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(Created page with "'''''Banjo X''''' (sometimes stylized as '''''Banjo-X''''') is a cancelled remake of ''Banjo-Kazooie'' that Rare developed for the Xbox sometime in the mid-2000s. The game was eventually scrapped and redeveloped into ''Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts''. Not much is known about the game aside from what was shown from a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R2sCzlT5Uc Rare Revealed] video and some Twitter posts from Steve Mayles and ...")
 
 
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'''''Banjo X''''' (sometimes stylized as '''''Banjo-X''''') is a cancelled remake of ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]'' that [[Rare, Ltd.|Rare]] developed for the [[wikipedia:Xbox|Xbox]] sometime in the mid-2000s. The game was eventually scrapped and redeveloped into ''[[Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts]]''. Not much is known about the game aside from what was shown from a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R2sCzlT5Uc Rare Revealed] video and some Twitter posts from [[Steve Mayles]] and [[Ed Bryan]]. ''Banjo X'' presumably did not go far into development before switching to vehicle-based gameplay, and ultimately ''Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts''.


The main idea behind ''Banjo X'' was for it to be advertised as a remake with minimal changes, in a similar vein to ''Conker: Live & Reloaded''. However, the game would change drastically as the player progressed. The characters would be self-aware of being in a remake and would change their behavior accordingly. In the Rare Revealed video, [[Gregg Mayles]] cited [[Conga]] as an example of this.


[[Humba Wumba]] would have appeared somewhere in the game, even though her debut was in ''[[Banjo-Tooie]]''.<ref name=ebtweet1>[https://twitter.com/mingellasfella/status/1001163031492136963 Ed Bryan on Twitter: "Did a Jinjo, Humba, the little baddie from Spiral Mountain, Bully as I remember." / Twitter] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20221109183004/https://twitter.com/ItsMingyJongo/status/1001163031492136963 archive.org])</ref> She and a couple of other characters were modeled by Ed Bryan, including [[Mumbo Jumbo]], [[Tiptup]], a [[Jinjo]], and a [[Bigbutt|"Bully"]].<ref name=ebtweet1/> The Mumbo animation, circa 2004, was used to test if the lipsyncing would match up to the characters' mumbling.<ref>[https://twitter.com/mingellasfella/status/630777927374893057 Ed Bryan on Twitter: "Mumbo, circa 2004 thinks it's great the #rarereplay got to number 1 https://vine.co/v/edz6LaaBMEi" / Twitter] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20220429022607/https://twitter.com/ItsMingyJongo/status/630777927374893057 archive.org])</ref>
''Banjo X'' was a remake of ''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]'' that [[Rareware]] were developing for the Xbox in 2005, which was eventually cancelled and redeveloped into ''[[Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts]]''. In an effort to surprise players who're familiar with ''Banjo-Kazooie'', the game would have been advertised as a straightforward remake with very few changes, but in reality it would diverge wildly from the original as it progressed. Characters would develop a sense of self-awareness about reliving the scenarios featured in ''Banjo-Kazooie'' and change their behaviour accordingly. The levels and gameplay setpieces would differ too: for example, a giant termite queen would burst out of [[Ticker's Tower]] in [[Mumbo's Mountain]], and [[Conga]] would use his oranges to defeat her. [[Humba Wumba]] and other characters from [[Banjo-Tooie]] would also appear, possibly along with some of its locations.


The art style for ''Banjo X'' strongly resembled the block-shaped art style in ''Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts''. Ed Bryan even mentioned that they attempted a smoother, higher-polygon approach at first, but they decided to scrap it because they felt that it did not retain the charm from the original games.
[[File:Banjo_x_swim_cycle.gif|thumb|A ''Banjo X'' swim cycle, featuring the smooth high-poly style the team tested in early development]]The art style for ''Banjo X'' strongly resembled that used for ''Nuts & Bolts'', although early assets for the game (such as a redesigned [[Mumbo Jumbo]] model that was used for testing character lipsync animation) featured rounder silhouettes compared to the appealing contrasting blocky/curved contours used in the final art style. In a behind-the-scenes featurette created for [[Rare Replay]], artist [[Ed Bryan]] explained that they tried out this smoother high-poly approach at first, but felt it lacked the charm the characters had in the original games - this led him to push his designs in the more stylized direction seen in later assets and in the final ''Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts''.<ref>https://youtu.be/_R2sCzlT5Uc?t=242</ref>
 
Veteran Rareware devs [[Steve Mayles]] and [[Ed Bryan]] have kindly shared a number of the game's unused assets and animations over social media in recent years, as well as insights into the team's vision for the game.
 
