Hey, everybody. So as you can tell by the title I'm talking about the Banjo games. Well, the first two anyway. So let's get right into it.
Oh, warning spoilers for the games.
For those who don't know me that well (And if you don't care to feel free to skip this paragraph.) I adore video games. Since my earliest days, a controller was in my hands. Donkey Kong Country, Final Fantasy VII, Croc, Crono Trigger, Super Mario Bros 1, 2, 3, Mario 64, Popeye, Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask. I can go on and on, but two games that were never apart of my childhood is Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie. This previous Christmas I got an Xbox one because that is the only consol I don't have of this generation. Outside of the Nintendo Switch, but as of this writing, the switch isn't out yet. So nothing I can do with that currently. One of two games I received were Rare Replay and Sunset Overdrive. Throughout the month of January, I've been playing both of the games. Quick side notes sorry n64 people.
So as an adult I think I can appreciate Rare as a company more now then when I was a child. Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie are two games that in my opinion what video games should be all about. Great levels, fantastic gameplay and most important of all improving on what came before. For all of you that don't know Banjo Kazooie was a game released on the Nintendo 64 back in 1998. It's a platformer much like Mario 64.
The plot is simple. The evil ugly witch named Grunty or (Gruntilda) has kidnapped Banjo the bear's sister Tootie. Her ultimate goal in doing this is to steal her beauty and gain it all for herself. If you lose all your lives in the game you will see this happening where Tootie is put into a machine on one end and Grunty on the other side and she changes from a big blubber filled witch to this tall slender lady which somehow still has green skin. Anyway, so it's up to Banjo and his smartass bird friend Kazooie to save her before that happens. You enter Grunty's lair and learn you must collect jiggy which are golden jigsaw puzzle pieces. Collecting enough of these you can fill out a jigsaw puzzle which will let you enter new worlds.
I should start talking about why this game works so well. The game is clear in what it wants from you. Every challenge for a jiggy, every thing the game wants from you explains itself simply. There is an ant hill you can't climb? Go to your friend Mumbo Jumbo (Yes that is seriously his name. This series enjoys it's jokes.) and have him turn you into an ant so you can climb the mountain! There is a revolving totem pole statue in your way? Walk up to it and discover they are just hungry. Have Kazooie shoot her eggs into its mouth. You don't have enough notes to go through the note door? Go back to previous levels and pick some more up! Nothing is really cryptic.
The worlds are very interesting and have their own charm to all of them. Rare are silly bastards (Least the ones who were around at the time were.) and tons of characters for you to laugh at are around like Motzhand. The hand that plays Mozart in the haunted level or Bottles the mole who has thick glasses and gives you abilities from level to level. Just when you think you saw the silliest thing you ever saw in your life here comes something ten times more so. Gameplay wise you can have races, you can fly, fight bosses of all kinds, take quizzes. There are so many things to do that it doesn't ever really feel like what you doing gets boring or stale.
After going through 9 fully realized and well desgined worlds you get to the top of Grunty's lair. You won the quiz to get Tootie back and now it's time to take care of Grunty herself. As you progress in the game Grunty keeps mocking you in rhyme saying you suck and how you will never beat her. Making you want to take that witch down even more than before. Everything you learned is important here. She tries to spear head Banjo and Kazooie by thrusting her flying broom forward, she flies away at a distance so you have to shoot your eggs at her. You have to fly in the air and tackle her. Finally, the jinjo's you helped throughout the game rise up and help you being freed from stone and attack Grunty for separating them from their families by Grunty's disgusting green hands. It all ends with the jinjonator rising up (I suck with names so please forgive me if that's wrong hardcore Banjo fans.) and attacking Grunty and giving you a happy ending. Hooray!
So great gameplay, funny characters, a great villain who mocked you the entire way leading to a pretty cool final boss. How do you top that? Well, how about Grunty rising from her grave thanks to her two sisters bringing her back to life and then murdering Bottles, the character who helped you throughout Banjo Kazooie and the king of the jinjos? Yes. In the first five minutes or so of the game starting up all those things happen. Of course like the last game the plot stops until the games end to let you play in all the different worlds until you reach the top once again to fight Grunty.
Banjo Tooie I rarely hear people talking about. It is usually Banjo Kazooie everyone talks about. I can understand to some degree. Banjo-Kazooie being the first game and having a fond place in everyone's hearts as young kids. Spending more time with the game possibly, but the fact of the matter is Banjo Tooie is better than it's predecessor. Oh yes. To start off the game you get all your abilities you had in the original game. Shooting eggs? You got it. Kazooie's ability to walk carrying Banjo to go up steep hills? It's here. So already you feel like you are continuing where you left off before where say as a game like Metroid where you lose all your abilities at the start of the game. P.S. I love Metroid and think it's one of the best franchises ever please don't hate me.
Not only do you have all the original abilities, but you get new ones on top of that! You get new eggs! You can separate Banjo and Kazooie from each other so they can do their own unique abilities. References to the last game happen. Everything in this game was raised to the next level and pushed forward into a realm that goes beyond Banjo one. Oniee? Onie? Just one? Anyway not only that, but the final boss fight is seriously awesome! You bring Bottles back to life, you saved all the Jinjos and the jinjo king by hitting reverse on Grunty's death laser. All that was left to do was beat the witch.
What waits for you at the top of Grunty's new hideout? A fucking tank! Literally, a tank with a drill at the end called Hag 1 (Remember who made this.) and Grunty shoots lasers out at you, shoots spells at you, try to spear you through her drill even throwing minions at you to try and kill you in the name of revenge. In order to win you need to freaking destroy the tank from the inside by dismantling the batteries and shoot Grunty with eggs causing her to fall to pieces.
The game and the series ends with a game of kick ball between all the main characters kicking Grunty's skull warning just wait til Banjo Tweeie. Sadly as we all know that game never got made. Rare was bought by Microsoft and made Nutz and Bolts. I have no opinion on that game since I never played the game, but know the opening pretty much insults people who liked the original game saying the collecting aspect was boring. Which ... ya know video game fans are not known for collecting. Ever. At all.
Anyway ya. I just beat Banjo Tooie so I figured I get my thoughts out there to people and furry people as well. It's a shame that after such a big leap in evolution from the first game to second that a third game will never come to be. We won't ever see how Gruntilda raises her sisters from the dead and gets help from satan himself and Banjo with Kazooie must defeat the lord of darkness as Gruntilda merges with him in her quest. Most likely that would not be the plot, but outside getting Satan I don't know how Banjo and Kazooie could have gotten any more hardcore. So thanks for reading everyone. Hope you enjoyed my random rambling.
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7 years, 3 months ago
28 Jan 2017 18:48 CET
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