Now before I begin I just want to clarify this:
This is strictly my own opinion. If you disagree with me, more power to you. Just keep the comments civil and respectful.
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to
GAME MODE: ON!
To continue to show that I'm not a Sony fanboy who only plays PlayStation games, I'm gonna be tackling a title from the late 90's that many consider one of the best 3D platformers of all time. The original Nintendo 64 classic, Banjo-Kazooie.
While past games like Super Mario 64 are what pioneered the genre, gamers and critics alike often cite this one as perfection as it paved the way for future titles such as Spyro the Dragon and Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom. To this day, it is still celebrated as a classic and in honor of the year of it's 25th anniversary, I'm gonna deliver my own personal take on this game and see if the praise is warranted.
Just on a side-note, I played this title via Rare Replay, an Xbox One-exclusive collection of Rare's various titles over the company's 30-year history from Battletoads to Killer Instinct to Viva Pinata. It's a damn good title worth picking up if you're into retro gaming like I am.
Anyway, on with the review!
STORY & CHARACTERIZATION:
The game follows the titular duo, a dim bear named Banjo and a cynical bird named Kazooie, who find themselves on a perilous journey to chase down and defeat the narcissistic witch Gruntilda when she has kidnapped Banjo's little sister, Tooty, with plans to extract her outer-beauty for her own gain.
It's a basic run-of-the-mill late-90's platformer plot with no complex themes or compelling character arcs. It's just an excuse to traverse through many creative and fun worlds while also having a laugh every once in a while.
One of the main appeals of the game is it's sense of humor which mainly comprises of puns, rhymes and all sorts of witty comebacks. The jokes can warrant some good chuckles throughout though admittedly, there are times when they can overstay their welcome a bit. Nevertheless, it makes for a decent-enough reason to keep on playing to see what new quirky dialogue sessions are in for you.
Throughout the game, you'll run into a variety of colorful characters. Some like Bottles the Mole are capable of giving you tutorials on basic and complex moves, others like Bruntilda, Grunty's good fairy sister, give you hints that will become important later on and there are those like Snorkel the Dolphin that have their own side-quests that reward you with the game's main collectables. There's also a few characters that have their own independent functions which are helpful throughout the game such as Mumbo-Jumbo, a shaman who can magically-transform you into any object or animal depending on what world you're on in exchange for Mumbo Tokens and that can help you access areas and challenges you're unable to reach in your normal form, and Cheato, an abandoned living spellbook that can offer you cheat codes if you managed to find him in various secret areas of the main hubworld.
It's a cute little adventure that warrants a few giggles but how is the actual gameplay itself?
GAMEPLAY & CONTROLS:
Now before I continue any further, I must address my personal feelings regarding the Nintendo 64. My family used to own the console when I was a kid but even at such a young age, I can't help but be baffled by the design of the controller. Three handles and only one joystick, what the hell is up with that? As far as I can remember, it made playing on that console a real task to put up with and a pain to get the hang of. Even today, I'm still bewildered at how others, even my own older brother, are able to play that thing so well while I could barely do so.
As of today, several titles have been emulated and ported to modern consoles which should make for a golden opportunity for the developers to update the controls so that it would make them better to play than on the original N64. Some like GoldenEye turned out great and were alot of fun while others like Super Mario 64 were frustrating and, in the case of Conker's Bad Fur Day, almost fucking impossible. I know it's not easy to tweak controls for a game that was originally developed for a console that had a Fisher-Price abortion for a controller but if GoldenEye can turn out so smoothly, why can't you do the same for Mario 64 or Conker? Make an effort, for god's sake!
Now in regards to Banjo, I can safely say that it does control adequately. As an enhanced port for the Xbox, the controls are mapped out and coded as well as they could be. Camera works smoothly enough and overall, it does play fine for the most part. There are times when it can get a little slippery which can make bits like platforming, time trials and certain boss fights a pain in the ass so it's not really that perfect. It plays better than Mario and Conker but in some areas, it's not saying too much.
As far as I'm concerned, you have a variety of moves and attacks that can help you on your way. You can roll or dash into enemies and obstacles, you do can a high jump and you can even use Kazooie to walk around steep hills as well as shit or puke a limited number of eggs. There are some items scattered throughout the game such as the aforementioned eggs, red feathers that gives you extra flight and the ability to torpedo-zoom, gold feathers that can give you limited invincibility, honeycomb pieces that restore your health and honeycomb rings that extend your health meter.
