Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Rare Retrospective

It’s been a long time coming, but Banjo and Kazooie are back in action – and so, to their exasperation, is dedicated arch-foe Gruntilda. The stakes have been raised, and Grunty’s out to redevelop Spiral Mountain into tower blocks and shopping malls. Banjo and Kazooie’s future is on the line!

Tired of the feuding between bear, bird and witch, a new player has stepped in: the mysterious Lord of Games (L.O.G.), who whisks away the rivals to his creative HQ in Showdown Town and from there to an elaborate series of challenges within his hand-made worlds. The winner gets the ownership deeds to Spiral Mountain, the loser an eternity of toil in LOG’s videogame factory. The game is on!

However, things are a bit different this time around. The core gameplay mechanic – and the method by which worlds are traversed, challenges tackled and progress made – is the creation and customisation of vehicles, using components that can be found, bought or won. Wheels and weapons, springs and wings… all can be combined however you like, so there’s a staggering level of experimentation for those willing to dabble. If you can imagine it, you can probably build it. But any adventurer with less confidence or time on their hands can still jump in and take on the game with a pre-built range of vehicles. The Lord of Games might be heavy-handed, but he’s big on equal opportunities.

Of course, it’s not all change in Banjo-Kazooie country, as Banjo will still hoard musical notes and compete for Jiggies to unlock new destinations. Familiar figures on hand to help include a certain shaman down at Mumbo’s Motors and newly appointed tourist information officer Bottles; fresh faces on the block include porcine police chief Pikelet and competitive braggart Trophy Thomas. Outside Showdown Town you might just meet them all again, persuaded by L.O.G. to turn thespian and act out new roles in different worlds. You’ll also have to take on Grunty’s shiny army of mechanical Gruntbots, riding roughshod over Banjo’s efforts to save the day.

For the first time in the Banjo universe there’s also the opportunity to go online with players across your own world. Combine this with the riveting new solo adventure, and it looks like this really is the Year of the Bear.

On November 11th 2008, 10 years after Banjo’s last major adventure, the garage door rolled up and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts finally purred into view. If you haven’t already, you might want to book a seat – it’s going to be a hectic ride.