Banjo Kazooie
Nintendo 64
When I originally heard about this game back in the late 90's, my reaction was probably very similar to a lot of people's: Banjo Kazooie - what a silly name for a video game. Once I got past the name, however, I was in for a treat. Banjo Kazooie completely blew me away. I put it in elite company with Super Mario 64 as one of the best in the genre. Nearly twenty years later my opinion still stands. In fact, I don't think I have played another 3D platformer that has surpassed or even been on the same level of quality as Banjo Kazooie. Considering all the advances in technology and gameplay innovations that have happened since this game's release date, I consider this quite the achievement.
This game borrows heavily from the formula laid out by Super Mario 64. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing since Super Mario 64 is one of the greatest games of all time. But as far as originality goes, it is obvious that this game was influenced by its predecessor.
In Mario 64, you explore a "hub world", which is the Princess Peach's castle. You explore the castle and enter all the various stages of the game by jumping into paintings. Inside each stage there are several stars to collect, as well as various bonuses you can acquire by collecting all of the coins in each level. The more stars you collect, the deeper into Peach's castle you can explore; the more levels open up to you. It is not necessary to find each and every star in the game, but seeking them out and finding them all is a major part of the game's fun factor.
Banjo Kazooie plays out in a nearly identical way to Super Mario 64. You have Gruntilda's hideout, which acts as the hub world. You enter each stage in the game by finding enough puzzle pieces (which are basically the same thing as Mario's stars) and using these pieces to complete various paintings in Gruntilda's hideout. Complete the painting, gain access to a stage in the game. Each stage has various puzzle pieces for you to find, although it is not necessary to find them all to advance in the game. Musical notes stand in for coins, and you must collect enough of these during your journey to unlock doors in Gruntilda's lair which allow you to move deeper into the game.
Located in each stage are hidden characters known as Jinjos. Collect every Jingo for each stage - get a puzzle piece. These are very similar to the red coins in Super Mario 64. It seems as if everything that game does is somehow replicated here. Again, not a bad thing since Mario 64 is such a great game, and it never really got the proper sequel it deserved. In a way, I like to think of Banjo Kazooie as that sequel. If not in name, but in spirit.
While the game does borrow heavily from Mario 64, it also goes above and beyond its predecessor, introducing several new and unique gameplay elements to the fold. First of all, you control not just one character but two. Banjo is the bear that you control throughout the course of the game. In his backpack is Kazooie, a bird which lends her special talents to Banjo's repertoire. If it weren't for Kazooie, you would never be able to complete the game. So the two characters complement each other perfectly. In fact, you barely even notice you are controlling two characters as you play, the controls are so seamless it seems as if you are controlling only one.
What does Kazooie do that is so helpful, you may ask? A lot. I'm sure everyone is familiar with the "double jump" feature that is standard in most platforming titles. When you double jump in this game, Kazooie pops out of your pack and uses her feathers to boost you into the air. Hold down the button, and you can even glide for a short period of time. Kazooie also possesses the ability to launch eggs at your enemies, lending range to your attacks. Mainly I found myself using Kazooie's unusual walking ability, where she pops her legs out of the pack, lifts Banjo up into the air, and scuttles along on the ground. Kazooie moves much faster than Banjo, so if you are ever in a hurry, use Kazooie's legs rather than your own. Also, Kazooie can go up steep inclines, whereas Banjo just slides down them. You will find yourself walking with Kazooie's legs quite often in this game.
There are several unlockable moves located throughout the game. Kazooie is a bird, so of course you can expect to learn to fly at some point. Kazooie has a high jump and a special invincibility attack at her disposal as well.
Where the game really shines is with its personality, which is busting at the seams. The world of the game is rich and incredibly detailed. As much as I loved Mario 64, this game feels much more alive. There are many characters you can talk to, most of which are funny and have big personalities. There is a shaman who turns you into level specific creatures (a walrus in the snow level, a gator in the swamp) you must use to unlock more puzzle pieces. And this isn't just a gimmick, a lot of these creatures are actually really fun to play as.