Besides the tutorial level and Gruntilda's Lair(which serves as the main hub), there are nine worlds to explore, each with their own unique environmental themes, gimmicks and challenges. To progress through the game, you need to achieve a specific number of the main collectables such as musical notes, which are used to open doors which open up more of Grunty's Lair, and golden jigsaw pieces, which are used to gain access to new worlds. While the 100 notes of each world are scattered throughout, the 10 Jiggies are only acquired once you've done a specific challenge whether it be traversing a platform stage, solving a puzzle, helping a local or two out, competing in races, rescuing five multicolored creatures or fighting a boss, just to name a few. While some can be a little frustrating due to sensitive control, the occasional super-tight time limit, intrusive enemies and bullshit rubber-banding AI, there are plenty of challenges that are plenty of fun which can make collecting Jiggies a good time. The good thing about this is that you don't have to collect everything to access the very last parts of the game, you just need to gain enough. That, and unlike Mario 64, the game doesn't boot you back to the main hub every time you collect a Jiggy which is nice. However, what does kill the momentum a bit is the backtracking. Whenever you come back to the game, you always start back at the beginning of the main hub and without a handy number of shortcuts, it can make heading back to where you left off tedious. Sure, there are teleportation cauldrons throughout the hub but I've only managed to complete two or three sets and even then, that's not enough to make return trips any less tiring. And while I appreciate a game that doesn't hold your hand, it can be frustrating trying to figure out a puzzle or how to defeat a certain boss especially if it's a timed challenge.
That, and some of the enemies are a fucking joke. While some can be dealt with fine enough, there are some that are such assholes to avoid with the worst being the ghosts in Mad Monster Mansion who not only cannot be killed but are fast and will not stop chasing you until you're dead. I fucking hate these bastards with a passion. All I'm trying to do is either collect some notes on some chairs or pass through a hedge maze but these c**ts are damn-near unavoidable, I hate them that much.
One of the most irritating moves to try and pull off is the torpedo dash when flying. For example, in Freezeezy Peak, you have to bash several evil snowman on their hats to defeat them but because aiming the fuckin' thing is more finicky than Warner Bros. Discovery's reputation, you're guaranteed to miss than hit a good chunk of the time.
Aiming eggs to shoot can also be a pain. It's like if you're one pixel off, the eggs miss the target. Trying to aim the fuckin' thing is so snappy that it can really screw you up if you're on a tight time-frame and considering you often find yourself accidentally doing a ground-stomp when you clearly didn't mean to during a tense and panicky situation, it can get you killed faster than you think.
But the one thing I hate more than anything in this game is the final stretch. This is the part that almost made me rage-quit thus rendering this review non-existent, it was that frustrating. In the penultimate part of the game, you have to engage in a game show hosted by Grunty in which you have to partake in quizzes and various timed challenges in order to advance. Fail too many times and you have to keep restarting all over again. Seriously, the game expects you to remember enough about even the littlest details in order to beat this part. Sure, some are child's play but others are just a pain and seriously, that timed boss fight against the box in Rusty Bucket Bay can go to Hell! But even if you've finally beaten the game show, there's still the final boss fight against Grunty which can only be accessed by collecting just a few more notes and Jiggies. But once you're finally there, you might as well turn the game off because this boss can go suck a dick. It's one of the most frustrating final bosses of any game ever and it's all down to four fatal faults:
#1. Grunty can shoot fireballs at you in the direction that you're heading. You can avoid them by going the other way but at some points, she fires them at such a fast pace that you're unable to find the best place possible to land a single good hit on her.
#2. At one phase, you need to shoot eggs at her but again, because she can ramp up the pace in which she shoots her fireballs, it is such bullshit trying to find the best opening to fire back.
#3. Another phase has you flying in the air and attempting to torpedo-bash into Grunty but because the controls are such shit, you'll end up missing so many times thus potentially wasting too many red feathers.
#4. The final two phases has you shooting eggs into statues but because aiming into the holes is more problematic than it should be and Grunty is constantly blasting shit at you, you're going to unfairly die at this final part of the battle the most. It is a fucking miracle I was able to get the shitty patterns down and send that green bitch packin' where she belongs.
Now yes, I understand that challenge is a good thing to have in a game but there's a clear difference between a legit challenge and just frustrating bullshit. This godforsaken final boss is bullshit and a big dark stain on an otherwise good game. But hey, at least it's possible to beat unlike Sonic Unleashed's Dark Gaia.
