Banjo-Kazooie

Banjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure hybrid video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo in 1998 for the Nintendo 64. The game is the inaugural release in the Banjo-Kazooie series. The game's story focuses on a bear named Banjo and a bird named Kazooie as they set out on a quest to rescue Banjo's sister, Tooty, who has been kidnapped by the witch Gruntilda. Along their journey, the two receive help from Mumbo Jumbo the shaman and Bottles the mole, as well as various other characters in smaller roles. Banjo-Kazooie went on to become one of the most popular games for the console.

Story
The story begins one day at Spiral Mountain, an area inhabited by Banjo, Kazooie, Tooty, Bottles, and several other creatures, including giant hopping carrots and onions as well as flying cauliflower. On that particular morning, while the sun is shining and the fauna are flourishing, Banjo lies snoring in his bed while Tooty is waiting for Banjo to "go on an adventure" with her.

Meanwhile, Gruntilda is hunched over her cauldron in her mountain lair, admiring her own "beauty"; even though she is the ugliest hag of all, she remains convinced that she is the loveliest in the land. Asking her magical cauldron, Dingpot, if she indeed is the fairest of all, assured that she will hear her own name, Dingpot answers that it is in fact not her, but Tooty who is the fairest in the land. Gruntilda is enraged by this and sets out to Tooty's house to kidnap her and steal her beauty.

Back outside Banjo's house, Tooty is talking to Bottles the mole when Gruntilda sweeps down and kidnaps Tooty, who does not go without a fight. Banjo, of course, sleeps through the whole thing (despite Kazooie continually yelling at Banjo to wake up), and only walks out of the house shortly after Gruntilda has flown away with Tooty. After hearing what transpired from Bottles, Banjo and his friend Kazooie begin their journey up Spiral Mountain and inside Gruntilda's Lair to save Tooty.

Along this journey they venture through different worlds, all branched off of Gruntilda's Lair. Some are cold and rigid, some hot and dry, some wet, some damp, and even some frightening. All the different worlds give the player a different mood on the game, in turn keeps the player in the game. All the while Gruntilda and Tooty wait within a machine built by the witch's main assistant, Klungo, which will swap their levels of beauty.

Towards the top of the lair, Banjo and Kazooie are challenged by Gruntilda to play a board game set over a pit of molten magma, with answers based on elements from the entire game up to this point. If they win the game, then Tooty will be set free; if they lose, they will be thrown into the inferno. The duo wins, of course, and rescue Tooty while Gruntilda escapes. They begin to celebrate with a barbeque back home until Tooty reminds them that the witch is still at large.

Banjo and Kazooie make their way back up the lair until they finally reach the roof, with help from Dingpot. There Gruntilda challenges them to a more direct confrontation. However, with the help of the Jinjos, small creatures who were imprisoned throughout the worlds by the witch and rescued by the duo, Banjo and Kazooie defeat Gruntilda and ultimately knock her off her tower. She lands in a hole in the ground which is covered by a large rock that fell from the tower, trapping her. Banjo and Kazooie finally take a well-deserved break at the beach, where they and their friends anticipate the sequel, "Banjo-Tooie," while Gruntilda, whose minion Klungo is trying to rescue her, swears revenge.

Gameplay
Banjo-Kazooie adopted many of its central game play mechanics from Nintendo's groundbreaking title Super Mario 64. For instance, the player must similarly explore non-linear 3D worlds and gather tokens in the form of jigsaws (like Super Mario 64's stars) to unlock new worlds. However, Banjo-Kazooie is often considered an evolution of Super Mario 64 as it introduced a number of innovative features. These included the ability for Banjo and Kazooie, with the aid of Mumbo's magical powers, to transform into other creatures such as a termite, crocodile, walrus, pumpkin, and bee; the ability for the characters to learn new moves (as taught by Bottles); the game's extensive use of textures for surfaces where other N64 games would have used plain colors, extensive lighting, and music that dynamically changes style in order to reflect the environment and dangers to the characters. The Banjo-Kazooie central theme music, heard in the main play area, changed to reflect the environment entrance (levels) the player was near, such as taking on music box instrumental-style play near the ice level entrance. The music's notes and play never changed though, producing a seamless integration into the new instruments without stopping the forever-looping song.

