Nintendo announced during their September 2021 Direct that Banjo-Kazooie would soon be coming to the Switch console. Fans are rejoicing! The return of Rare's beloved N64 classic has the internet buzzing with excitement and with hopes that this will only be the first of many additions from the N64 library.
While most of the excitement centers around those feeling nostalgic over the return, it is also evident that there will be a whole new generation of players who will get to experience Banjo-Kazooie for the first time. Let's take a look at a few of the reasons that long-term fans are so excited and what players new to the game have to look forward to.
5 Beloved Playable Characters
The legendary duo of bear and bird that are Banjo and Kazooie is truly a sight to behold. Fans of the games still gush over this pair anytime there is a discussion about the best playable characters in video games. From Kazooie's overly brash and sarcastic personality to Banjo's more laid-back one, they make for an extremely entertaining pair of characters.
Their amazing compatibility is also reflected in their abilities. Kazooie is more than able to support Banjo's weight and much bulkier frame on her skinny bird legs. She can even run fast using her Talon Trot ability while carrying Banjo. The pair can combine their talents to shoot eggs as projectile weapons against their opponents. They also have incredibly fun transformations like the Crocodile from Bubblegloop Swamp or the Bee from Click Clock Wood.
4 The Game Is Incredibly Polished
Banjo-Kazooie is a beautiful example of how to create an excellent 3D platformer. The game graphically looks a lot better than most other games from its era. The coding is almost bulletproof with very few recognizable glitches, which is almost unheard of coming from this time period.
Just one look at all the glitches that the speedrunners take advantage of in Mario 64 and players start to understand just how advanced Banjo was for its time. The controls are also very tight and responsive as well. Add to all of this a large list of abilities that the players can use that stay consistently good throughout the entire game and it's no wonder why Rare is universally recognized as a developer ahead of its time.
Additionally, fans rave over how the various worlds (levels) of Banjo-Kazooie are well designed and fun. They're all the perfect size with a strong balance of vertical and horizontal platforming. These worlds also have little to no forced backtracking or redundancy, making them feel extremely fresh and entertaining.
3 Return To A Nintendo System
While at first glance, this might seem like a minor point, the fact is that the last time Banjo-Kazooie was on a Nintendo system was the 1998 original release on the N64. So it is easily understandable how this is such an exciting development. Ever since Microsoft's acquisition of Rare back in 2002, Rare games (especially ones that use their original IPs specifically) have had a very rocky/nonexistent release pattern on Nintendo systems due to copyright problems. The fact that this release is happening at all is a huge deal.
It is, of course, the hope of many players that this will lead to some other re-releases of a few more of the older Rare games or more collaborations between Nintendo and Rare. The Rare catalog includes so many other games that became instant classics to players in the Nintendo world.
2 Outstanding NPCs
Banjo-Kazooie shows off a ton of personality in a lot of ways. Players know the great Non-player Characters can go a long way toward making a game truly great. In Banjo-Kazooie, the NPCs and their wild personalities, highlighted by the way the developers at Rare wrote pivotal scenes around them, are some of the strongest examples of this. From Gruntilda's silly quips and constant rhyming (which is very impressive on the writer's part) to Mumbo's various comments about the creatures, he turns Banjo into, the game is wildly entertaining. Fans even love discussing the interesting and somewhat personal secrets Brentilda reveals about her sister.
Banjo's developers definitely chose quality over quantity with these NPCs. There isn't a massive cast of characters but the game takes full advantage of the ones it has by having them appear regularly and unexpectedly throughout the game. This helps in making each of them extremely memorable.
1 Fantastic Audio
Fans of the Banjo series rave about how the music in Banjo-Kazooie is absolutely wonderful. The score, composed by the excellent composer who is Grant Kirkhope, has been touted by many as one of the most memorable in gaming. The soundtrack has this strong sense of fun and whimsy. From the varied themes of Click Clock Wood that change to fit the changing of the seasons, to Gruntilda's Lair where the instrumentation matches whatever world the player is closest to. The creativity is astounding. It all builds to the grand spectacle that is the final boss theme. The music never fails to capture the environment or the mood it wants to convey.
However, the audio delight doesn't end with just the musical score. The sound effects are also creative and fun. The comic voices the characters have whenever their text scrolls by are all really amusing and fun detail for all of the dialogue. The audio is further enhanced by the ambient sound effects that are woven into the environment in each of the worlds found through the game.
Banjo-Kazooie is releasing in October 2021 for Nintendo Switch.