Collection essentials #400: Banjo-Kazooie (N64)

In my post about the console, I mentioned how developer Rare was the most successful company other than Nintendo when it came to developing games for the Nintendo 64. This game, released nearly two years into the console’s life, was very much inspired by Super Mario 64 and served as another major blockbuster hit for fans who couldn’t get enough of that game.

The stars of the game are a bear named Banjo and his female bird friend Kazooie who live with Banjo’s little sister Tooty. Living nearby is an evil witch named Gruntilda, who is jealous of Tooty’s prettiness. At the start of the game, Gruntilda captures Tooty and threatens to use a magical machine to transfer Tooty’s beauty to herself. Banjo and Kazooie set out to traverse Gruntilda’s lair to rescue Tooty.

Banjo-Kazooie’s world and characters have a lot of personality, very much like a whimsical cartoon. Many normally-inanimate objects have eyeballs and are sentient. Dialogue is delivered by text and there’s no actual voice acting, but every character has a distinct sound effect to represent their voice which plays repeatedly when they talk, and it’s very charming. The composer of the game’s soundtrack, Grant Kirkhope, did a spectacular job with the many upbeat tunes to be featured in the game’s various environments. What makes the music extra cool is that it will change somewhat in real time depending on where Banjo goes. If he’s in a level but goes to a different part of it that’s supposed to have a different vibe, the instrumentation of the background music will seamlessly shift to something a little different, and it’s super cool.

The gameplay of Banjo-Kazooie feels a lot like Mario 64, with players entering portals into different levels which are fairly large and open-ended. The main objective is to collect things, namely music notes (of which there are 100 scattered across each stage) and “jiggies” (of which there are 10 in each level). There are other collectibles that can help out as well such as honeycomb pieces which can increase Banjo’s maximum health. And as with Mario 64, the developers did an excellent job with gameplay variety, making each level distinct and sometimes incorporating special challenges such as puzzle-solving and racing.

When it comes to controls and moves, Banjo-Kazooie has a lot of the same fundamentals as Mario 64. Not all moves in Mario 64 are present here, though, and there are some different ones too. Perhaps most notable is Kazooie’s ability to shoot explosive eggs. More moves are unlocked as the game progresses, preventing new players from getting too overwhelmed.

Banjo-Kazooie was a game I knew about during the Nintendo 64’s lifespan, but it wasn’t a game that I prioritized for some reason. I did get it fairly early on, in the early 2000s at some point. But the cartridge sat on my shelf for a very long time, and for years it was one of those games where I thought “I’m sure it’s cool and I’ll get around to it someday”. That someday finally happened in 2014. And oh boy, was I ever impressed! I had a ton of fun with it, as the game exceeded my expectations. It’s a timelessly enjoyable game that I highly recommend. Some people even prefer it to Super Mario 64, and I’m not sure I agree but the fact that I don’t think they’re crazy says a lot about how excellent this game is. It’s a quintessential essential and one of the best games of its generation.