Okay, so I know I've been sounding a bit negative towards this game but don't take this the wrong way, I did enjoy playing it. It's just that it has it's frustrating elements that keep it from being this perfect classic that everybody has hailed it to be. Plus, I can't imagine how much worse it would've controlled on the console it was originally released on but that's just me. But again, compared to the emulated ports of Mario 64 and Conker, Banjo still controlled fine in-spite of it's minor faults. If you've managed to have a better and less frustrating time with it, that's fantastic, more power to you.
GRAPHICS & PRODUCTION VALUE:
Even if the gameplay is subpar and bullshitty at best, you can't go wrong with the visuals. Sure, it may look like shit compared to games today but back in 1998, these graphics were charming as fuck and really bring out the little kid in you who enjoys these kinds of wacky and lovable cartoons. There's no denying that the art design is extremely memorable and fits perfectly with the witty nature and comical tone of the game with many environments and layouts having so much genuine atmosphere and personality thus making them enjoyable to traverse through.
Plus, aside from the goofy sound design, you can never really go wrong with the music composed by the legendary Grant Kirkhope. His score for the game just oozes charisma and is definitely the main highlight of the overall journey. It's right up there with the likes of Heavy Rain and Castlevania 4 as one of my all-time favorite video game soundtracks.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
So overall, Banjo-Kazooie is a fun platformer that will last in your head for decades to come.
Sure, some parts and mechanics can be a real pain in the ass but those can be forgiven due to the game's endless appeal and charm. So much so that I'm kind enough to give it the rating it gets. Would've ranked it lower due to that horrid final stretch but again, I'm feeling generous right now so take it for what it's worth.
If you can, check to see if it's available to buy on the Xbox Store or better yet, go out and buy Rare Replay because besides Banjo, you get plenty of other classic games worth looking over, Either way, it's worth a playthrough.
Until next time, thank you for taking the time to check out this installment of GAME MODE: ON.
If you liked what you've read here and want to see more, you can go ahead and follow me whenever you want.
And also, don't forget to check out my Letterboxd page for new film reviews every week.
AFTER-NOTE: Do not expect me to review Conker's Bad Fur Day later down the line because that game is just straight-up sadistic with it's slippery control and unfair level mechanics. Sorry, can't review a game if I can't finish it. That's my rule.
I'd rather wait for a good sale on the Live & Reloaded remake instead.
This is strictly my own opinion. If you disagree with me, more power to you. Just keep the comments civil and respectful.
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to
GAME MODE: ON!
To continue to show that I'm not a Sony fanboy who only plays PlayStation games, I'm gonna be tackling a title from the late 90's that many consider one of the best 3D platformers of all time. The original Nintendo 64 classic, Banjo-Kazooie.
While past games like Super Mario 64 are what pioneered the genre, gamers and critics alike often cite this one as perfection as it paved the way for future titles such as Spyro the Dragon and Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom. To this day, it is still celebrated as a classic and in honor of the year of it's 25th anniversary, I'm gonna deliver my own personal take on this game and see if the praise is warranted.
Just on a side-note, I played this title via Rare Replay, an Xbox One-exclusive collection of Rare's various titles over the company's 30-year history from Battletoads to Killer Instinct to Viva Pinata. It's a damn good title worth picking up if you're into retro gaming like I am.
Anyway, on with the review!
STORY & CHARACTERIZATION:
The game follows the titular duo, a dim bear named Banjo and a cynical bird named Kazooie, who find themselves on a perilous journey to chase down and defeat the narcissistic witch Gruntilda when she has kidnapped Banjo's little sister, Tooty, with plans to extract her outer-beauty for her own gain.
It's a basic run-of-the-mill late-90's platformer plot with no complex themes or compelling character arcs. It's just an excuse to traverse through many creative and fun worlds while also having a laugh every once in a while.
One of the main appeals of the game is it's sense of humor which mainly comprises of puns, rhymes and all sorts of witty comebacks. The jokes can warrant some good chuckles throughout though admittedly, there are times when they can overstay their welcome a bit. Nevertheless, it makes for a decent-enough reason to keep on playing to see what new quirky dialogue sessions are in for you.
Throughout the game, you'll run into a variety of colorful characters. Some like Bottles the Mole are capable of giving you tutorials on basic and complex moves, others like Bruntilda, Grunty's good fairy sister, give you hints that will become important later on and there are those like Snorkel the Dolphin that have their own side-quests that reward you with the game's main collectables. There's also a few characters that have their own independent functions which are helpful throughout the game such as Mumbo-Jumbo, a shaman who can magically-transform you into any object or animal depending on what world you're on in exchange for Mumbo Tokens and that can help you access areas and challenges you're unable to reach in your normal form, and Cheato, an abandoned living spellbook that can offer you cheat codes if you managed to find him in various secret areas of the main hubworld.
