted to cross this one off my backlog. Superb presentation as usual from Rare. Enjoyed every world theme and looked forward to each new one to see what's next. the characters and dialogue were simple but charming. Some of the jigs are a bit obtuse and i found myself looking up a guide more times than i'd like. still having said that i'm really glad I 100% this game. Gruntilda's board game and final boss can go to hell, tho.
100% Completion
18:42:11 Time Clocked
18:42:11 Time Clocked
Please Microsoft, put this version of the game on PC, I'll buy 20. Please, with a cherry on top
This is a classic that I have avoided for far too long, and will be remedying soon. Saying I am excited for this is an understatement!
This review contains spoilers
Such a fun collectathon puzzle platformer. The first level was a bit boring and small, which I why I jumped off this game before. After sticking with it, I had a lot of fun. Some fun transformations that felt a bit underutilized and samey. The platforming is pretty challenging by modern standards and unforgiving at times (especially later levels). Some interesting and quirky puzzle design (stomp on a turtle’s feet to help it keep warm, fight a giant crab and then climb inside its shell, ship horn puzzle that is solved by playing the level’s theme song, shoot out a metal shark’s rotten teeth to climb inside, flushed down a toilet while playing as the pumpkin, ouija board puzzle, find three presents for the kid bears, stomp on a camel’s back to shoot water at a parched palm tree, mummy’s maze, land sled on bear father’s belly to pop out the jiggy he ate, etc. Gruntilda speaks rhymes to try to deter you from continuing your journey that are humorous if childish. It keeps her mansion from being tedious while running around its kafkaesque design. The last two levels were a letdown: The water ship level was extremely limiting and irritating when you fell in. The tree level was boring to keep traversing the same place and very difficult and unforgiving platforming. Some transformations along the seasons were cool to see though. Very good attention to detail for what was capable of the time. The secret boss (you have to 100% to unlock) fight with Gruntilda was legitimately challenging.
The tree in Click Clock Wood can kiss my ass.
Best game ever
First time playing.
Great game, not a 3d plataform kind guy but this one is really good.
Not a fun of the quiz at the end (terrible), but the game in general is amazing. Final battle is really good and the soundtrack is A+
Great game, not a 3d plataform kind guy but this one is really good.
Not a fun of the quiz at the end (terrible), but the game in general is amazing. Final battle is really good and the soundtrack is A+
Rare struck gold with this duo, as the original Banjo-Kazooie remains a great title even to this day, with the 360 version's QoL addition of all Notes remaining collected taking a lot of the load off of the player's shoulders. Absolutely worth a playthrough, and it's easy to see why this game made the bear and bird popular enough to be included in Smash Ultimate.
Now that’s a whole ass video game. Amazing gameplay flow, fun but simple movement, each stage feels unique and memorable. Cherry On Top is the charming writing and characters. Knocked half a star off for Rust Bucket Bay alone though.
An absolute classic and one of my all-time favorites. This rerelease fixes the one gripe I had with this game being the Jinjos and notes resetting each time you die. In terms of collectathons, this is the best possible entry point into the genre. The game has a lot of charm. There are a handful of funny jokes and characters, the platforming is fun, and it is an easy, relatively short game.
For "one of the greatest collectathon platformers of all time", I enjoyed it about as much as I expected to. I think this game's strengths really only lie in its presentation. All the characters are intricately designed (well, for an N64 game) and animated with a ton of squash-n-stretch. The witty dialogue and distinct funny noises everyone makes keeps them weirdly memorable in the long run. I feel like Grant Kirkhope went too far in on a single leitmotif, to the point where it becomes a grating earworm, but I have to praise how instruments dynamically change depending on where you are and what you're doing. This is particularly effective in Gruntilda's Lair, the massive, labrynthian hub world that brings all the levels together. The scale of these worlds must've been insane on N64.
