The Banjo-Kazooie series consists of five video games developed by Rare and released between 1998 and 2008. The series began on the Nintendo 64 (N64) with Banjo-Kazooie (1998) and Banjo-Tooie (2000). These were followed by two spin-off titles for the Game Boy Advance, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge (2003) and Banjo-Pilot (2005). The most recent instalment, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, was released for the Xbox 360 in 2008. The first three Banjo games are platformers that follow a bear, Banjo, and a bird, Kazooie, as they try to stop the plans of the witch Gruntilda. Conversely, Banjo-Pilot is a kart racing game similar to Mario Kart, while Nuts & Bolts is an action-adventure game with an emphasis on building vehicles. The series is known for its "collect-a-thon" design, as players progress through the games by collecting items such as jigsaw pieces and musical notes.
Banjo-Kazooie's origins can be traced back to Project Dream, a role-playing video game Rare developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System using technology from Donkey Kong Country (1994). Development shifted to the N64, and Rare decided to retool the project into a platformer after seeing prototypes of Super Mario 64 and Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001). Nintendo, which held a minority stake in Rare at the time, published the first two games. Microsoft gained the rights to the series after acquiring Rare in 2002, subsequently rereleasing the N64 games and developing Nuts & Bolts for its Xbox product line. The series has mostly been dormant since the release of Nuts & Bolts, but Banjo and Kazooie have made appearances in other games, including Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010) and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018).
Games
edit| 1998 | Banjo-Kazooie |
|---|---|
| 1999 | |
| 2000 | Banjo-Tooie |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | |
| 2003 | Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | Banjo-Pilot |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts |
- Banjo-Kazooie (1998) is the first entry in the series and was designed by Gregg Mayles.[1] It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 (N64) by Nintendo and was rereleased in 2008 for the Xbox 360 by Microsoft Studios, which acquired Rare in 2002.[2] The story follows the anthropomorphic animals Banjo the bear and Kazooie the bird as they try to stop the witch Gruntilda, who has kidnapped Banjo's sister Tooty.[1]
- Banjo-Tooie (2000) is the second entry in the series and the sequel to Banjo-Kazooie.[1] It was originally released for the N64 and was rereleased for the Xbox 360 in 2009. The story is set two years after the events of Banjo-Kazooie and follows Banjo and Kazooie as they attempt to prevent Gruntilda from vapourising their world.
- Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge (2003) is the third entry in the series and the first of two spinoffs for the Game Boy Advance (GBA).[1] It was released for the GBA by THQ, which made a deal with Microsoft to publish Rare's GBA games after the acquisition. The story is set between the events of the N64 games and follows Banjo and Kazooie as they go back in time to prevent Gruntilda from reversing her defeat in Banjo-Kazooie.
- Banjo-Pilot (2005) is the fourth entry and the second spinoff for the GBA.[1] It abandons the platforming gameplay of previous games in favour of a kart racing style in the vein of Nintendo's Mario Kart games.
- Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (2008) is the fifth entry in the series and was released for the Xbox 360.[1] It also abandons the platforming in favour of vehicle construction; rather than learning new moves to continue, the player must instead build vehicles to complete challenges. Its story is set eight years after the events of Banjo-Tooie and features Banjo and Kazooie competing with Gruntilda over their world.
Common elements
editCharacters
editThe Banjo games feature a large cast of characters. The main player characters are Banjo, a brown honey bear who is friendly but lazy; and Kazooie, a red bird who is brave but rude.
Gameplay
editIn the Banjo games, the player must guide Banjo and Kazooie in their quests to defeat Gruntilda. The series is known for its "collect-a-thon" design.[3] The N64 games feature three-dimensional worlds in which the player must gather musical notes and jigsaw pieces, called "Jiggies", to progress. Jiggies allow the player to complete jigsaw puzzles which open doors to new levels, while musical notes grant players access to new inner sections of the overworld. Levels are composed of a number of challenges that involve solving puzzles, jumping over obstacles, gathering objects, and defeating opponents. They also feature elements of action-adventure games as players often have to speak with non-player characters and then figure out a way to help them. While the games progress, Banjo and Kazooie learn new moves, allowing them to access new areas. Grunty's Revenge features similar game mechanics to the N64 games, but is presented in 2D from an overhead perspective rather than 3D.
While Banjo-Pilot and Nuts & Bolts depart from the gameplay of the earlier games, they do retain some of the core aspects. In Banjo-Pilot, the player collects the musical notes to earn in-game currency. Jiggies also appear in a game mode in which the player must collect them while racing to earn points. Like the N64 games, Jiggies serve to unlock new worlds in Nuts & Bolts. While it primarily revolves around vehicle construction, Nuts & Bolts does retain some platforming elements; the player may disembark from a vehicle and explore the environment in a manner similar to that of the previous games. Banjo-Tooie, Banjo-Pilot, and Nuts & Bolts all include multiplayer modes in which players can compete in various challenges. The Xbox 360 games also feature "Stop-N-Swop", which allows data to be transferred between them. For example, by collecting certain items in Banjo-Kazooie, players can build special vehicles in Nuts & Bolts.
History
editConception and Nintendo 64 games (1995—2000)
editMicrosoft acquisition and Game Boy Advance spin-offs (2002—2005)
editNuts & Bolts and future (2008—present)
editRelated games
editPrior to Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo made his first appearance as a player character in Rare's Diddy Kong Racing (1997), a spinoff to the Donkey Kong series. Additionally, Banjo and Kazooie are playable in the Xbox 360 version of the Sonic the Hedgehog game Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing,[4] and skins based on characters from the series are available in the console versions of Minecraft.[5] Rare Replay, a 2015 compilation of 30 games from the history of Rare, contains the Xbox 360 versions of Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, as well as Nuts & Bolts.[6] Banjo and Kazooie also cameo in other Rare games, such as Sea of Thieves (2018),[7] and will be added as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) via downloadable content in late 2019.
Reception
editLegacy
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Yin-Poole, Wesley (1 July 2018). "As Banjo-Kazooie turns 20, we remember Rare's answer to Super Mario 64". Eurogamer. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ Lindbergh, Ben (19 June 2018). "How 'Banjo-Kazooie' Became a Bridge Between Marios". The Ringer. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
- ^ "A Love Letter to the Collect-o-Thon Platformer". Kotaku. 6 July 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ McWhertor, Michael (15 December 2009). "Banjo & Kazooie Join Sonic & Ryo In Sega All-Stars Racing". Kotaku. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ Reseigh-Lincolm, Dom (30 January 2018). "Banjo-Kazooie Are Back On Nintendo... Switch's Version Of Minecraft". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
- ^ Totilo, Stephen (3 August 2015). "Rare Replay: The Kotaku Review". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
- ^ Wales, Matt (4 July 2018). "Sea of Thieves Adds a New Figurehead Celebrating Banjo-Kazooie's 20th Anniversary". Eurogamer. Retrieved 24 October 2018.