Banjo-Kazooie (series)

Banjo-Kazooie series
The official logo of the series
Developers	Rare
Platforms	Nintendo 64 / Game Boy Advance / Xbox 360 / XBLA
First release	Banjo-Kazooie (1998)
Latest release	Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (2008)

Banjo-Kazooie is a series of video games created by Rare in 1998. The game stars a honey bear named Banjo and his friend, a large red bird named Kazooie, who are both controlled by the player, and a witch named Gruntilda as the primary antagonist. Throughout the various games they are tasked with thwarting Gruntilda's various evil schemes. There are currently three main games in the series.

Main series

Banjo-Kazooie

Main article: Banjo-Kazooie

The first game in the series, Banjo-Kazooie, was released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64 and re-released in 2008 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. In Spiral Mountain, Banjo's sister Tooty has been kidnapped by the witch Gruntilda who wants Tooty's beauty and is willing to turn her into a hag for it. It is up to Banjo and Kazooie to save her. The goal is to progress through the witch's lair and the various worlds within it, collect items to help Banjo and Kazooie along their quest, and defeat Gruntilda.

Banjo-Tooie

Main article: Banjo-Tooie

Banjo-Tooie is the second game in the series, and was released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 and re-released in 2009 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade. Two years after Banjo and Kazooie defeat Gruntilda, Gruntilda is freed from her grave and revived by her two sisters using a drilling machine and their magic spell. Using a machine named B.O.B., she proceeds to wreak havoc on the Isle O' Hags, sucking the life force out of the land and its inhabitants to gain power to restore her body to its former state. After she kills Bottles, Banjo and Kazooie go to stop her. Tooie is famous for being significantly harder than its predecessor; jigsaw pieces are almost never in visible places or easily accessed, and abilities and powers from other levels need to be utilised to obtain others.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

Main article: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

The third game in the main series, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was released in 2008 for the Xbox 360. The ending sequence in Banjo-Tooie suggested the title would be Banjo-Threeie, with early press releases tentatively calling it Banjo-Kazooie 3. The original trailer sported a more angular artistic design for the characters and complete fur and feather detailing on Banjo and Kazooie. The game's release on 12 November 2008 marked the tenth anniversary of the series.^[1] It is the first original Banjo-Kazooie game released on a non-Nintendo system. The gameplay is a departure from the previous games in that, rather than learning new moves in order to continue, the player must instead build vehicles of all shapes and sizes to complete challenges. These challenges include races, transporting objects, fighting enemies, and a variety of other tasks. Gruntilda is still the main antagonist, but this time the Lord of Games (L.O.G.) has swept Banjo, Kazooie, and most of the cast into an all new world.

Spin-off titles

Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

Main article: Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

Grunty's Revenge was released in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. It takes place two months after Banjo-Kazooie. While Gruntilda is still trapped under the boulder that fell on top of her, Klungo decides to make a robot for Gruntilda's spirit to dwell inside. During the game, Gruntilda transfers her spirit into the robot and travels back in time to prevent the first meeting of Banjo and Kazooie. In the end, Gruntilda tells Klungo to go try to get her sisters, thereby setting the events of Banjo-Tooie into motion. A mobile version of the game was also released.

Banjo-Pilot

Main article: Banjo-Pilot

The fourth game in the series, Banjo-Pilot was released in 2005 for the Game Boy Advance. This game is not part of the plot of the series, but is a racing game similar to Mario Kart where the characters race planes.

Other appearances

Prior to Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo's first appearance was as a playable racer in Diddy Kong Racing, released for Nintendo 64 in 1997. In Conker's Bad Fur Day & Conker: Live & Reloaded, Banjo's head can be seen, disembodied, above the fireplace in the main menu. Additionally, Kazooie's head can be found on the end of an umbrella in the chapter select screen for both games. In Grabbed by the Ghoulies, pictures are seen throughout the game as well as scenes from the levels. Also monster versions of Banjo and Kazooie's heads are seen. Following Microsoft's purchase of Rare, Banjo was absent from the Nintendo DS remake, Diddy Kong Racing DS. Banjo and Kazooie also appear in the Xbox 360 version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.^[2][3]

Characters

• Banjo is a brown honey bear, who is one of the two main protagonists of the series. He has a younger sister named Tooty, who plays a big part in Banjo-Kazooie but is absent in Banjo-Tooie and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. He is polite and well-mannered, and is always seen wearing yellow shorts with a belt, a shark tooth necklace, and a bright blue backpack. The backpack usually contains his good friend Kazooie. When they're split up, he can use his backpack to carry helpless subjects and take them to their right places. His only solo attack is the Pack Whack. He was first seen in Diddy Kong Racing where he started his career. His arch-nemesis is Gruntilda the witch. He can also play his namesake instrument (a banjo). He transforms into creatures and things that originate in some worlds like a bee in the games. His home is Spiral Mountain.