Like Super Mario 64 before it, the player proceeds through the game by finding tokens. There are three kinds of tokens that help the player progress through the game, namely jigsaw pieces, musical notes, and Mumbo's tokens. Jigsaw pieces open doors to new worlds by collecting enough to complete the corresponding jigsaw puzzle. There are ten Jiggies (as they are sometimes called) in each world: nine must be sought and found, and one is granted by finding all five Jinjos on each world. (Unlike Super Mario 64's stars, though, the player doesn't have to exit the world every time he collects a Jiggy.) Musical notes open magic note doors that allow Banjo and Kazooie to progress further into Gruntilda's lair. There are 100 notes in each world, and 900 total in the game. Mumbo's tokens grant the player magical transformations at Mumbo's hut when the player collects a sufficient amount. These transformations include termite, crocodile, walrus, pumpkin and bee.

Besides these primary tokens, players may also collect items which are used in performing certain moves. Bottles the Mole must teach Banjo and Kazooie the move before the item can be utilized. Items include blue eggs, red feathers and gold feathers, which can be held in quantities up to 100, 50 and 10, respectively. Blue eggs are fired as projectiles or ejected from Kazooie's rear, and bounce slowly until they either hit an enemy, or break on their own; red feathers are utilized in flight and flying attacks; and gold feathers are for the most powerful attack, Wonderwing, which uses Kazooie's wings to make her and Banjo invincible and can kill most any enemy, or at least protect the bear and bird. Furthermore, rarer temporary items can be found which have specialized use in puzzle-solving, namely wading boots, which enable the crossing of hazardous terrain, and running shoes, which grant extra running speed, often as part of a race or a time-based puzzle. Finally, there are power-ups such as extra lives, which look like golden Banjo statues and grant one extra life each, and honeycomb energy, which incrementally increases the player's health and can be found in each level. Collecting six hollow honeycomb pieces (called extra honeycomb pieces) gives the player a permanent increase of one honeycomb of health.

A large feature of gameplay is that the characters make limited speech-like sounds when they talk. The voices were not real speech, but rather a looping of voice-like sounds when text bubbles were displayed. This artistic choice was likely made due to memory limitations on Nintendo 64 cartridges; however, this added considerably to the atmosphere and uniqueness of the game.

Besides the technical aspects, Banjo-Kazooie's rich characters were what really made the game come alive. Gruntilda the witch always spoke in rhymes (which she would declare inexplicably as Banjo and Kazooie wandered about her lair), such as, "It really does sound quite absurd, adventure of a bear and bird!" Kazooie was always very annoyed at Bottles the Mole, and various other smaller characters made memorable appearances. One notable motif is that nearly all objects, including wrapped presents, mines, and vegetables, had eyes.

Stop 'N' Swop
Stop 'N' Swop is an incomplete feature in Banjo-Kazooie. Six colored eggs and a key made of ice were discovered in the game that would be viewable in a menu titled "Stop 'N' Swop". In an ending sequence of Banjo-Kazooie, Mumbo Jumbo would tell the players that secret areas would be accessible via a link with the sequel, Banjo-Tooie. Stop 'N' Swop was never fully realized in Banjo-Tooie. The special items can still be collected in Banjo-Kazooie using a cheat cartridge or in-game cheat codes, though the purpose they would have served in Banjo-Tooie, as well as how the games were meant to link, has not been specified.

Characters

 * Banjo: a lovable yet somewhat confused bear. The hero of this game.
 * Kazooie: a Red Crested Breegull with a cutting wit. Banjo's partner in action and character foil.
 * Mumbo Jumbo: a shaman that helps the duo by transforming them into various creatures.
 * Bottles: a shortsighted mole that teaches the duo new moves among other things.
 * Gruntilda: a witch that wants Tooty's beauty.
 * Klungo: Gruntilda's servant, something like an Igor character.
 * Tooty: Banjo's little sister, captured by the witch for her beauty and youth.
 * Jinjo: Cute, little, lost animals who are to be found along the game. They are used to defeat Gruntilda, after she put a spell to send them to various places.

