I revisited the game and proved that my loving it back when it came out was no fluke. The main story is short and satisfying, and the post-game is seemingly endless to the point where the amount of content is dependent on how dedicated (hardcore) you are as a player. I'll never forget how as a kid, I was at my aunt's house, playing through the 99-floor Lugia dungeon (there are so many 99-floor dungeons lmao), and my partner killed Lugia and thus prevented me from recruiting it, and I just went "welp" and immediately started the dungeon again and recruited Lugia before the car ride home. What tenacity we often had as children. Great game.

It's hard to go wrong with the standard duel simulator games from this era. Walking around the Duel Academy with my avatar was pretty fun, but I wasn't initially making the most of it. At some point, my friend was like, "When are you going to do the dating sim portion of the game?" and I decided he was right and boy was that some icing on the cake. At the end of the school year, when I had to pick a tag duel partner, the tough decision needed to be made between the two sexiest characters, whom I was simultaneously courting: Alexis and Zane (I went with Zane; he has Cyber Dragon).

I'll preface this review by saying that I played Banjo-Kazooie on the original N64 when I was a kid and on the Xbox, Switch, and emulator more recently. In short, an amazing early 3D platformer and one that deserves your time to this day. If Super Mario 64 was the birth of the genre, Banjo-Kazooie was the first evolution. The game breathed new life by satisfyingly combining platforming with exploration, puzzle solving, story/character interactions and an ABSOLUTELY BANGER SOUNDTRACK. SM64, the hallmark of the time, I would say is the better game in terms of strict platforming, but it doesn't hold a candle to Banjo-Kazooie when it comes to any of these other factors. This is a game which you can really tell was made with charm and style forefront in mind, from its quirky cast of characters (with their iconic, and frankly genius, dialogue audio) to its inspired and thematic level designs. In what other game can you get a game over screen where a green witch who only speaks in rhymes steals your kidnapped sister's beauty and transforms into a stereotypical hot woman? These sort of touches are what makes Banjo-Kazooie a gem among its peers which stands out even in the modern era. I could wax poetical on this game all day so I'll end it with this: Banjo got into Smash get fucked everyone who told me he wouldnt.

This game is an arena for the build lovers, centered around intricate character building that begs you to break it. With all the skills being on-condition triggers, it provides a massive feast for those who love mechanics-heavy gameplay. Imagine the depth of playing Dredge in MTG or Wardloop in Path of Exile, but with every character embodying that level of complexity. It fulfills the aspirations I have for TOME4, offering a wealth of possibilities for diverse and imaginative builds. Beyond its gameplay, the game doesn't skimp on audio, delivering great soundtracks, and it has a little bit of intriguing lore too.