Playtonic Games recently announced  their adorable new video game title, Yooka-Laylee.

Great job on the kickstarter guys! You’re making history! If you do not already know, Playtonic Games is a combination of both new video game developers and ex-Rare members. If you don’t know who Rare is…..you were probably not born in the 90’s. Rare is responsible for many ground-breaking video game achievements such as: Banjo-Kazooie, Goldeneye 007, Donkey Kong 64, Perfect Dark, Conker’s Bad Fur Day and so many others. They basically were the kings of the Nintendo 64 era. Today we will be remembering what is probably Rare’s crowning achievement, Banjo-Kazooie.

1. The Characters

Probably the most obvious reason why the game is so memorable is the quirky characters. The game makes you fall almost instantly in love with Banjo and Kazooie. They have perfect chemistry and their voices and dialogue never get old. From the moment you see Kazooie and Bottles the mole go back and forth is almost as enjoyable as seeing Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith meet for the first time.

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 Mumbo Jumbo is also an interesting character to come across. When you first meet him you’re a little confused as to what his purpose is. He seems magical so maybe he’ll give you super powers!? Unfortunately no, but he gives you the next best thing! The ability to morph into different helpful animals (if you’re complaining about this, stop. You can already fly in this game). Mumbo fits in perfectly along with the other quirky cast members.

So you’re already in love with the main characters what else is there to love? The side characters of course! Who could forget characters like the polar bear family, Gobi, Clanker, and Klungo! These characters make the Banjo-Kazooie world come to life and they make quest worth while.

What’s a great rescue story without a great villain? Gruntilda is easily one of the most hated characters in video game history (in a good way of course). From the moment you step into her lair she instantly starts taunting you with rhymes. Throughout the game you become more annoyed with her and become even more ready to battle her. Nothing was more satisfying than defeating Gruntilda. Nothing. 

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2. The Abilities/ Items

Probably the most interactive and fun tutorial level, Banjo-Kazooie makes you instantly hooked on the abilities. After this indulging tutorial level you’re ready to find more ways to help you rescue Banjo’s sister (oh yeah that’s the entire purpose of the game by the way). Thankfully Rare equips you with a helpful arsenal to make your way through the deadly yet adorable stages in this goofy game. While Super Mario 64 only lets you fly for a certain amount of time this game let you fly for as long as you wanted!….as long as you have enough feathers of course. Any kid that was lucky enough to play this game growing up knows that any level with the flying pad was always the “radest” that was a saying back then…

Other awesome power ups included the swamp boots and the super fast shoes! At least that’s what everyone else called them. These amazing items cleverly got Banjo and Kazooie through some of the most difficult obstacles while providing an incredibly fun experience. 

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 If you mention “collectibles” to any new gamer today their reaction might not be very ecstatic….but in Banjo-Kazooie it’s one of the best parts! Nothing put you on the edge of your seat like the anticipation of collecting another jiggles! 

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3. The Music

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Grant Kirkhope is one of the most iconic video game composers of all time. His work with this game is the Mount Everest of his career. Next to the Rare company itself, Kirkhope is the most famous person to come out of this game. Probably because his humorous Twitter account.

Grant’s iconic tunes can be heard by gamers around the world humming the undeniably catchy songs and they still cannot get enough of it! If you want to know more about Grant check out this hilarious and insightful episode of Game Grumps!

4. The Levels

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Just as memorable as any other aspect of the game. The levels boast the games most promising component. The levels are diverse and give a great variety of environments. The game is centered around platforming, so naturally the obstacles change within every level. You’ll never get bored!

One level Banjo and Kazooie are running through a jungle level with a giant gorilla ready to fight them. The next they are swimming through a nasty rusty water level with a giant scary fish in the center. Eventually you’ll find them at the top of Gruntilda’s castle and…..sorry If those descriptions sound a little strange that is because that is just the charm of this game! It knows it is silly and it knows it is wacky in every way possible. There are googly eyes on everything for goodness sake! So there is literally no reason to take this game seriously. It’s just fun!

The best world in the entire game is Click Clock Wood! This was the quintessential Banjo-Kazooie word that made the entire game worth playing if you didn’t enjoy anything before this level (which is impossible). I mean just listen to the theme and you’ll be instantly convinced that this level is nostalgia at it’s best.

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Banjo-Kazooie is still to this day an incredible creative achievement. Almost nothing in this game is forgettable and people still talk about it on the internet like it came out yesterday. Seriously go type in Banjo-Kazooie on YouTube.