• Kazooie is a large, red female bird who is referred to as a "Red-Crested Breegull".^[4] She is Banjo's closest companion and lifelong friend, although their personalities are quite different from each other's. Whereas Banjo is polite and friendly, Kazooie is loud, sarcastic and rude. Kazooie does not hesitate to make crass statements about even the most imposing figures that the duo encounter, much to Banjo's dismay. Although Banjo often finds himself apologizing for Kazooie's remarks, they almost always find themselves embroiled in dangerous situations simply due to Kazooie's inability to keep quiet. Kazooie has the ability to lay and spit out many different kinds of eggs, from ordinary blue ones, to giant spotted ones that hatch miniature robotic duplicates of herself. She can also spread her wings and fly, carrying Banjo with her, although doing so causes her to lose feathers. In Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts she loses all of her moves and instead uses a magic wrench. As her name suggests, she plays the kazoo.

• Tooty is Banjo's younger sister and Bottles' best friend. She wears pigtails on her blond hair and her ears aren't seen. Her only outfit is a red tank top with a yellow star on it and purple slacks that strap her feet. In Banjo-Kazooie, Gruntilda kidnaps her because she wishes to steal Tooty's perceived beauty. Towards the end of the same game, she spends her adventurous time with her big brother and friends while eating the inside of a coconut. She is physically absent from all other games in the series; In Banjo-Tooie an image of Tooty is shown on the side of a milk carton with the caption Missing: Last Seen In Banjo-Kazooie. Also in the same game, inside Banjo's house, her portrait is shown to be down with the other things that have burnt a little. Her name is also referenced in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts as a shop in Showdown Town called Tooty Fruity, and her absence from the series is also referenced in one of L.O.G.'s quiz questions. She plays the piccolo.

• Gruntilda, also referred to as Grunty, is a foul-tempered witch and the main antagonist of the series. Her appearance is remarkably similar to the principal antagonist of The Wizard of Oz. She has green skin, warts, a pointed hat and a high-pitched cackle, as well as a penchant for speaking in rhymes. She has three sisters: Brentilda, Mingella and Blobbelda. Brentilda is her complete opposite, with a fairy-like appearance. Mingella and Blobbelda convince Grunty to stop speaking in rhymes, although she resumed the trait in Nuts & Bolts. Gruntilda's surname, Winkybunion, was revealed in the ending cut scene of Banjo-Tooie. She is a skeleton in Banjo-Tooie, she is a robot in Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge, and has an artificial body in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts due to Banjo and Kazooie defeating her at the end of the previous games.

• Brentilda is the kind sister of Gruntilda, and aids Banjo and Kazooie on their quest with facts about Gruntilda that are needed for later in the game. Each time she is found, she will give you three different facts. Brentilda only appears in the first game. She holds a wand in her hand and has wings on her back.

• Mumbo Jumbo is a shaman who originally taught Gruntilda how to use magic. She disavowed Mumbo Jumbo and cursed him by turning his face into a skull mask.^[4] He has three red feathers on top of his head. He helps Banjo and Kazooie by providing them with transformation magic in Banjo-Kazooie and he is a playable character in Banjo-Tooie, where he can use his "mighty shaman zap-stick" to levitate objects, oxygenate bodies of water, enlarge objects, heal, give life force, and zap enemies. He runs Mumbo's Motors, a garage in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. He can play a sax, the xylophone, and can also pick up a violin. Mumbo Jumbo can be one of your partners in Kameo: Elements of Power by downloading a free skin for one of the characters on Xbox Live.

• Bottles is a shortsighted mole who assists Banjo and Kazooie. He wears large, thick, cokebottle framed glasses, which is a constant target for Kazooie's sharp insults. He has a wife, Mrs. Bottles, two children, Speccy and Goggles, and a brother, Jamjars, who takes over the role Bottles held in Banjo-Kazooie. In the beginning of Banjo-Tooie, he dies of the destruction of Banjo's house and his soul becomes an angel because he refuses to get out on time. There exists a Gameshark modification thsat enables a hidden function where he turns into a devil, allowing a second player to control simple enemies nearby Banjo and Kazooie. In Nuts & Bolts, he runs a tourist information stand, offering the player advice either for free or in exchange for musical notes. In Viva Pinata if you have Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts you can buy an accessory called Bottle's Glasses.

