The forgettable legacy of Banjo-Tooie

by Banana Meteor on Mar 23rd, 2021

Ah, Banjo and Kazooie, Rare’s animal darlings! You really can’t bring up 3D platformers, video game mascots, or even the N64 as a whole without those two names rising into conversation. They may not have had a proper game in over a decade, but their enduring popularity led to their inclusion in Nintendo’s mega popular brawler, Super Smash Bros. While reception on Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts will probably always be mixed, and the GBA titles are lucky to be mentioned at all, it’s almost universally agreed that the Bear and Bird’s two N64 titles are proper classics that should still be played today. So … why has Banjo-Tooie received so little recognition?

I should preface that if you’re here reading this, you probably already love Banjo-Tooie! You’re probably hot off the heels of the Grunty Industries walkthrough on this very site. However, in the more casual gaming scene, comparing Kazooie to Tooie is a different story. It’s touted for it’s bigger worlds, larger movesets, and enjoyable gameplay, but talk rarely ventures into the zone of characters, dialogue, or themes; all content that Tooie is rich in. It’s usually brought up as a worthy sequel, but without much further discussion than that. Without having played through Tooie recently, you may find it’s hold on your memory is surprisingly thin.

When Banjo and Kazooie were announced as an upcoming duo for Smash Bros, I was absolutely ecstatic. I was excited for some nostalgic Banjo content with a fresh coat of paint, and had high hopes Tooie would get some love too. New compositions of classic Tooie tunes? Dragon Kazooie as an alternate costume? Unfortunately, as lovely as the new DLC was, Tooie did not get as much representation as I’d hoped. The stage was Spiral Mountain, but only as it appears in the first title. No ‘destroyed’ Tooie variant was selectable. The NPCs modelled for the sidelines were expressive and intricate, but every one was a character from the original game. No JamJars, no Humba, No spooky skeleton Grunty. Thankfully, Tooie did play a part in the duo’s moveset. Breegull Bash, Breegull Blaster, and their “Rear Egg” ability are the three Tooie patented moves the duo are given. However, their main gimmick power move, Wonderwing,  was pulled from the original, and their cinematic final smash was pulled directly from the first game’s finale. Musically, we did get a bit of Tooie, but only three out of ten added musical tracks were Tooie related, and only one of those was a brand new arrangement. Meanwhile, six out of the seven Banjo-Kazooie tracks were new arrangements. Clearly, the first entry of the series stole the show.

Nowhere is the cultural significance of Banjo-Tooie (or lack thereof) more apparent than in the realm of modern Banjo and Kazooie merchandise. Over the past few years, Rare has taken note of the franchise’s popularity and has produced a frankly remarkable influx of goodies. T-shirts, figures, and pins have been released in droves through sites like fangamer, iam8bit, and Rare’s rather new self-branded storefront. If you’re a fan of the first game, rejoice! There’s plenty of pieces that reference the rich levels and tunes of Grunty’s lair. Tooie on the other hand … All the current-day merch can muster is few recreations of classic renders that offer nods to the abilities you learn in the game.

I should make it clear that I do find these pins and coins lovely, the more merch the merrier! It’s simply strange that this is the most representation we can get for one of the classic Banjo-titles. Of course, if you’re a Nuts & Bolts fan, you’re probably reading this and thinking ‘Well, our game doesn’t get anything either!’. Weirdly enough, despite its tumultuous reception, Nuts & Bolts has actually has more merchandise to its name than Tooie does. It may be a bit older, but pins, mugs, mouse pads, plushes, and even a promotional working wrench are all things we’ve seen surface from the N&B world. Meanwhile, characters like Jingaling, Jiggywiggy, and even the adorably marketable Glowbos have never officially been plastered on anything.

So what does all this mean? Why does Rare seem to never give Banjo-Tooie a nod? I think a lot of the reason Tooie is so commonly swept under the rug has to do with the complexity of it’s levels. Every world in Tooie is massive compared to Kazooie, twice its predecessor’s size at least, and that makes each of them much more difficult to commit to memory. World’s in Kazooie can often feature a massive centre piece; something iconic at the centre of the level that not only lets you find your bearings, but sticks in your memory as the core of that world. Freezeezy Peak has it’s snowman, Click Clock Wood has the tree, Clanker’s Cavern has, well, Clanker. While Tooie boasts an even livelier cast of characters, the more muddled maps and vast environmental zones can leave your brain struggling with what to attach those characters to. The only world in Tooie that follows a similar ‘centerpiece’ structure to the first game would be Witchyworld and it’s giant circus tent, and I think that’s a big reason it often rises to the top of polls as modern fans’ favorite Tooie level.

Of course, the best way to make Banjo-Tooie more relevant is to keep talking about it. Roleplay Jam-Jars at your friends, make a plush of Floatus Floatium creature, create a support group for residual thumb pain after besting Canary Mary. There’s a lot to love about Tooie, and I’m certain that Rare’s developers and other fans will take notice if it starts resurfacing in the public consciousness. They can only delay the production of a Tooie vinyl for so long, after all, because as much as I dislike Grunty Industries, that theme is undeniably catchy. At the end of the day, myself and many other Banjo fans love this game. I hope that someday it can get the media and merchandise recognition it deserves.

Categories: Features