I honestly can’t believe it.
After all the years of waiting, they’ve finally released a game I’ve
been waiting for since the turn of the twenty-first century. That’s right, ever since I played through Banjo-Tooie in 2000, I’ve been waiting
for this sequel promised to us by the bony head of Gruntilda. I was worried when Microsoft had bought out
Rare, fearing they would do something immensely
stupid, like turn the series into a vehicle based one. Luckily, though, my fears have been
completely alleviated by the release of this game, this wonderful, wonderful game.
And now, on my birthday of all days, I bring you a gift from
me to all of you. I can honestly say,
without even the slightest bit of exaggeration that I may be reviewing what is
the greatest game that has ever been developed by the hand of man. I mean, I’ve played Skyrim and it just pales in comparison to a simple platformer with
a cartoonish style.
That’s right, you’re reading this correctly.
The game starts up with Banjo and Kazooie, happily retired
in their home in Spiral Mountain some years after the defeat of the witch
Gruntilda. After receiving a letter from
Banjo’s sister, Tooty (with a bit of a coy explanation of why she wasn’t
present or even mentioned in Banjo-Tooie), they are met by the arrival of
Bottles, who informs them that Gruntilda’s lair has mysterious been reopened
and its old worlds sealed once more with the series’ iconic jigsaw
puzzles. Hoping to get to the bottom of
this, the bear and bird prepare themselves with a quick tutorial by the
almighty root muncher himself and head up into Gruntilda’s castle to see what
is the matter.
Interestingly enough, the series is very much unchanged from
the original two games, bringing to the table only an upgrade to the Turbo
Trainers that makes everything around the bear and bird duo slow down while
they are in use (vital to certain puzzle challenges, particularly in the redone
Gobi’s Valley), a variation of Kazooie’s eggs that act as homing missiles (which
have great AoE range, but can only be carried five at a time), and a triple
jump move that allows the player to access areas that are often unreachable
during their first run-throughs.
The journey through Gruntilda’s castle takes the duo through
the original nine levels of the original Banjo-Kazooie game, though updated for
the modern era and showing the signs of their first trek through them. The earliest (and most hilarious) example I
recall is in Treasure Trove Cove, we find the waters around the island safe to
swim in now thanks to Captain Blackeye, who we find chowing down on some meat
that looks suspiciously similar to a certain aquatic menace that patrolled the
waters before. There are, of course,
little references sprinkled throughout.
Notable events include Mad Monster Machine getting some
renovations (adding maneuvering across precariously perched planks and other
exposed areas of the house), Gobi finally finding a nice place to rest back in
the very desert he was once chained up in (and in the spot he started in, no
less), and the engine room of the Rusty Bucket being closed down for repairs
after several crew members lost their minds trying to navigate it.
The golden jigsaw pieces (“Jiggies”, in game vernacular) are
scattered throughout the nine worlds, ten to each. As always, these are needed to solve the
various puzzles that have been placed before Banjo and Kazooie as they make
their way through Gruntilda’s castle.
Another storyline related mechanic comes in the magical transformations,
now a joint effort between Mumbo Jumbo and Humba Wumba (in a very Rita and Zedd
style), who have moved into what is now a bizarre combination of his Skull and
her Wigwam from Tooie. This time, instead of capturing a glowbo
every world, the game returns to the traditional Mumbo Tokens, which I have to
say I rather like as it adds to the nostalgic feel. The transformations this time around are also
great – everything from a dragon to a
washing machine and even some that we’ve not seen and you certainly would not
expect.
Oh, and Stop N’ Swop finally gets revealed after so long. No hints on the true nature, but boy was I surprised!
And all throughout the journey, we are given cameos from
fondly remembered characters and even a few sections where Banjo and Kazooie
team up with other characters in an interesting mechanic to complete
challenges, very similar to the Split-Up Pads from Tooie (which are oddly absent here). But these challenges are rarely the same and
all very different, anything ranging from fighting wave after wave of enemies
to a cooking sim (no, really). I
honestly thought so many different mechanics would stretch the game too far,
but they all work remarkably well.
Finally, after beating their way through all nine worlds and
reaching the top of Gruntilda’s tower, they discover a very different witch is
behind everything – Brentilda, the former Good Witch who had helped Banjo and
Kazooie during their first adventure!
