Banjo-Kazooie
| |
| Banjo-Kazooie | |
| Developer | Rare Ltd. |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| System | Nintendo 64 |
| Release Date | US May 31, 1998 EU July 17, 1998 JP December 6, 1998 |
| Rating | ESRB: E |
Banjo-Kazooie is an action-adventure game by Rare that was released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64. It features the characters of Banjo and Kazooie and started a successful new series for Rare.
Development[edit]
The game began development under the name Dream on the Super Nintendo. The game was to feature a boy named Edison who got into trouble with some pirates. The hero was replaced by several different characters over the course of the development: rabbit, a dog, and finally the bear named Banjo, who was originally conceived as a minor character.
Banjo-Kazooie was heavily marketed and set as the must-have game of Christmas 1997, but was it pushed back due to development issues. Due to time constraints, several worlds and "Stop N Swap" technology had to be left out of the game.
Story[edit]
An evil and hideous witch named Gruntilda asks her cauldron who's the fairest in the land. When she hears Tooty's name, she kidnaps her and plans to steal her beauty and youth. Tooty's brother, Banjo, and his friend, Kazooie, set out to rescue her.
Gameplay[edit]
In this game, the player controls Banjo in exploring 3-D environments with a gameplay model based on Super Mario 64. There are several different items to collect in order to advance through the game. Jigsaw Pieces, known as Jiggies for short, were the prime collectible item that could be used to unlock new worlds. Musical Notes could also be collected to open special Note Doors that were used to advance through Gruntilda's Lair, which acted as the hub world of the game.
Banjo was the prime playable character, but Kazooie lived in his backpack and was utilized for many of his moves. The player could learn various new moves from Bottles the Mole. There was also a character named Mumbo Jumbo, who could temporarily transform Banjo into different animals or other forms in exchange for Mumbo Tokens.
Legacy[edit]
Banjo-Kazooie spawned another popular series for Rare. It had two sequels, one for the Nintendo 64 and the other for the Xbox 360. There were also two spin-off games on the Gameboy Advance. Years later, Banjo and Kazooie would be included as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as part of the game's DLC.
Awards[edit]
- Interactive Achievement Awards - Console Action/Adventure Game, Best Art Direction
Sequels[edit]
Two years later, Banjo-Tooie was released on the Nintendo 64.
Ports/Remakes[edit]
- After Rare became part of Microsoft, Banjo-Kazooie was later released for download over the X-Box 360's XBox Arcade. This version removed various Nintendo references and featured "Stop & Swap" capability with both Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and the XBox Arcade version of Banjo-Tooie.
- In January 2022, it was added to the digital library of Nintendo 64 games on the Nintendo Switch that could be played through a subscription to the Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack program.