• Jamjars is the brother of Bottles and a militaristic drill sergeant mole, complete with trooper sunglasses, green fatigues and army boots. He was first featured in Banjo-Tooie, where he took over Bottles' original role from Banjo-Kazooie following his death. He hides in silos spread across the Isle o' Hags and its various worlds, and teaches Banjo and Kazooie new moves in exchange for musical notes. He is a radio DJ in Nuts & Bolts.

• Humba Wumba is a female shaman. She provides transformation magic to Banjo and Kazooie in Banjo-Tooie and is a rival of Mumbo Jumbo, never allowing any contact with him except in dire circumstances, where he is still not welcome. She resembles a Native American Indian. She sells vehicle blueprints and parts in Nuts & Bolts. She does not appear in Banjo-Kazooie.

• Klungo is Gruntilda's green-skinned minion. His role is minor in Banjo-Kazooie but appears frequently during Banjo-Tooie as a miniboss, and is the victim of increased abuse from Gruntilda for his failure to defeat Banjo and Kazooie. He eventually quit working for Grunty to seek a fortune in making video games. It is also revealed that he has a wife named Mrs. Klungo. He builds a play emporium on the pier in Showdown Town in Nuts & Bolts, where he shows his final product of his game, "Hero Klungo Sssavesss teh World". In the Nuts & Bolts expansion, L.O.G.'s Lost Challenges, he has a second product called "Hero Klungo Sssavesss teh Universsse".

• Jinjos are a species of small, multicolored creatures with beaks that inhabit the Isle O' Hags. Their original home is in a village neighbouring Banjo's in Spiral Mountain, but they are forced out by Gruntilda when she drives her gigantic drilling vehicle through the village, crushing the house of the grey Jinjo family and killing those within. They are ruled by King Jingaling, a large, yellow Jinjo wearing a king's crown. Jinjos are sociable and enjoy competitive sport, offering challenges in Nuts & Bolts, where they reward Banjo with tokens with which he can play Bingo. In Banjo-Kazooie (the first game) the Jinjos come in five colors; pink, orange, yellow, green and blue. More colors of the Jinjos have been concepted in Banjo-Tooie. They are red, brown, black, and white with pink's replacement of purple. Because of the destruction of the grey Jinjo house, none of the grey Jinjos were seen.

• Minjos are the evil look-alike arch-enemies of the Jinjos. In Banjo-Tooie they make their first appearance in the Wild West part and the Star Spinner in the Space zone of WitchyWorld. They behave the same way as Jinjos until the player gets close to them. Unlike Jinjos, whose colors' locations are randomly fixed in each game file, they appear in random colors when you enter a room containing them, and are very easy to access based on the skill requirement of the level, which can make them obvious. When enabled, the hidden Bottles' Revenge Mode control of these Minjos does not activate until the player gets close. In Banjo-Kazooie Nuts and Bolts they appear as black prisonbreakers with ear piercings, red eyes, and a striped shirt. They are placed in the prisonhouses after you bring the Jinjos back to their color-according houses.

• Captain Blubber is a hippo pirate and one of Banjo's allies. Blubber wears a pirate hat on his head and red and black striped pants with a sword attached to the belt. He appears in the first Banjo-Kazooie game and Banjo-Tooie. In his first game, he stands in his wrecked ship in Treasure Trove Cove feeling worried about his golden treasure. He has been felt better by Banjo who retrieves them for him. Towards the end, he's shown to ride on a blue and white Jet Ski around the ocean. Banjo gives him one golden "doubloon" in Jolly Roger's Lagoon on his second game. In Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts he appears in the upper level of Showdown Town and gives you a trapdoor tower combination in exchange for musical notes.

• Tiptup is a turtle with an orange shell on his back and another ally. He appears in the first Banjo-Kazooie game and Banjo-Tooie. In his first game, he is the conductor of the Tiptup Choir when standing inside the body of Tanktup. He also appears in his second game where he stands on the beach in Jolly Roger's Lagoon needing help of hatching his egg by Kazooie. His shell is slightly different in Diddy Kong Racing and his name is a pun of the phrase "tipped up".