However, a helpful hint from Mumbo tells us that she is actually under a
mind control curse put on her by Gruntilda when her good sister found her
severed head at the top of the Isle o’ Hags.
In true style, a quiz show hosted by Gruntilda’s severed
head occurs, in which she promises to end the curse if Banjo and Kazooie
win. The quiz (titled “Good Gracious,
It’s Grunty’s Grill” in true terrible alliterative style) consists of several
multiple choice questions about the various worlds travelled throughout the
game, some true and false, and even some retreads of the various team up
challenges found throughout the game – sometimes swapping the partner that
Banjo and Kazooie have to spice things up.
However, after defeating the quiz show much as they have the
two before them, our heroes witness Gruntilda making an epic escape into
another dimension entirely as Brentilda is released from the curse that had
been placed upon her. Wanting to help,
Brentilda keeps the portal open long enough for Banjo and Kazooie to travel
through to stop Gruntilda once and for all.
And congratulations, you’ve reached the halfway point of the
game!
That’s right, Rare actually did something I wasn’t at all
expecting and took a cue from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and added a whole
other half to the game. Not the most
original idea, but the inverted Grunty’s Castle is done in a style enough to
make even the most cuddly and loveable of characters seem to be perfect Nightmare
Fuel. From the top of the tower, Banjo
and Kazooie must work their way back through the Nine Worlds.
In an inversion of the “Light Castle”, they travel through
the worlds to collect ten “Dark Jiggies” to complete puzzles and actually
close, rather than open the doorways to the nine worlds. The worlds themselves are much, much harder
than their Light counterparts, with several things that were removed to be
jokes about the original game being brought back full force (Snacker is back
prowling the waters of Treasure Trove Cove, the engine room of Rusty Bucket Bay
is back and the fans spinning faster than ever before, etc.), which - again, much like Symphony of the Night – makes the struggle all the more satisfying
when you overcome it through use of your wicked cunning, your reflexes, and
sometimes just sheer dumb luck.
What it all puts me in mind of most of all is the nighttime
sections in Alan Wake, which I think
was an intentional nod by Rare in the dark(er) version of Mad Monster Mansion,
where all the enemies are shrouded in a black mist and have to be hit with a
fire egg, grenade, or missile egg before they can be normally damaged.
The true ending of the game comes with another quiz show done at the foot of Spiral Mountain (titled “Good
Gracious, It’s Grunty’s Grill aGain”), after which Banjo and Kazooie are given
the distinct pleasure of battling the Dark versions of themselves (who, in an
interesting twist, have the same sound effects as Banjo and Kazooie played in
reverse). This is actually the most
difficult boss battle in the entire game, even more so than the fight with a
partial reconstructed Gruntilda that follows it.
In the Mirror Banjo’s House, Gruntilda is found opening a
portal into a pocket dimension where she hopes to send the bear and bird and be
rid of them for all eternity. A time
limit begins and, if Gruntilda isn’t defeated by the time the counter runs out,
Banjo and Kazooie are sucked into the pocket dimension never to return and a
game over is given. However, after
defeating Gruntilda with a sort flying section, an on the ground section, and a
section where King Jingaling sends the Mighty Jinjonator and a legion of Jinjos
to deliver the final blow, the spell that Grunty cast backfires on her and she
falls into the chasm she has created. It
seals behind her moments after she swears to be back for revenge in Banjo-Fourie.
And it seems very likely that such a thing will happen, as
the game ends with Banjo and Kazooie stuck in the Dark version of Spiral
Mountain, now with Gruntilda’s magic broken and the portal back to their world
in the Castle sealed as the not-quite dead Dark Banjo and Kazooie bare down on
them for another fight...and the credits roll.
All in all, cliffhanger ending aside, I love this game. It’s exactly what I wanted in a sequel. Instead of doing something completely
ridiculous like altering the fundamental mechanics that made two games in the
series, Rare went with what worked and they did great. And with the announcement of Banjo-Fourie to be brought out soon, I
hope it’s every bit as exhaustively well done as this one was. Thank you, Rare. Thank you for what is probably the best
birthday present I could…
…yeah, it’s all still better than Nuts & Bolts, isn’t it?
Banjo-Threeie is now available...in my dreams from a Rare that can make sequels to their own IP competently.
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