It's a cute little adventure that warrants a few giggles but how is the actual gameplay itself?
GAMEPLAY & CONTROLS:
Now before I continue any further, I must address my personal feelings regarding the Nintendo 64. My family used to own the console when I was a kid but even at such a young age, I can't help but be baffled by the design of the controller. Three handles and only one joystick, what the hell is up with that? As far as I can remember, it made playing on that console a real task to put up with and a pain to get the hang of. Even today, I'm still bewildered at how others, even my own older brother, are able to play that thing so well while I could barely do so.
As of today, several titles have been emulated and ported to modern consoles which should make for a golden opportunity for the developers to update the controls so that it would make them better to play than on the original N64. Some like GoldenEye turned out great and were alot of fun while others like Super Mario 64 were frustrating and, in the case of Conker's Bad Fur Day, almost fucking impossible. I know it's not easy to tweak controls for a game that was originally developed for a console that had a Fisher-Price abortion for a controller but if GoldenEye can turn out so smoothly, why can't you do the same for Mario 64 or Conker? Make an effort, for god's sake!
Now in regards to Banjo, I can safely say that it does control adequately. As an enhanced port for the Xbox, the controls are mapped out and coded as well as they could be. Camera works smoothly enough and overall, it does play fine for the most part. There are times when it can get a little slippery which can make bits like platforming, time trials and certain boss fights a pain in the ass so it's not really that perfect. It plays better than Mario and Conker but in some areas, it's not saying too much.
As far as I'm concerned, you have a variety of moves and attacks that can help you on your way. You can roll or dash into enemies and obstacles, you do can a high jump and you can even use Kazooie to walk around steep hills as well as shit or puke a limited number of eggs. There are some items scattered throughout the game such as the aforementioned eggs, red feathers that gives you extra flight and the ability to torpedo-zoom, gold feathers that can give you limited invincibility, honeycomb pieces that restore your health and honeycomb rings that extend your health meter.
Besides the tutorial level and Gruntilda's Lair(which serves as the main hub), there are nine worlds to explore, each with their own unique environmental themes, gimmicks and challenges. To progress through the game, you need to achieve a specific number of the main collectables such as musical notes, which are used to open doors which open up more of Grunty's Lair, and golden jigsaw pieces, which are used to gain access to new worlds. While the 100 notes of each world are scattered throughout, the 10 Jiggies are only acquired once you've done a specific challenge whether it be traversing a platform stage, solving a puzzle, helping a local or two out, competing in races, rescuing five multicolored creatures or fighting a boss, just to name a few. While some can be a little frustrating due to sensitive control, the occasional super-tight time limit, intrusive enemies and bullshit rubber-banding AI, there are plenty of challenges that are plenty of fun which can make collecting Jiggies a good time. The good thing about this is that you don't have to collect everything to access the very last parts of the game, you just need to gain enough. That, and unlike Mario 64, the game doesn't boot you back to the main hub every time you collect a Jiggy which is nice. However, what does kill the momentum a bit is the backtracking. Whenever you come back to the game, you always start back at the beginning of the main hub and without a handy number of shortcuts, it can make heading back to where you left off tedious. Sure, there are teleportation cauldrons throughout the hub but I've only managed to complete two or three sets and even then, that's not enough to make return trips any less tiring. And while I appreciate a game that doesn't hold your hand, it can be frustrating trying to figure out a puzzle or how to defeat a certain boss especially if it's a timed challenge.
That, and some of the enemies are a fucking joke. While some can be dealt with fine enough, there are some that are such assholes to avoid with the worst being the ghosts in Mad Monster Mansion who not only cannot be killed but are fast and will not stop chasing you until you're dead. I fucking hate these bastards with a passion. All I'm trying to do is either collect some notes on some chairs or pass through a hedge maze but these c**ts are damn-near unavoidable, I hate them that much.
One of the most irritating moves to try and pull off is the torpedo dash when flying. For example, in Freezeezy Peak, you have to bash several evil snowman on their hats to defeat them but because aiming the fuckin' thing is more finicky than Warner Bros. Discovery's reputation, you're guaranteed to miss than hit a good chunk of the time.