Alas, a platformer is only as good as its platforming challenges and controls, neither of which stack up in my eyes. Most of the "moves" you learn are context sensitive actions. You can only initiate flight off of one panel type, or do a beeg jump off another type. All moves except the Talon Trot bring you to a dead stop when using them, and the former's only use is going fast! Aiming the Beak Bomb mid-flight is stupid and bad. The hardest "puzzles" I had to solve were ones where you had to fire eggs at things, because that move is so situational that I constantly forgot I had it. The game often focuses more on solving environmental puzzle solving for most objectives, and when put in situations where actual platforming is required, it's usually a do-or-die scenario, like climbing Click-Clock Wood's tree.
Also, I don't care if it was harder on the N64 because your note count reset upon death, Rusty Bucket Bay is just a shit level overall. It alone knocked half a star off my opinion of this game. On top of the cheap obstacles, you also have exhaust pipes you just have to infer that you can jump down, and windows that you just have to know that you can break. It straight up sucks!
Alas, a platformer is only as good as its platforming challenges and controls, neither of which stack up in my eyes. Most of the "moves" you learn are context sensitive actions. You can only initiate flight off of one panel type, or do a beeg jump off another type. All moves except the Talon Trot bring you to a dead stop when using them, and the former's only use is going fast! Aiming the Beak Bomb mid-flight is stupid and bad. The hardest "puzzles" I had to solve were ones where you had to fire eggs at things, because that move is so situational that I constantly forgot I had it. The game often focuses more on solving environmental puzzle solving for most objectives, and when put in situations where actual platforming is required, it's usually a do-or-die scenario, like climbing Click-Clock Wood's tree.
Also, I don't care if it was harder on the N64 because your note count reset upon death, Rusty Bucket Bay is just a shit level overall. It alone knocked half a star off my opinion of this game. On top of the cheap obstacles, you also have exhaust pipes you just have to infer that you can jump down, and windows that you just have to know that you can break. It straight up sucks!
Do I miss the C-buttons? Absolutely. Are the face icon/sprites for Banjo, Kazooie, and Jinjos a lot worse in this version? Sure. But HD Widescreen is enough to make this the definitive way to play Banjo-Kazooie.
only took me 10 years of saying "i should play banjo, i know i'd like it." and who would have guessed, i liked it!
every world is pretty great! treasure trove cove, freezeazy peak, mad monster mansion, and click clock wood were probably my favorites. the lowest point was rusty bucket bay, which is a bummer cause i loved the theme and climbing up the boat was fun, but it was probably the most bullshit of them all. even that world is still fun, just the worst one for me. the hub world is also GREAT, one of the best in any game i've played for sure. so fun to run around in, and lots of fun and cool secrets. i love hub worlds in 3d platformers so much!!!
the control is so good here, there truly isn't any game that has this kind of weight and feel to it. basic running and jumping feels great and has such a satisfying weight to it. it's far from the best feeling 3d platformer ever, but there really isn't anything similar to it and i think that makes me appreciate it a lot. it's not perfect by any means, i wish the flap flip (the big backflip jump) let you have a bit more control after you executed it, and i wish there was a bit less end lag to some moves, it takes a while to get out of the talon trot namely, and you have no attack options while using it which is a bit frustrating. flying and swimming also are pretty rough, flying especially when you need to be more precise with beak bombs can be pretty frustrating. this hurts the most against the snowmen enemies and the final gruntilda fight (which in spite of that i still loved and thought was super cool) all in all it feels great though!
this game looks great too, i'm playing the XBLA remaster which for sure helps, but even the original game has such a charming art style that i really can't get enough of. rare knew how to make their games look absolutely gorgeous in this era. there's such a big cast of super charming and cool characters! this really is peak character design on display.
obviously sound wise this game rocks, everyone knows it's an all time video game OST but even just the sound design is soooo good and iconic. all of kazooies sounds when she performs movies, the jingles that play when you pick up collectables or equip power ups are all insanely top notch. obviously they knew this because in the final quiz show one of the categories is sounds in the game, it almost felt like they were flexing how great and iconic these sounds were!