Cameo Appearances

 * In Click Clock Wood, Banjo and Kazooie meet a character named Gnawty the Beaver. This character is also an enemy from the Donkey Kong series, also made by Rare. The Gnawty in this game looks very similar to the ones in Donkey Kong 64, except its skin is brownish and not blue (although there were brown Gnawtys in Donkey Kong Country including a Boss called "Very Gnawty").
 * Tiptup makes an appearance in Bubblegloop Swamp. Tiptup was one of the racers from Diddy Kong Racing, a racing game from 1997 which also featured Banjo as a playable character. Tiptup also makes a cameo in Banjo-Tooie.
 * An early screenshot for Donkey Kong 64 showed a shower in Donkey Kong's Treehouse with Banjo and Kazooie's head on it. However, the shower was removed before the game was released. Also, an early screenshot of Banjo-Kazooie showed Donkey Kong's picture on Banjo's wall instead of Tooty's.
 * The heads of Banjo (as a trophy above the fireplace) and Kazooie (as the handle of an umbrella) can both be found in Rare's M-rated platformer release for the Nintendo 64, Conker's Bad Fur Day.
 * Monstrous versions of Banjo and Kazooie's heads can be found in Ghoulhaven Hall's Trophy Room in Grabbed by the Ghoulies for the Microsoft Xbox. The game also holds many pictures and gag memorabilia sponsored by the various characters found throughout the game. It is also believed that the goldfish in the classroom is Roysten, the very same fish Banjo kept as a pet who would always get abused and/or cooked throughout the franchise.

Not only is Roysten in the classroom, but on the white-board, a few maps are pictured, one of them being Treasure Trove Cove. On the map, Sharkfood Island is marked with an "X", where the secret pink egg is located. Underneath the maps, 4 eggs and the Ice Key are shown next to each other with "=?" shown after. Roysten makes a cameo appearance in Viva Piñata.
 * Another Rare game, Kameo: Elements of Power for the Xbox 360, features a radio in one character's house which plays a remix of the Banjo-Kazooie theme.
 * In Viva Piñata, the Fizzlybear can wear a blue backpack like Banjo's (known as the "Breegull Carrier") and can shoot Jiggies. The player can also purchase statues of Banjo-Kazooie, Mumbo Jumbo, and Captain Blackeye for their gardens, as well as Bottles' glasses for the Profitamole. A part of the Jameleon Dance of Romance is a remix of the Banjo-Kazooie theme song. Behind Seedos house on the mountaintop are the heads of Banjo and Kazooie in the style of Mount Rushmore.
 * In Donkey Kong 64, the fanfare music that plays after feeding Scoff is the same music heard when a secret egg or key is collected in Banjo-Kazooie.
 * A Conker poster can be found at Rusty Bucket Bay on the other side of the ship in a breakable window.
 * Several characters from other Rare games are referenced as wrong answers in Grunty's Furnace Fun, such as Cranky Kong and Conker the Squirrel. Several wrong answers, such as Jamjars the Mole and Humba Wumba the Shaman, ended up being used for character names in Banjo-Tooie.

Spiral Mountain
In Banjo-Kazooie Spiral Mountain acts as a training level. It's home to many characters, including Banjo and Kazooie. This is where a player must learn all the basic moves. Banjo's house lies on the outer part of Spiral Mountain. In addition, six honeycombs and two extra lives can be collected here. The object of this level is to gain basic knowledge of the game before storming Gruntilda's lair.

Gruntilda's Lair
This is the main area where most of the game time is spent. Bottles, Brentilda, and Grunty's minions can be found here. The lair also has four sets of cauldrons to allow Banjo and Kazooie to skip over parts of the lair when they find a pair of a matching color. Gruntilda's Lair also leads to the final fight, after breaking the spells of all the note doors. To open these doors, Banjo and Kazooie's accumulated note scores must be equal to or higher than the number on the door. Gruntilda's lair is huge, with many secret compartments and doors that lead to puzzles that can only be opened if the player collects enough Jiggies to fill the puzzle and unlock the level.