Aiming eggs to shoot can also be a pain. It's like if you're one pixel off, the eggs miss the target. Trying to aim the fuckin' thing is so snappy that it can really screw you up if you're on a tight time-frame and considering you often find yourself accidentally doing a ground-stomp when you clearly didn't mean to during a tense and panicky situation, it can get you killed faster than you think.
But the one thing I hate more than anything in this game is the final stretch. This is the part that almost made me rage-quit thus rendering this review non-existent, it was that frustrating. In the penultimate part of the game, you have to engage in a game show hosted by Grunty in which you have to partake in quizzes and various timed challenges in order to advance. Fail too many times and you have to keep restarting all over again. Seriously, the game expects you to remember enough about even the littlest details in order to beat this part. Sure, some are child's play but others are just a pain and seriously, that timed boss fight against the box in Rusty Bucket Bay can go to Hell! But even if you've finally beaten the game show, there's still the final boss fight against Grunty which can only be accessed by collecting just a few more notes and Jiggies. But once you're finally there, you might as well turn the game off because this boss can go suck a dick. It's one of the most frustrating final bosses of any game ever and it's all down to four fatal faults:
#1. Grunty can shoot fireballs at you in the direction that you're heading. You can avoid them by going the other way but at some points, she fires them at such a fast pace that you're unable to find the best place possible to land a single good hit on her.
#2. At one phase, you need to shoot eggs at her but again, because she can ramp up the pace in which she shoots her fireballs, it is such bullshit trying to find the best opening to fire back.
#3. Another phase has you flying in the air and attempting to torpedo-bash into Grunty but because the controls are such shit, you'll end up missing so many times thus potentially wasting too many red feathers.
#4. The final two phases has you shooting eggs into statues but because aiming into the holes is more problematic than it should be and Grunty is constantly blasting shit at you, you're going to unfairly die at this final part of the battle the most. It is a fucking miracle I was able to get the shitty patterns down and send that green bitch packin' where she belongs.
Now yes, I understand that challenge is a good thing to have in a game but there's a clear difference between a legit challenge and just frustrating bullshit. This godforsaken final boss is bullshit and a big dark stain on an otherwise good game. But hey, at least it's possible to beat unlike Sonic Unleashed's Dark Gaia.
Okay, so I know I've been sounding a bit negative towards this game but don't take this the wrong way, I did enjoy playing it. It's just that it has it's frustrating elements that keep it from being this perfect classic that everybody has hailed it to be. Plus, I can't imagine how much worse it would've controlled on the console it was originally released on but that's just me. But again, compared to the emulated ports of Mario 64 and Conker, Banjo still controlled fine in-spite of it's minor faults. If you've managed to have a better and less frustrating time with it, that's fantastic, more power to you.
GRAPHICS & PRODUCTION VALUE:
Even if the gameplay is subpar and bullshitty at best, you can't go wrong with the visuals. Sure, it may look like shit compared to games today but back in 1998, these graphics were charming as fuck and really bring out the little kid in you who enjoys these kinds of wacky and lovable cartoons. There's no denying that the art design is extremely memorable and fits perfectly with the witty nature and comical tone of the game with many environments and layouts having so much genuine atmosphere and personality thus making them enjoyable to traverse through.
Plus, aside from the goofy sound design, you can never really go wrong with the music composed by the legendary Grant Kirkhope. His score for the game just oozes charisma and is definitely the main highlight of the overall journey. It's right up there with the likes of Heavy Rain and Castlevania 4 as one of my all-time favorite video game soundtracks.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
So overall, Banjo-Kazooie is a fun platformer that will last in your head for decades to come.
Sure, some parts and mechanics can be a real pain in the ass but those can be forgiven due to the game's endless appeal and charm. So much so that I'm kind enough to give it the rating it gets. Would've ranked it lower due to that horrid final stretch but again, I'm feeling generous right now so take it for what it's worth.
If you can, check to see if it's available to buy on the Xbox Store or better yet, go out and buy Rare Replay because besides Banjo, you get plenty of other classic games worth looking over, Either way, it's worth a playthrough.
Until next time, thank you for taking the time to check out this installment of GAME MODE: ON.
If you liked what you've read here and want to see more, you can go ahead and follow me whenever you want.
And also, don't forget to check out my Letterboxd page for new film reviews every week.
AFTER-NOTE: Do not expect me to review Conker's Bad Fur Day later down the line because that game is just straight-up sadistic with it's slippery control and unfair level mechanics. Sorry, can't review a game if I can't finish it. That's my rule.
I'd rather wait for a good sale on the Live & Reloaded remake instead.