although, speaking of the final quiz show, that brings me to the negative of the game. that quiz show is dumb! i think if they just removed insta death squares it'd be fine, and i only got caught by the insta death square once but just know they're there felt like a pretty bad mechanic and made it ruthlessly hard when i feel like it already has a solid challenge! even if you wanna have less honeycombs to compensate i still think that's a way more fair and fun challenge to it. it's also a late 90s collectathon so it has a lot of those trappings when it comes to finding everything. spyro truly nailed the system of having sparx lead you the general direction of gems, i really wish this game had something like that for notes. i didn't often find myself missing out on notes and having to comb levels, but the few times i did were pretty frustrating and it'd be an easy fix. thank god i didn't play on the n64 version where dying resets notes that would have been unbearable! it's not the end of the world, especially with video guides and such but it was a bit frustrating and i think every collectathon should bare minimum have a system that points you in the general direction of any missing collectables. aside from those 2 things (and the brief control issues i mentioned in that section) i don't have much negative to say about this game. it's just so much fun!
a phenomenal 3d platformer all around! looks great and has a super charming cast of characters, genuinely pretty funny writing, and an all time great OST + sound design are the cherry on top of amazing level design and very great control. highly recommend!
every world is pretty great! treasure trove cove, freezeazy peak, mad monster mansion, and click clock wood were probably my favorites. the lowest point was rusty bucket bay, which is a bummer cause i loved the theme and climbing up the boat was fun, but it was probably the most bullshit of them all. even that world is still fun, just the worst one for me. the hub world is also GREAT, one of the best in any game i've played for sure. so fun to run around in, and lots of fun and cool secrets. i love hub worlds in 3d platformers so much!!!
the control is so good here, there truly isn't any game that has this kind of weight and feel to it. basic running and jumping feels great and has such a satisfying weight to it. it's far from the best feeling 3d platformer ever, but there really isn't anything similar to it and i think that makes me appreciate it a lot. it's not perfect by any means, i wish the flap flip (the big backflip jump) let you have a bit more control after you executed it, and i wish there was a bit less end lag to some moves, it takes a while to get out of the talon trot namely, and you have no attack options while using it which is a bit frustrating. flying and swimming also are pretty rough, flying especially when you need to be more precise with beak bombs can be pretty frustrating. this hurts the most against the snowmen enemies and the final gruntilda fight (which in spite of that i still loved and thought was super cool) all in all it feels great though!
this game looks great too, i'm playing the XBLA remaster which for sure helps, but even the original game has such a charming art style that i really can't get enough of. rare knew how to make their games look absolutely gorgeous in this era. there's such a big cast of super charming and cool characters! this really is peak character design on display.
obviously sound wise this game rocks, everyone knows it's an all time video game OST but even just the sound design is soooo good and iconic. all of kazooies sounds when she performs movies, the jingles that play when you pick up collectables or equip power ups are all insanely top notch. obviously they knew this because in the final quiz show one of the categories is sounds in the game, it almost felt like they were flexing how great and iconic these sounds were!
although, speaking of the final quiz show, that brings me to the negative of the game. that quiz show is dumb! i think if they just removed insta death squares it'd be fine, and i only got caught by the insta death square once but just know they're there felt like a pretty bad mechanic and made it ruthlessly hard when i feel like it already has a solid challenge! even if you wanna have less honeycombs to compensate i still think that's a way more fair and fun challenge to it. it's also a late 90s collectathon so it has a lot of those trappings when it comes to finding everything. spyro truly nailed the system of having sparx lead you the general direction of gems, i really wish this game had something like that for notes. i didn't often find myself missing out on notes and having to comb levels, but the few times i did were pretty frustrating and it'd be an easy fix. thank god i didn't play on the n64 version where dying resets notes that would have been unbearable! it's not the end of the world, especially with video guides and such but it was a bit frustrating and i think every collectathon should bare minimum have a system that points you in the general direction of any missing collectables. aside from those 2 things (and the brief control issues i mentioned in that section) i don't have much negative to say about this game. it's just so much fun!
a phenomenal 3d platformer all around! looks great and has a super charming cast of characters, genuinely pretty funny writing, and an all time great OST + sound design are the cherry on top of amazing level design and very great control. highly recommend!
