Banjo-Tooie

Did You Know?

• The Xbox Live Arcade version of Banjo-Tooie was developed by 4J Studios and released on 29 April 2009.
• The game was included in the Rare Replay compilation for Xbox One in 2015.
• Banjo-Tooie was re-released on the Nintendo Classics service in 2024 and for Evercade systems in 2026.

Plot

Two years after Gruntilda's defeat, Banjo and Kazooie are playing poker with Mumbo Jumbo and Bottles when two of Gruntilda's sisters, Mingella and Blobbelda, use a digging machine called the HAG 1 to enter Spiral Mountain. They free Gruntilda, who has become a living skeleton, and she destroys Banjo's house with a spell before fleeing. Mumbo escapes with Banjo and Kazooie, but Bottles is killed. The trio resolves to defeat Gruntilda and find a way to resurrect Bottles.

At Jinjo Village, King Jingaling explains that his subjects have been scattered by the HAG 1 and gives the duo their first Jiggy. Gruntilda's sisters introduce the Big-O-Blaster, which extracts life force; they test it on King Jingaling, turning him into a zombie. Gruntilda plans to charge the device to blast the entire island and restore her body. Her henchman Klungo is sent to hinder the duo but eventually abandons her after repeated defeats. Banjo and Kazooie meet new allies including Jamjars and Humba Wumba.

Development

Banjo-Tooie was developed by Rare and designed by Gregg Mayles and Steve Malpass. Development began in June 1998, directly after the release of its predecessor. Features cut from Banjo-Kazooie, such as some worlds and a multiplayer mode, were integrated into this game. A planned castle world was scrapped due to time constraints, and its assets were used for Cauldron Keep.

The game contains roughly 150 characters including enemies and non-playable characters. A mode called Bottles' Revenge, in which a second player could control enemy characters as an undead Bottles, was scrapped because the developers ran out of time to debug controlling bosses; only the second world boss, Old King Coal, was controllable when the mode was dropped. This idea later inspired the Counter-Operative mode in Perfect Dark. The Stop 'N' Swop feature, intended to transfer data from Banjo-Kazooie to Banjo-Tooie and other Rare games like Donkey Kong 64, was dropped due to Nintendo 64 hardware limitations, though some planned bonuses were included in the game. The feature was later implemented in the Xbox Live Arcade re-release.

Reception

GameRevolution called it less repetitive than Donkey Kong 64 and a worthy successor to Banjo-Kazooie. Nintendo Power described it as the perfect cross between Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, noting less backtracking, but expressed disappointment with how the Stop 'N' Swop bonuses were resolved. N64 Magazine's Mark Green felt the game delivered clever puzzles and enjoyable moments but lacked the freshness of earlier Rare platformers. The graphics were considered among the best on the Nintendo 64 for their rich textures, long drawing distance, and real-time shadows, though the inconsistent frame rate was criticised; some critics felt the drops did not significantly hinder gameplay.

GameRevolution found the game beautiful but not as awe-inspiring as its predecessor. The humour was praised, with Edge commenting that the characters are impossible to dislike. The large world sizes were highlighted; GamesRadar noted the game requires a massive time investment and either a photographic memory or copious note-taking. GamePro remarked that players might lose their way.

GameSpot praised the level design and progression. Edge concluded Rare should have innovated more rather than copying Super Mario 64's formula. Japanese reviewers noted that Banjo-Kazooie was overlooked due to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and found Tooie difficult due to the excessive number of moves required.