I knew from the moment I saw Alucard show up in this nothing game, starting to spout words to a character he never mentions ever again in the series, this game was definitely someone's fan-fiction. Like there's no other way to explain it, no offense to the character herself, I think its great that we have a female protagonist after all these sweaty buff guys, but she really fucked herself over by having a Gameboy game of all things, as we know already those games aren't the greatest, and neither is this one.

Man I don't know what everyone else saw in this game that I didn't but I just hated my overall time playing this one. The map design is so bland and boring, the movement is so limited, the card system is a neat idea if you can actually get enemies to drop the damn things. And while it is their first attempt at a metroidvania on the GBA, it really felt like it. The removal of currency and having no game shop made this game unnecessarily hard. If I weren't playing this one on the emulator I don't think I would've beaten it. I filled out like 90% of the map and even by the end I was struggling. I hear people really enjoy the card system but I could never get these damn things to drop. I feel like drop rates in this game in general are so rare and scuffed that It doesn't matter how well you play, you'll reach a bullshit section due to how underleveled you are and don't have the appropriate armor to take care of the threat.

Also, you can ONLY use a whip in this game, Idk man that's just lame, I get it, he's considered to be a belmont but this just makes him less fun to play as. I think the devs may have realized this so for Aria you actually play as a non belmont, and further down the line if you do play as one they give you the option to use different weapons like with Jonathan in Portrait of Ruin.

Yeah I didn't like this one, at all, I wish I could see what all the 3-4 stars people saw in this one but as it stands this is my least favorite metroidvania i've played.

Here it is, my 100th review. I wanted this one to be very special since ever since I did this gaming cleanse I feel like i've been able to really appreciate and go into a more in-depth look on the way I feel about videos games. Banjo Kazooie is the prime example of what it means to be a strictly fun game with very little fluff in between. Right off the bat you learn of this games world and setting quickly, and when you leave Banjos house it doesn't matter if its your first time playing, the game asks if you know all of banjos moves prompting you to select yes or not, basically meaning you can skip the tutorial. And I mean just something like that really goes a long way in feeling like the devs care about you, they don't treat you like the dumb fuck babies most modern games do, they believe if you've got it down, then why hold you back any further. Get out there and beat that Grunty.

Anyways, Banjo Kazooie is a game that's very near and dear to me, I could easily just do a general review on the game but its all good, like even the quote on quote "Boring" levels are still fun to play through. The music is amazing and the world and the characters are so charming, full of childlike wonder and whimsy. It really is one of those games you just don't find in todays era. I want to specfically mention the bear and bird duo, I love everything about their dynamic, Banjo the calm but sort of naive one, and Kazooie the hot headed and mean one, but both still help each other out at the end of the day. And get this, they're 3D Platforming mascots who TALK. Yep, crazy right, in an era with mostly silent protagonists hearing the characters REACT to their environments and the world around them does wonders for keeping me engaged. And I care about these two goofballs so much.

I'm not sure what else to even say, this may be like my 10th time replaying this game and every replay is as good as the last. If you still haven't experienced Banjo but are a fan of 3D platformers, then what are you waiting for?