Other worlds

 * Mumbo's Mountain: A small, jungle-themed world where getting acclimated to the game is the primary purpose. It is home to Conga the orange throwing Gorilla, termites, Chimpy, a small monkey resembling Nintendo's Diddy Kong, and Mumbo Jumbo the shaman. In this level, Banjo and Kazooie learn many new techniques such as egg shooting, the beak buster, and talon trot through the assistance of Bottles.


 * Treasure Trove Cove: An island that hosts a landlocked ship, the Salty Hippo, and the nearly-indestructible shark Snacker; a lighthouse over a massive natural arch dominates the skyline. In this level flying pads and shock jump pads are introduced, and a character named Blubber, who also appears in Banjo-Tooie, makes his first appearance. It is the location of the sandcastle where cheat codes are entered. Home of the infamous Pink ? Egg.


 * Clanker's Cavern: A world of flooded caves and disposal pipes. This world is also home to Clanker, a giant mechanical whale used as Gruntilda's garbage disposal; half of the Jiggies to be found in this level lie inside his elaborate innards.


 * Bubblegloop Swamp: A swamp with dangerous piranha-infested waters, it's home to a fake giant crocodile and a living giant turtle. Inside the turtle are Tiptup and his turtle choir; the fake crocodile meanwhile houses a greedy crocodile named Mr. Vile who challenges Banjo to eat more yumblies than him.


 * Freezeezy Peak: A snowy, mountainous world with a winter holiday theme whose focal point is an enormous snowman statue in the center; home to the twinklies, evil snowmen and Boggy's family, who also appear in Banjo-Tooie. It also holds the infamous ice key.


 * Gobi's Valley: An Ancient Egyptian–themed desert world named after the camel Gobi, containing pyramids, quicksand, and a bear-modeled sphinx. Home to the infamous Blue ? Egg.


 * Mad Monster Mansion: A horror-based world featuring frightening themes such as haunted houses, spooky mazes, ghosts, and tombstones; a toilet named Loggo also resides here. Home of both the Light Blue ? Egg and Green ? Egg.


 * Rusty Bucket Bay: A world centered around a large cargo ship, called the Rusty Bucket (referred to as the H.M.S. Gruntilda in the promotional video), docked amid polluted water. The port is surrounded by several warehouses which contain various useful items. Also home of Snacker the Shark and the Red ? Egg.


 * Click Clock Wood: Centered around a giant tree in a forest, four different doors will allow Banjo and Kazooie to enter the world through four seasons in this classic level. Also home of Gnawty the Beaver and the fat, Nabnut the Squirrel. Home of the Yellow ? Egg.

Unfinished Worlds
There were originally supposed to be more than nine worlds. However, they were never completed due to time restraints and were subsequently left out of the game.
 * Fungus Forest: A picture of the level can be seen in Banjo's house next to his bed. In beta Banjo-Kazooie videos, the level was shown with Banjo swimming underwater, a gate, and a giant, unanimated sea creature. It was instead used in Donkey Kong 64 as Fungi Forest.
 * Hammerhead Beach: It was stated that the level "was something to do with the fabled Stop 'N' Swop". In an ending scene of Banjo-Kazooie the characters are hanging out on a beach as a vacation. Hackers have been able to explore the area, but it would always show the ending scene events while they did so. The area is not completely finished, and the level is abnormally small.
 * Mount Fire Eyes: As stated by Chris Sutherland of Rare, "Mount Fire Eyes was incorporated into Banjo-Tooie as Hailfire Peaks".

The two other concepts for B-K worlds materialized in the sequel as Glitter Gulch Mine and Witchyworld.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack, consisting of music from the game composed by Grant Kirkhope, was released by Nintendo of America on a limited edition Compact Disc. This CD was sold exclusively at Best Buy stores and the Nintendo Power Catalog with two additional tracks.