Banjo-Tooie Rare Retrospective

Oh yes, Gruntilda may have been overthrown and Tooty rescued from permanent uglification, but if Banjo and Kazooie think that means they’re free to kick back and live out the rest of their lives in peace – well, they’re sorely mistaken. The team behind the original game has toiled night and day to concoct a second brew of devilish challenges for the unsuspecting pair, and they’ve called it Banjo-Tooie.

Right from the start, this brand new adventure is jammed to the gills with more of everything. Eight enormous worlds play home to a host of characters, some of them oddly familiar, along with hulking bosses in serious need of bringing down a peg or two. Mini-games crop up at a rate of at least one per world, and the same goes for Banjo’s transformations into different characters (not just animals) this time around. Both bear and bird have new moves to learn, not just as a team but individually – yes, Banjo is finally able to hoof Kazooie out of his backpack, and in fact he’ll be obliged to do so from time to time as some situations are best tackled by one or the other independently if they’re to make progress. And if that wasn’t a big enough crowd-pleaser, what about the news that everyone’s favourite babbling shaman Mumbo Jumbo is back to lend a hand – as a controllable character, no less?

No, we’re still not finished. Banjo-Tooie will also come equipped with a range of multiplayer games for up to the full complement of four players, and there’s a whole cartload of technological improvements thrown in such as realtime lighting, refined textures, widescreen and surround sound options, expanded interactive soundtrack and a more intelligent camera system. Hopefully these revelations will go some way towards satisfying your Banjo cravings…