From the mid-to-late 1990s, 3D-platforming video games experienced a massive surge in popularity, thanks largely in part to more advanced hardware being able to render three-dimensional environments. One of the more beloved games from this era celebrates its 20th anniversary this year: Banjo-Kazooie.
The game was developed by the folks at Rare and was originally released on the Nintendo 64 console in June of 1998. It evolved out of the cancelled Project Dream, which Rare had spent more than a year developing before it was canned; the game’s protagonist was a bear, who eventually became Banjo. When working out Banjo’s powers, Kazooie, the bird, was added in. The goal of the game was to appeal to both young and adult audiences by blending colorful environments with a snarky sense of humor.
The story follows Banjo, alongside his pal Kazooie (who lives in Banjo’s backpack), who must travel throughout the land in order to rescue Banjo’s sister, Tooty. Tooty has been kidnapped by the evil witch Gruntilda, who learns that Tooty is more beautiful than she is, and so creates a machine that can transfer Tooty’s beauty to herself. Eventually, Banjo and Kazooie manage to rescue Tooty, reach Gruntilda’s lair at the top of a mountain, and defeat the witch.
Banjo-Kazooie was a massive success, both critically and commercially, upon release. It was praised widely for both its colorful graphics, which pushed the limits of the hardware at the time, as well as its clever writing, and eventually took home multiple awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. The original game would go on to sell more than two million copies worldwide, and a sequel, Banjo-Tooie, arrived in 2000. The two games are frequently cited as some of the best made for the N64, as well as standouts within the 3D-platforming genre.
A third title, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, released for the Xbox 360 in 2008 (Rare had been bought out by Microsoft at this point), and the “spiritual successor” Yooka-Laylee released in 2017. The series has maintained an ardent fanbase over the years, showing that a quirky couple of protagonists can remain popular even after the gaming genre falls out of style.
