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Banjo-Kazooie is a 3D platform/adventure videogame for the Nintendo 64. It was developed by Rare and published by Nintendo in 1998. Known by the project name Dream until it was first shown at the 1997 E3, it received a significant amount of hype, partly due to being marketed as the game that would be to the N64 what Donkey Kong Country was to the SNES in terms of an advancement in graphics. It became one of the most popular games for the console.
Story
The game stars a bear and a bird, Banjo and Kazooie, who set out on a quest to rescue Banjo's sister, Tooty, who has been kidnapped by the witch Gruntilda. Along their journey, Banjo and Kazooie receive help from Mumbo the shaman and Bottles the mole.Gameplay
Banjo-Kazooie adopted many of its central gameplay mechanics from Nintendo's groundbreaking title Super Mario 64. For instance, the player must similarly explore non-linear 3D worlds and gather tokens (jigsaws in Banjo-Kazooie, stars in Super Mario 64) to unlock new worlds. While some considered Banjo-Kazooie an evolution of Super Mario 64, others have criticised Rare for lacking innovation in this respect. Certain features were however perceived as novel at the time; including the ability for Banjo and Kazooie to transform into other creatures (aided by Mumbo's magical powers), the ability for the characters to learn new moves (as taught by Bottles), and the music that dynamically changes style in order to reflect the environment.Related products
A sequel to the game, called Banjo-Tooie, was released in 2000. A third game based on the franchise, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The Banjo-Kazooie soundtrack, composed by Grant Kirkhope, was released on CD in a limited edition.External links