Banjo is fun, and that's honestly not something I expected going into this game. After my experiences with super old early 3D games of this era ended up being mostly on the negative end, I was surprised at what a relaxing fun game this was. I ended up really enjoying my first experience with Banjo Kazooie, but it got me pondering: why did I have fun with this but didn't have fun at all with Mario 64? By design I prefer platformers where you can really mess around with their movement and experiment and Mario 64 has that on display ten fold while Banjo is super limited in this regard. So why did I end up not only hating that game but having fun with this one? After thinking it over I came up with a couple of explanations.
For one, the overall handling and ground control is LEAGUES better than 64's overly sluggish almost tank like base movement. Moving around was no problem at all and the levels were all small and compactly built around Banjo's overall relaxed easy going pace and speed, it felt great from the get go. It's simply fun to explore the stages and find collectibles without getting booted out of the stage the moment you collected them. There's overall a lot of fun silly charm the game has that definitely bolstered my enjoyment. Yeah the swimming controls aren't super ideal, it's often hard to tell what object is breakable (specifically windows and doors that lead to different rooms but most of them look like any flat uninteractive texture already in the game) and the final boss sucks, but I overall had a good time. It's not super amazing and didn't blow me away or anything, but it didn't need to. I feel not every game needs to be an 8-9/10 or bust, some games can just be simple and fun to play through and not much more than that, I can vibe with it.
For one, the overall handling and ground control is LEAGUES better than 64's overly sluggish almost tank like base movement. Moving around was no problem at all and the levels were all small and compactly built around Banjo's overall relaxed easy going pace and speed, it felt great from the get go. It's simply fun to explore the stages and find collectibles without getting booted out of the stage the moment you collected them. There's overall a lot of fun silly charm the game has that definitely bolstered my enjoyment. Yeah the swimming controls aren't super ideal, it's often hard to tell what object is breakable (specifically windows and doors that lead to different rooms but most of them look like any flat uninteractive texture already in the game) and the final boss sucks, but I overall had a good time. It's not super amazing and didn't blow me away or anything, but it didn't need to. I feel not every game needs to be an 8-9/10 or bust, some games can just be simple and fun to play through and not much more than that, I can vibe with it.
Go check out my Review of the N64 version of this to get my full feelings. In short, it is an improvement to what is already an amazing game. I'll copy any info about this version from my original review below.
I suggest playing the Rare Replay Version/Xbox Version as it fixes some of the flaws. Or emulate and save state often. It's not a hard game to complete or beat. Mostly a chill fun experience. One of the biggest improvements is keeping your note count, on death or exit. It brings it in line with Tooie in that regard. It also improves some of the controls and just looks prettier.
The remaster even adds the fabled Stop N Swap feature. Sadly it amounts to nothing in the end due to Nuts n Bolts being a mediocre game. One last thing the remaster offers is a bonus mini game in Banjo's house. If you like putting puzzles together, it's fun. Be warned it get stupidly hard though.
I suggest playing the Rare Replay Version/Xbox Version as it fixes some of the flaws. Or emulate and save state often. It's not a hard game to complete or beat. Mostly a chill fun experience. One of the biggest improvements is keeping your note count, on death or exit. It brings it in line with Tooie in that regard. It also improves some of the controls and just looks prettier.
The remaster even adds the fabled Stop N Swap feature. Sadly it amounts to nothing in the end due to Nuts n Bolts being a mediocre game. One last thing the remaster offers is a bonus mini game in Banjo's house. If you like putting puzzles together, it's fun. Be warned it get stupidly hard though.
Your sister, Tooty, has been kidnapped by the nefarious witch Gruntilda. It's up to you, Banjo, and your trusted, but surprisingly bitter companion Kazooie, to save her from having her beauty stolen. The only thing in your way? Gruntilda's luxurious lair, decorated with portals to multiple realms you must plunder for resources to reach your sister.
Man oh man do I wish that I'd played Banjo-Kazooie when I had a lot more patience for 3D Platformers that expect precision movements. I found that I myself was the biggest obstacle between myself and enjoying this touched up Nintendo 64 classic. It's a wonderfully designed collectathon platformer with 9 levels filled to the brim with a variety of objectives, collectibles, and new abilities to enrich your journey through Gruntilda's lair.
But.
