A classic platformer which stands the test of time and plays just as well today as it did 10 years ago!
The game starts out with Banjo’s sister Tootie getting kidnapped by Gruntilda the witch and from then on, the dynamic duo must punch, peck and pound their way to save the day.
GAMEPLAY: 10/10
The gameplay is why Banjo-Kazooie ends up being such an enjoyable experience. Throughout the adventure Kazooie is restricted to Banjo’s backpack which allows them to perform moves which one could never do without the other. While Kazooie can climb steep hills, shoot eggs, jump extremely high, shield the duo, and fly, Banjo is there for his brute strength.
The levels and overworld are quite large and many of the archetypal ‘platformer’ themes are found during the a quest including a swamp level, a snow level, an Egyptian level, a haunted house and even a level which must be visited during all four seasons to achieve all your goals. Although these may sound pretty standard, each is designed perfectly and never does exploring these levels in search of the elusive puzzle pieces become tiresome.
At the beginning of the game Banjo and Kazooie possess only a few abilities and throughout the game new ones becomes steadily available. This helps to keep the adventure fresh and challenging because you are not only solving puzzles with the same moves again and again but also with abilities which are new and exciting. The rate at which these skills are learnt has been measured perfectly and ensures the player wants to continue on to see how they will have to use their new moves. The characters control really well and traversing the perils of the gameworld is always a heap of fun.
GRAPHICS: 9/10
The graphics for Banjo-Kazooie are among the best on the N64. The levels are full of bright vibrant colours and there is never any inkling of slowdown even at the busiest of times. The animations for the various moves all look great and all the characters, particularly the main two, look fantastic.
SOUND: 8/10
The sound for Banjo-Kazooie though not its strongest point, is still fairly good. The tunes are all relatively catchy and suit the mood of the level in which you are playing. They can become slightly annoying after climbing the same giant tree numerous times but that is more a testament to the challenge of the game. The only problem to be found with the audio is the attempt at partially voicing the characters is not up to scratch. After reading enough dialogue with Banjo making senseless noises in the background you may not think Tootie deserves rescuing after all. VALUE: 8/10
Banjo-Kazooie does not have a lot of replay value but the quality of the game allows for that to be overlooked. The main quest should take between 10 and 20 hours to finish but for the completionists out there many more days could be wasted collecting the perfect 100 puzzle pieces in the game and the 100 notes in each level.
As the review demonstrates Banjo-Kazooie is one of the all time great games and despite the smallest of gripes it still holds up fantastically almost 10 years on. The fact that I enjoyed playing through the game as much as I remembered is the mark of a truly great game which, is recommendable to gamers with the assertion that it will be thoroughly enjoyed by all.