All of the stages are unique and have their own special look and feel to them, each with tasks which need to be completed. For example, in the beach level you find yourself recovering treasure for a blubbering pirate, battling a giant evil clam, and plugging up a talking bucket that drains the water out of an area you need to enter. In the Halloween themed level you dive to the bottom of a creepy old well, steal a puzzle piece from a ghost, piano duel against a giant hand, navigate a hedge maze, and explore the ins and outs of a haunted mansion. One particularly clever level focuses on a giant tree growing in the middle of the forest. There are four sections to the stage, each section representing a different season (spring, summer, autumn, and winter). Actions you take in one season affect the next, and you must go back and forth between seasons checking out the changes you made in order to collect the puzzle pieces needed to advance.
Expect to find a lot of cool puzzles and minigames scattered throughout the game. Like tile puzzles where you must match certain items or spell out certain phrases. There are sled races, courses where you must fly through giant rings, and even a mini game where you play as an alligator and race to eat as many "yumblies" as you can.
Graphically the game looks really fantastic. Whereas Mario 64 is very basic and simple looking, Banjo Kazooie is rich in detail and bursting with color. Nowhere to be seen are the "vaseline-smeared" looking walls and textures found in other Nintendo 64 games. The soundtrack of the game isn't as iconic as Mario 64, but it does have a few memorable tunes.
The game's sound effects can be hit or miss. Some of Kazooie's squawking sound effects can be a little annoying. Particularly in areas where you are doing a lot of jumping. It's like - shut the hell up bird! Some of the character voices can be a little grating as well. I like all the little sounds the game makes, though, like when you collect music notes, eggs, or red feathers. Banjo has this hillbilly sounding "guh-huh!" sound that he makes whenever you collect a puzzle piece or an extra life. Normally I would find this annoying, but for some reason in this game it is quite charming. I found myself doing it along with him each and every time he'd make it.
The game shouldn't take too horribly long for you to beat. There are, I believe, 9 major stages in the game not counting the world hub. Each stage takes an hour or so to beat. Of course, I have played this game dozens of times in my life so I knew where each and every item is hidden, so it may take you a little longer if you have never played the game before.
I do have a few small complaints about the game. Sometimes, the location of a puzzle piece hidden in a world can be a little obscure or difficult to find. Sure it adds to the challenge of the game, but sometimes it gets old having to scour every single square inch of every single stage. Some aspects of the level design I found frustrating. For the most part the levels are ingeniously laid out, but occasionally I would stumble across a part that would make me want to throw my controller across the room. Going inside the ship in Rusty Bucket Bay and trying to navigate across the gears frustrated me to no end. Click Clock Woods' giant tree was another. I fell from that damn thing I can't even tell you how many times and would have to work my way back up to the top again.
And when you die in this game, you lose all progress you have made in the stage as far as musical notes go. So if you are a completionist like me and are trying to get all the notes on each stage - if you die, your note counter goes back to zero. Very, very frustrating (Rusty Bucket Bay I am looking at you!).
I'm almost done complaining about this epic game now, but I do have to bring up the camera system. Normally in games I am not a big complainer about the camera. I know a lot of people have had issues with the camera in Super Mario 64 and other games of a similar nature, but I never had an issue with it before. This game, however, is the exception. So many times I could not see where I was going, only to run into issues with the camera when trying to rotate it around me. It would "get stuck" going one way, and I would have to rotate it all the way back around the other way. And even then a lot of times I still couldn't see where I was going. This caused a lot of problems especially if I needed to jump somewhere, or there were enemies in front of me that I'd walk into because I wouldn't see them coming. Items occasionally went unseen and I would end up missing them because the camera wouldn't turn to show them for some reason or another. Sometimes I would go or next to a structure, and all the camera would show me was its outside as I vanished from view. The camera definitely became a point of frustration for me on more than one occasion while playing this.
But it wasn't enough to ruin my experience with the game. Banjo Kazooie is a really great game. It is bright, colorful, wonderfully designed, it has a great sense of humor, big memorable characters, there is a ton of stuff to see and do. And it is fun. That is the most important thing. The game wouldn't be decent if it wasn't any fun. Unless you have no soul, I can't see anyone picking up this game, giving it a legitimate shot, and disliking it.
True, Banjo Kazooie doesn't have the same hardcore following that Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog does. I think a lot of casual gamers have either never heard of or never played this game. But that doesn't change my opinion of it. I think it is a classic, and one of the most fun 3D platforming games I have ever played in my life. It took everything great about Super Mario 64, and made it even better. Which if you had asked me before playing this - I would have said was impossible.
Overall:
A+
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