It's also a 90s 3D Platformer. That means you have to wrangle with the camera, deal with a host of imprecise controls that become barriers to progress (I'm looking at you, swimming and flying controls), and some pretty obscure objectives that require you to make pretty large leaps in logic to complete. Especially in the latter half of the game's 9 massive playground-esque levels, I hit multiple walls where I really ended up scraping against every bit of the terrain in order to find some basic progress. You also have limited lives, and losing them sends you all the way back to not just the beginning of the level you're working on, but to the beginning of Gruntilda's lair. Every time something a poor choice or cheap mechanic led to the loss of all of my lives I could feel my blood pressure rising. Man.
Beyond my grievances however, is a colorful, huge game that really encourages you to dig in and explore everything it has to offer. Every level introduces new objects to engage with and a slew of new moves and new ways to convince you engage with older moves as you run, jump, and climb your way through each of the 9 levels. Not all of the level design is intuitive within the game's limited camera control and movement, but its a richly designed experience that's every bit as creative and interesting as its contemporaries; I found myself reflecting on my relationship with the later entries in the Spyro trilogy which are two games that definitely take a similar approach in collecting and objective driven gameplay to Banjo Kazooie. I love those games.
So why don't I love Banjo-Kazooie?
Well. I played them Spyro games when I was all of about 8 years old. My relationship with those games goes back an entire generation at this point. It's aged like a fine wine.
I played Banjo-Kazooie as a 27 year old. 27 year old had a pretty bad time. I yelled. Hooted. Hollered. Cheered when it was over. Because of course I did - I don't find as much fun in repetition as someone experiencing it for the first time as a child does. As someone who has that deep connection with it that goes back years. 27 year old me probably rates this a solid 2.5 stars; removing myself and looking at Banjo-Kazooie from the top down and understanding its target audience and its existence over time make its a far more engaging experience.
Banjo-Kazooie is pretty good.
Man oh man do I wish that I'd played Banjo-Kazooie when I had a lot more patience for 3D Platformers that expect precision movements. I found that I myself was the biggest obstacle between myself and enjoying this touched up Nintendo 64 classic. It's a wonderfully designed collectathon platformer with 9 levels filled to the brim with a variety of objectives, collectibles, and new abilities to enrich your journey through Gruntilda's lair.
But.
It's also a 90s 3D Platformer. That means you have to wrangle with the camera, deal with a host of imprecise controls that become barriers to progress (I'm looking at you, swimming and flying controls), and some pretty obscure objectives that require you to make pretty large leaps in logic to complete. Especially in the latter half of the game's 9 massive playground-esque levels, I hit multiple walls where I really ended up scraping against every bit of the terrain in order to find some basic progress. You also have limited lives, and losing them sends you all the way back to not just the beginning of the level you're working on, but to the beginning of Gruntilda's lair. Every time something a poor choice or cheap mechanic led to the loss of all of my lives I could feel my blood pressure rising. Man.
Beyond my grievances however, is a colorful, huge game that really encourages you to dig in and explore everything it has to offer. Every level introduces new objects to engage with and a slew of new moves and new ways to convince you engage with older moves as you run, jump, and climb your way through each of the 9 levels. Not all of the level design is intuitive within the game's limited camera control and movement, but its a richly designed experience that's every bit as creative and interesting as its contemporaries; I found myself reflecting on my relationship with the later entries in the Spyro trilogy which are two games that definitely take a similar approach in collecting and objective driven gameplay to Banjo Kazooie. I love those games.
So why don't I love Banjo-Kazooie?
Well. I played them Spyro games when I was all of about 8 years old. My relationship with those games goes back an entire generation at this point. It's aged like a fine wine.
I played Banjo-Kazooie as a 27 year old. 27 year old had a pretty bad time. I yelled. Hooted. Hollered. Cheered when it was over. Because of course I did - I don't find as much fun in repetition as someone experiencing it for the first time as a child does. As someone who has that deep connection with it that goes back years. 27 year old me probably rates this a solid 2.5 stars; removing myself and looking at Banjo-Kazooie from the top down and understanding its target audience and its existence over time make its a far more engaging experience.
Banjo-Kazooie is pretty good.