==Trivia==
 
[[File:Banjo X - Mumbo Jumbo Animation|thumb|right|300 px]]
*It's known that Humba, [[Mumbo]], [[Tiptup]], a [[Jinjo]], and a [[Bigbutt|"Bully"]] had all been modeled (and in the case of Mumbo and Humba, animated) by [[Ed Bryan]] prior to the game's cancellation.<ref>https://twitter.com/mingellasfella/status/1001163031492136963</ref> These designs would have differed from the ones that were eventually created for ''Nuts & Bolts'', and likely had the rounder art style seen in Mumbo's lipsync test animation.<ref>https://twitter.com/mingellasfella/status/1001165697161023489</ref> [[Conga]] and the [[Ticker|Ticker Queen]] had also been modelled and animated by [[Steve Mayles]] before production ceased.
 
*[[Grant Kirkhope]] composed a reorchestrated version of the theme for Mumbo's Mountain before development was canceled.<ref>http://www.grantkirkhope.com/banjo-kazooie-nuts-and-bolts/</ref> Some of this music was reused for ''Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts'''s teaser trailer.
 
[[File:Mumbo's Mountain - Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts|thumb|center|300 px]]
 
==Gallery==
 
<gallery>
Banjo x conga 1.gif|Conga beats his chest
Banjo x conga 2.gif|Conga finds an impromptu snack
Banjo x conga 3.gif|Conga thumps the ground, possibly outraged that his fancy new character design didn't make its way into Nuts & Bolts
Banjo x ticker 1.gif|Ticker: terrifying for bears, birds, and dentists alike
Banjo x ticker 2.gif|What (ter)might have been - Ticker's unused redesign
Banjo kazooie x tiptup ed bryan.png|A tip-top high-poly model of Tiptup
</gallery>
 
 
==References==
<references/>
 
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Latest revision as of 02:47, July 13, 2024


Banjo X was a remake of Banjo-Kazooie that Rareware were developing for the Xbox in 2005, which was eventually cancelled and redeveloped into Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. In an effort to surprise players who're familiar with Banjo-Kazooie, the game would have been advertised as a straightforward remake with very few changes, but in reality it would diverge wildly from the original as it progressed. Characters would develop a sense of self-awareness about reliving the scenarios featured in Banjo-Kazooie and change their behaviour accordingly. The levels and gameplay setpieces would differ too: for example, a giant termite queen would burst out of Ticker's Tower in Mumbo's Mountain, and Conga would use his oranges to defeat her. Humba Wumba and other characters from Banjo-Tooie would also appear, possibly along with some of its locations.

File:Banjo x swim cycle.gif
A Banjo X swim cycle, featuring the smooth high-poly style the team tested in early development

The art style for Banjo X strongly resembled that used for Nuts & Bolts, although early assets for the game (such as a redesigned Mumbo Jumbo model that was used for testing character lipsync animation) featured rounder silhouettes compared to the appealing contrasting blocky/curved contours used in the final art style. In a behind-the-scenes featurette created for Rare Replay, artist Ed Bryan explained that they tried out this smoother high-poly approach at first, but felt it lacked the charm the characters had in the original games - this led him to push his designs in the more stylized direction seen in later assets and in the final Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.[1]

Veteran Rareware devs Steve Mayles and Ed Bryan have kindly shared a number of the game's unused assets and animations over social media in recent years, as well as insights into the team's vision for the game.

Trivia

  • It's known that Humba, Mumbo, Tiptup, a Jinjo, and a "Bully" had all been modeled (and in the case of Mumbo and Humba, animated) by Ed Bryan prior to the game's cancellation.[2] These designs would have differed from the ones that were eventually created for Nuts & Bolts, and likely had the rounder art style seen in Mumbo's lipsync test animation.[3] Conga and the Ticker Queen had also been modelled and animated by Steve Mayles before production ceased.
  • Grant Kirkhope composed a reorchestrated version of the theme for Mumbo's Mountain before development was canceled.[4] Some of this music was reused for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts's teaser trailer.

Gallery


References

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