• Boggy is a polar bear with a scarf around his neck and one of the supporting characters. He appears in the first Banjo-Kazooie game and Banjo-Tooie. His children named Groggy, Soggy and Moggy have first appeared in his first game and his wife Mrs. Boggy has first appeared in his second game. His igloo used to be in Freezeezy Peak and due to the fact that Grunty's old lair is destroyed, he and his family live in a "new" igloo that's currently located in the icy part of Hailfire Peaks.

• Jolly Roger is a frog who first appeared in Banjo-Tooie in the level Jolly Roger's Lagoon. He later appeared in Banjo-Pilot as a playable character. He returned in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts where he changed his name to Jolly Dodger and sold Banjo and Kazooie jiggies for various prices.

Stop 'N' Swop

Stop 'N' Swop menu with six of the colored eggs and the ice key

Stop 'N' Swop is a hidden feature in Banjo-Kazooie. Evidence suggests that the feature was never fully implemented due to the Nintendo 64 revisions completed in 1999 that kept the feature from being practical.^[5][6] The feature was widely publicised through a column published by Nintendo Power.^[7] Rare announced that special areas and items in the game could only be reached by completing certain tasks in its sequel, Banjo-Tooie. It was later discovered that Banjo-Kazooie contains seven special items which can be accessed using in-game cheat codes^[8] or by using a cheat cartridge. Once collected, these items would be viewable in a menu titled "Stop 'N' Swop". If the game is reset, all of the items will remain permanently.

History

An ending sequence in Banjo-Kazooie indicated that two colored eggs in the game would be put to use in the sequel Banjo-Tooie. There was also an inaccessible ice key shown in the sequence, which induced gamers to search for a way to get it. While only two eggs were shown in the sequence, hackers Alan "Ice Mario" Pierce and Mitchell "SubDrag" Kleiman of the Rare Witch Project fansite discovered in-game cheat codes to unlock a total of six different eggs and the ice key.^[7] Other ways of getting the six eggs and key were previously discovered via the use of a cheat cartridge. Once acquired, these items would be viewable by all three game files, and would remain after erasing the files.

In the years between the two Banjo-Kazooie games, Rare representatives were questioned on "Stop 'N' Swop" and how it would be implemented. Ken Lobb was reportedly unwilling to discuss how the connection would be made between the games.^[9]

Banjo-Tooie was released in 2000 and offered a way to retrieve the items without the need to acquire Banjo-Kazooie. The player would attain them by destroying in-game Banjo-Kazooie game paks. These eggs could then be brought to Heggy the hen to hatch. There were three eggs in total, one of which was already with the hen, but which Kazooie had to hatch herself. The ice key, however, was to be used to obtain an item locked in an ice vault. No explanation for "Stop 'N' Swop" was revealed in the game. Nintendo released a statement on the matter expressing that the feature "was not implemented in the game, and although we know there is a code that opens this menu, it does not do anything at all. And as much as I would like to be able to answer your question about why it was not implemented in the game, this is not information that our Consumer Service Department has access to."^[10]

A reference to Stop 'N' Swop was included in the 2003 video game Grabbed by the Ghoulies. On one of the chalkboards in the schoolroom is a mathematical equation, stating: "[egg] + [egg] + [egg] + [egg] + [key] = ?".

In 2004, a patent filed by Rare was published which suggests that Stop 'N' Swop involved swapping cartridges with the power off to transfer data. The information would be momentarily retained by utilizing the Rambus memory in the Nintendo 64.^[5] As a result of changes done to the Nintendo 64 systems produced in 1999, the system could no longer do this effectively.

Another Stop 'N' Swop reference appeared in 2005's Banjo-Pilot. After completing most of the game, Cheato sells an item called "STOP N SWAP" for 999 Cheato Pages. The only result of buying is Cheato saying: "So you want to know about Stop N Swop, eh? I hope you're ready. Here goes...Why don't you stop annoying me and swap this game for a nice book or something?"