Confesso que a experiência teve bastante altos e baixos, enquanto o começo me agradou e impressionou, quanto mais ia avançando, mais o jogo apresentava alguns levels bem chatinhos e sem graça(aquela fase do navio é péssima), mas a reta final compensa demais, ela é tão boa, que supera todos as partes que não estavam me agradando.
A sequencia do quiz é uma das coisas mais insanas e interessantes que eu vi num jogo desse estilo, realmente merece todos os méritos e fama que carrega. Jogão.
A sequencia do quiz é uma das coisas mais insanas e interessantes que eu vi num jogo desse estilo, realmente merece todos os méritos e fama que carrega. Jogão.
I've held the (unpopular?) opinion that most of Rare's Nintendo 64 output has aged poorly. One game, however, that hasn't aged poorly is the original Banjo-Kazooie. This is still a captivating 3D platformer with incredible worlds, great collect-a-thon elements and a boatload of charm. It's a shame the rest of the series didn't sing to me, but this is still a phenomenal title.
truly think moreso than others that this game is purely carried by people's nostalgia for when they played it as a kid. i played it as an adult for the first time and it was just a complete slog. unfun to control, boring stages, and a million collectibles make playing it feel like busywork.
i do like how the characters make noises when they talk, and the OST, while having a lot of tunes i find really grating, does have a few good tracks.
i do like how the characters make noises when they talk, and the OST, while having a lot of tunes i find really grating, does have a few good tracks.
I am SO HAPPY that I gave this cute little bear and his cheeky bird friend a second chance.
Banjo-Kazooie is outstanding, especially considering its release date.
Funny, great level design, superb soundtrack.
This is on Mario Odyssey level!
Banjo-Kazooie is outstanding, especially considering its release date.
Funny, great level design, superb soundtrack.
This is on Mario Odyssey level!
Really good game would recommend if you love platformers, it has aged very well, but it might just be because this is the remaster. I never played the original.
Usual collectathon.
It starts to drag on even though the levels are really well crafted. The woods level was annoying, but the final level was pretty original.
It was ok.
It starts to drag on even though the levels are really well crafted. The woods level was annoying, but the final level was pretty original.
It was ok.
If you haven't played banjo before play this over the original. The note system is retooled and a lot better and makes levels like Rusty Bucket Bay less stressful and repetitive.
Definitive version to the greatest 3D collect-a-thon platformer ever made. Rare was such an incredibly talented developer during the 90's. Any genre they touched, they were almost certainly adept at nearly perfecting it. To convey how impressive this game was for the time, keep in mind, Super Mario 64 was released in 1996, this came out in 1998, ONLY TWO YEARS LATER.
While the movement is arguably not as incredibly satisfying, the amount of moves and abilities the game offers you makes up for it. On top of that, instead of having the collectables be segmented one at a time throughout a world, they managed to create some of the best level design to make it so you can collect every Jiggy in one go within a single world. The sheer ambition, and charm this game oozes helps it to surpass Super Mario 64, and still hold up to this very day.
With the 360 port, this game honestly still holds up. The writing is fantastic, the art is fantastic, everything about it is perfection to me. Banjo and Kazooie prove to be a truly iconic duo within the 3D platformer genre, even securing a spot in Smash Bros. which is something I'm still in disbelief about to this day.
If you've got an Xbox, or a NSO membership, give it a shot. It's objectively Rare's magnum opus. Although, personally, I'd still give that title to Conker's Bad Fur Day any day.
While the movement is arguably not as incredibly satisfying, the amount of moves and abilities the game offers you makes up for it. On top of that, instead of having the collectables be segmented one at a time throughout a world, they managed to create some of the best level design to make it so you can collect every Jiggy in one go within a single world. The sheer ambition, and charm this game oozes helps it to surpass Super Mario 64, and still hold up to this very day.
With the 360 port, this game honestly still holds up. The writing is fantastic, the art is fantastic, everything about it is perfection to me. Banjo and Kazooie prove to be a truly iconic duo within the 3D platformer genre, even securing a spot in Smash Bros. which is something I'm still in disbelief about to this day.
If you've got an Xbox, or a NSO membership, give it a shot. It's objectively Rare's magnum opus. Although, personally, I'd still give that title to Conker's Bad Fur Day any day.