For as specific as this sounds, I have a soft spot for GBA titles that try to reproduce the effect of fifth generation 3D platformers on limited 32-bit hardware. Grunty's Revenge is clearly going for that sort of thing here. Banjo-Threeie this ain't, but it's a cute enough companion title to the N64 games.
I do wish there was a little more here, though. The mini-games and boss fights are all solid enough, but I feel like there's an awful lot of repetition within them. The levels are a decent start, but I feel like there could be one or two more to even out some of the pacing. It's honestly admirable that they were able to translate a decent amount of Banjo and Kazooie's moves to the new format, but I wish there were more original moves - Battery Eggs and the Pack Whack are the only two, and the former's just used for a couple lock-and-key puzzles.
But enough translates over from the N64 games that I'm little inclined to complain. The writing's still there, there's some fun with the time travel setup (I like that all you have to do to make it 70s is give everyone lava lamps), Mecha Grunty's a fun new variation on the old hag, and by gum, they snuck in a Furnace Fun. For as middling as most of the game's boss fights are, it's great to see that Grunty still has a phenomenal final boss, doubly impressive on the limited hardware.
Honestly, decently impressed with this one. I think my buddy Gooms put it best - this isn't gonna sustain you for long or anything, but if you've been starving for SOMEthing Banjo-Kazooie, this'll sate you, at least for a little while.
I do wish there was a little more here, though. The mini-games and boss fights are all solid enough, but I feel like there's an awful lot of repetition within them. The levels are a decent start, but I feel like there could be one or two more to even out some of the pacing. It's honestly admirable that they were able to translate a decent amount of Banjo and Kazooie's moves to the new format, but I wish there were more original moves - Battery Eggs and the Pack Whack are the only two, and the former's just used for a couple lock-and-key puzzles.
But enough translates over from the N64 games that I'm little inclined to complain. The writing's still there, there's some fun with the time travel setup (I like that all you have to do to make it 70s is give everyone lava lamps), Mecha Grunty's a fun new variation on the old hag, and by gum, they snuck in a Furnace Fun. For as middling as most of the game's boss fights are, it's great to see that Grunty still has a phenomenal final boss, doubly impressive on the limited hardware.
Honestly, decently impressed with this one. I think my buddy Gooms put it best - this isn't gonna sustain you for long or anything, but if you've been starving for SOMEthing Banjo-Kazooie, this'll sate you, at least for a little while.