Banjo-Pilot Nintendo Retrospective

Lush graphics has always been one of Rare’s strong suits — ’tis to be expected from the company that wowed the gaming world with Donkey Kong Country back in the ’90s. Banjo-Pilot’s richly colored landscapes and highly detailed characters have plenty of wow in ’em and more than make up for the occasional pop-up.

At first, only Banjo, Kazooie, Mumbo Jumbo and Jingo are unlocked. As you earn your flying stripes, you’ll gain access to other characters from the Banjo-Kazooie franchise, including Humba Wumba, Klungo, Gruntilda and Jolly Roger. Most aren’t exactly household names, but hey, at least they look good. Characters are rated for handling, acceleration and top speed.

After coming out on top of the four races in a circuit, you’ll face a one-on-one boss race that places a premium on maneuvering. In fact, the unusual game mechanic sometimes has the camera swinging 180 degrees to view your character from the front. At these times, your only goal is to avoid getting hit.

Even though the controls are quick and supple, Banjo-Pilot feels very much like a kart racer, with power-ups, zippers (turbo boosts) and more. You can climb a bit and execute a barrel roll. Illogical for an airplane-racing game but perfectly logical for a kart racer, you’ll slow down if you go off course.

The clever folks at Rare have never been able to resist larding their games with collecting expeditions. On this score Banjo-Pilot feels a little more relaxed than previous Rare efforts, but you’ll still get a feeling a sameness. The Jiggy Challenge, for example, follows the grand prix circuits, only this time you have to collect at least one Jiggy (jigsaw puzzle piece) while outracing a boss. You’ll have to prospect the tracks yet again to pick up musical notes that earn unlockables from the ornery Cheato.

Bottom Line

Banjo-Pilot is an extremely handsome and well-tuned racer. Even if you grow tired of completing all the challenges, this game still delivers plenty of vroom-vroom.