Banjo-Kazooie

"Platforming and Puzzles Please"

Before Rare became part of Microsoft and began developing for the Xbox and Xbox 360, the famed development company was known for making excellent platformers. After the renowned success of the Donkey Kong Country series, Rare stepped it up a notch once the 3-D platformer made its appearance on the Nintendo 64. In 1998, Rare released Banjo-Kazooie, a kid-friendly platformer featuring an unlikely duo: Banjo the honey bear and his backpack-bound friend Kazooie. While it was a weird combination, Rare was able to bring the accessible exploration elements and controls of 3-D platformer champion Super Mario 64 and mix in some creative worlds and excellent writing. It's been ten years since the debut of Banjo and Kazooie's initial outing. Now alongside Microsoft, Rare has released the original Banjo-Kazooie for the Xbox Live Arcade. How has the duo's famed debut held up over these long ten years?

Banjo-Kazooie takes the ex-Diddy Kong Racing hero Banjo and puts him in his own adventure along side his loud-mouthed feathered friend, Kazooie. It seems that the local witch Gruntilda is having a bit of a vanity issue. Once her loyal Dingpot tells her that she is, in fact, not the prettiest in the land, Gruntilda sets out to abduct the cutest girl in the land, Tooty (Banjo's younger sister), and steal her beauty. It's up to Banjo and Kazooie to explore Gruntilda's trap-filled lair, enter the many worlds, and collect a ton of stuff just to save Tooty. It's a classic fantasy storyline that's perfect for kids, but Rare always manages to add some excellent fourth-wall-breaking and self-referential humor. Kids will like it for the cute characters and charming storyline, adults will find the writing to be clever and pretty funny. Overall, the game's appeal is broad and perfectly-matched.

The main goal of Banjo-Kazooie is to rescue Tooty, which ultimately comes down to collecting Jiggies to open levels and musical notes to progress through Gruntilda's lair. However, the Jiggies don't come easily. You'll be completing a tremendous amount of puzzle-solving and platforming to get through each level. The puzzles are designed with complexity in mind, but never seem to be out of reach. That is, they may be difficult at times, but the ideas feel natural and click together at crucial moments. When released on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, Banjo-Kazooie was initially named a “Super Mario 64 clone,” and it really was. But what set Banjo-Kazooie apart from the crowd was its clever emphasis on puzzles and level design. Each level was rich with personality and the different things to do and see in each world were incredible to say the least. Fortunately, Banjo-Kazooie holds up incredibly well, even in this day and age when shooters and sports games rule the sales charts. Each level's thematic atmosphere is full of challenges and unique puzzles to complete. Everything from a beach to a swamp to a haunted mansion is available to explore. Even exploring the hub of Gruntilda's lair is worthwhile, just to listen to the rhymes that Grunty throws out from time to time. The fact that each world is so richly adapted and creatively thematic makes for an enjoyable experience. The worlds, even today, can be considered to be some of the best level design that Rare has ever shown, and it still holds up just as well in 2008 as it did ten years ago.

Controlling Banjo and Kazooie on the Nintendo 64 was a bit of a feat, considering how the Nintendo 64 controller was set up, but it managed to make accessing the many different moves relatively simple. Transferring the control set-up over to the Xbox 360 controller was a bit of trouble at first, but I managed to get acquainted to the basic controls pretty easily. Using some moves required some getting used to, but the end result is a respectably simple conversion. The increased amount of face buttons takes the place of some of the C-buttons of the Nintendo 64, with the camera now being controlled with the right analog stick. If you played the game on the Nintendo 64, be prepared to learn the moves over again for the Xbox 360 controller. Overall, however, the system works and soon enough you'll be Talon Trotting your way through the many worlds with ease.

Being a part of the Xbox Live Arcade, Banjo-Kazooie does have a few new tricks for those who have already played it on the Nintendo 64. You do get Achievements throughout the adventure, some easier to accomplish than others, but capping out at only 200 is a disappointment. Banjo-Kazooie is such a huge step for platforming and the Xbox Live Arcade so why not make an exception and give us a full 1000 points? Oh well. You also get leaderboards for speed runs and collecting romps, along with a handy save system that automatically saves at key moments. The presentation is also improved a bit and the game still manages to be incredibly lush and good-looking. Along with the technical improvements, Banjo-Kazooie re-introduces the Stop N' Swop phenomenon. If you have a Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts save on your hard-drive, you have access to the hidden Stop N' Swop eggs and Ice Key to earn special parts for Nuts and Bolts. It's not a tremendous boost, but it is admirable that Rare is connecting the games together like this, even if the rewards are a bit low-key. Banjo-Kazooie is also a tad pricey compared to other games on the Xbox Live Arcade, clocking in at 1200 Microsoft Points, but considering how massive the game is, it'll take quite a while to wring all the fun out of the game. Even once you've finished the entire game (Jiggies, Notes, Extra Honeycombs and all the rest), you'll soon be drawn back, whether it be to revisit a favorite level or simply to try to top your friend's rank on the leaderboard. Heck, even without all the nuances that the Xbox Live Arcade release supports, Banjo-Kazooie is still phenomenal and the new additions only make it more appealing.

Pros
+ Excellent level design
+ Solid platformer controls
+ Creative puzzles
+ Improved presentation
+ Remains one of the best platformers of all time

Cons
- A bit pricey
- Only 200 possible Gamerscore points possible
- New controls take some getting used to

Banjo-Kazooie isn't just a great game; it single-handedly masters the platforming genre in ways that even Mario would have trouble with. Refreshingly intricate puzzles compliment the clever world design, and the cosmetic detail in each world is unique, even nowadays. Rare did some great work in making the XBLA version of Banjo-Kazooie worth downloading, with leaderboards, achievements, and the revival of the Stop N' Swop phenomenon. If you've never played the original on the Nintendo 64, the Xbox Live Arcade is a great place to start this amazing franchise, and those who've been playing through the Banjo-Kazooie series since its inception will find the new inclusions worth checking out. But even without these inclusions, Banjo-Kazooie shows how far platformers have come since the original Super Mario 64 took control. Unique level designs, intricate puzzles, and remarkably clever integration of platforming and exploration help Banjo-Kazooie go beyond the typical Mario 64 clone. It remains one of Rare's finest games, the Nintendo 64's greatest platformers, and now, one of the Xbox 360's best and most worthwhile downloads in the Xbox Live Marketplace. It's a classic from start to finish, even in this day and age, and well worth your Microsoft Points.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 12/18/08

Game Release: Banjo-Kazooie (US, 12/03/08)