In a 2007 interview with Retro Gamer, Rare employees told the magazine reporters that they may have to wait until the release of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for the details of Stop 'N' Swop to be revealed.^[11] In March 2008, a new website appeared with an animation of the ice key rotating, the eggs, and the words "the answers are coming." On April 1, however this was revealed to be an April Fool's joke created by The Rare Witch Project.^[12]

In 2008 MTV conducted an interview with Salvatore Fileccia, lead software engineer at Rare. Fileccia cited that the abandonment of Stop 'N' Swop was due to revisions made to the Nintendo 64 circuitry. He stated that older versions of the system would have given the player 10 seconds to swap cartridges, while newer iterations of the console reduced this time to one second.^[6]

At Microsoft's E3 press conference on 14 July 2008, it was announced that the original Banjo-Kazooie would be made available through the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) and feature Stop 'N' Swop connectivity with Nuts & Bolts to unlock new features.^[13] In the demo version of Nuts & Bolts, Bottles also offers a "Stop 'N' Swop Truth" for 6,000 music notes. The Rare Witch Project extracted the demo's text string, which revealed that when Bottles is paid 6,000 notes he says "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you, and we couldn't show that in a game with this rating. Put it out of your mind and think happy thoughts! Thanks for the notes!".

On 27 January 2009, Rare announced that Banjo-Tooie would be released in April on XBLA and that the "original plan" for Stop 'N' Swop would be implemented.^[14] It was revealed that the eggs and key in the XBLA version of Banjo-Kazooie would unlock bonus vehicle parts in Nuts & Bolts such as fuzzy dice.^[15] In Nuts & Bolts there is an imprint of the ice key on top of Boggy's gym and drawings of the eggs throughout Showdown Town. When a Stop 'N' Swop item is collected in Banjo-Kazooie, a corresponding crate appears at each drawing. The six eggs and key from Banjo-Kazooie unlock the bonuses included in the original Banjo-Tooie as well as new content related to the Xbox 360. Banjo and Kazooie can take them to Mumbo to get the special vehicle parts. The level BanjoLand also features large fake Stop 'N' Swop eggs that contain Gruntbots.

In place of the three preexisting eggs in Banjo-Tooie are the gold, silver and bronze eggs. The three unlock achievements listed under a "Stop 'N' Swop II" submenu. Additional achievements can be unlocked by completing specific objectives in the game.

Rare and Nintendo are thinking about making a Banjo-Kazooie game for the Nintendo 3DS^[16]

References

1. ^ "Microsoft’s Shane Kim On Fable 2. Why Marvel MMO Was Canceled And More". http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/02/11/microsofts-shane-kim-on-fable-2-why-marvel-mmo-was-canceled-and-more. 
2. ^ Tristan Oliver. "FIRST @ TSSZ: It’s Real…Banjo-Kazooie in ASR". http://www.tssznews.com/2009/12/15/this-just-in-its-real-banjo-kazooie-in-asr. 
3. ^ http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2009/12/17/pack-fronts-for-sonic-sega-all-stars-racing/
4. ^ ^{a b} Banjo-Kazooie instruction manual, 1998.
5. ^ ^{a b} "System method and data storage medium for sharing data between video games". FreePatentsOnline.com. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6820265.html. Retrieved 2006-11-17. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Why I Finally Accept What Happened To That "Banjo-Kazooie" Stop N Swop Thing. multiplayerblog.mtv.com. Retrieved on 28 May 2008.
7. ^ ^{a b} "Classified Information". Nintendo Power 143: 52–53. April 2001. 
8. ^ "Banjo-Kazooie Sandcastle Codes". Rare Witch Project. http://www.therwp.com/article/banjo-kazooie-secret-cheat-codes. Retrieved 2008-02-18. 
9. ^ Tour of Rare HQ. Retrieved on 23 February 2007.
10. ^ Stop 'N' Swop Article. gaminglegends.co.uk. Retrieved on 6 March 2007.
11. ^ "The Making of Banjo-Kazooie". Retro Gamer: pp. 25. 29 March 2007 
12. ^ Stop 'N' Swop Confession rarewitchproject.com. Retrieved on 6 February 2008.
13. ^ Banjo-Kazooie to be released on Xbox Live Arcade Retrieved on 14 July 2008.
14. ^ http://forums.banjo-kazooie.com/blogs/post.aspx?App=sample_weblog&y=2009&m=01&d=27&PostID=29244
15. ^ http://www.spiralmountain.co.uk/site_viewtopic.asp?id=18152&forum=13
16. ^ http://3ds.nintendolife.com/news/2011/04/rumour_rare_looking_into_3ds_development

External links

• Banjo-Kazooie Series on the Banjo-Kazooie Wiki, an external wiki
• Official Banjo-Kazooie website
• Donkey Kong 64 Stop 'n' Swop Special – includes a brief introduction to Stop 'N' Swop