Banjo-Tooie- The Sequel That Improved on Banjo-Kazooie

Man oh man, here we go, where do we even start? There is always an intro. Let me start off by saying that Banjo-Tooie is my favourite videogame ever and probably will always be. I’m an impressionable guy. There are impressionable movies, books, tv shows, and it’s no different with videogames. I still have this game for the N64 put away in a box in the basement and I’ve had it it’s whole life. I remember my cousins showed me it’s prequel Banjo-Kazooie. Yes, one might say I’m biased because I had Tooie first before Kazooie but unbiasedly, I shall tell you why I think Tooie is the superior sequel. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Alright so wheeeere to start? How about the beginning? The story is already darker. The tone is already darker and more mature. Gruntilda is risen from the ground who actually never died because we see the boulder that fell on top of her moving as she struggles to get it off. 2 years pass since the ending of Burger King, I mean Banjo Kazooie. It’s a dark and stormy night and the lore of BK expands as we see that Grunty actually has 2 sisters, Mingella and Blobelda. Grunty is now bones and has lost all her flesh. Even her face looks different. Then out of nowhere, boom, she blows up Banjo’s house and Bottles is dead. The once joyful Spiral Mountain is now a gloomy wasteyard. Gone is the cheeriness and innocence of BK. Kids gotta grow up. The adventure becomes so much bigger. The new Spiral Mountain theme is sad and very depressing. Grunty’s Lair is no longer the hubworld as it is destroyed. Banjo has to go to a new hubworld by walking into a big hole which Grunty’s sisters created with their machine. And here the adventure begins….

Off the bat, BT does BK one better by introducing proper boss battles. Forget the kids stuff from BK. BT introduces consistent and quite challenging boss battles. Klungo has the honor of the being the first of those bosses and you face him 3 times throughout the game. There is one supporting character in the game in the level after you beat Klungo named King Jingaling who doesn’t do anything but his purpose is that he’s the king of the Jinjos who all live in Jinjo Village. They’re all scattered across the levels, 5 in each level including the hubworld of Isle O’ Hags. Just like in BK there are 45 jinjos to find but it’s alot way damn harder to find them now and there’s another reason that makes BT more worthwhile- the challenge. Jiggies are alot harder to obtain, honeycombs, musical notes of which there are fewer and value 5 instead of 2 each, and the new collectible Cheato pages, where if you collect 5 you get a cheat.

I got to tell you there is just something about this game I absolutely love. N64 games feel like fever dreams whether it be Ocarina of Time or Mario 64. Banjo-Tooie is my fever-dream game. If I could transport myself into its world I would. The music in the levels of Tooie are superior to BK because it’s not as friendly nor kid-friendly with the cheery xylophones. It’s more atmospheric and moody. The levels are huge. I tell you if it were not for cheats and knowing where everything was it would take one ages to finish the game. BK feels too easy. BT feels rewarding. Of course with cheats and as an adult if you’ve played it 100x like I have you’ll know how to do everything. Does that stop it from being fun? No siree.

The attacks in BT are stronger and there are better rewards in the game. One of the best new abilities is the aiming technique where you can learn how to aim and fire from the ground, in the air, and even in water. Not only do you get to use these new abilities to obtain Jiggies but you’re able to use them to fight the bosses. The music themes that play while fighting the bosses are variations of their respective main world themes played in minor key. Some easy bosses include Targitzan, Old King Coal, and Mr. Patch while the hard ones are Lord Woo Fak Fak and Weldar. Don’t even get me started on the Hag 1. The rewards in BT include the stop n swap where you transfer some of the eggs you find in BK and hatch them in order to obtain rewards including having Jinjo as a multiplayer character (the fastest character to use), the Breegul Bash (a strong downward smash attack), and a homing ability when shooting eggs. Speaking of eggs, instead of just normal eggs you can now use fire eggs, ice eggs, grenade eggs, and clockwork remote little-kazooie bomb eggs. Now that’s an upgrade.

Another great addition to the game is mini-games. Each level has at least one or two and some are more fun than others but they’re all fun. One of the best things about the game is that you can replay bosses and replay the mini-games with multiplayer. Personally, for me walking around the worlds of BT is way more enjoyable and fun than the worlds of BK because they’re so big and there’s more going on. Some levels are more fun to explore than others, but with N64 graphics, even though they can be technically considered open-world platformers, there’s something like you can’t help but feel the worlds still have limits and like you’re inside a box. Let’s not forget the new inclusion of being able use Mumbo and using unique spells to further your journey as well as Humba Wumba being able to transfigure Banjo into different things, some of the cool ones being a submarine and T-rex.

The boss fights are great, the music is great. My personal favourite levels are Witchyworld, Terrydactyland, Grunty Industries, and Hailfire Peaks. BT improves on BK in so many ways. It’s the way a sequel game should be properly made. Harder Jiggies, cooler setpieces, it definitely still holds up. Some bash it because it’s not the uplifting, energetic, fun prequel. I can dig that but Tooie takes it up the next level. Grant Kirkhope really stepped it up with the music. The bosses are memorable (Mr. Patch). It gives you so much more. So much. I almost forgot to mention the cool ability to turn Kazooie into a dragon by first finding the Ice Key and using it to find a Mega-Glowbo inside it and taking it to Humba Wumba. It’s the music that also makes 75% of it all work. Myabe even 80%. 80% of the magic that makes this game replayable.

BT is a game that rivals DK64 and Mario 64. Maybe saying it’s as good as OoT is a too much of a stretch but it definitely rivals the other two. BT gives me the nostalgia chills every time I think about it and I want to play it again and again every time I do. It’s my most nostalgic game and will always have a special place. I can truly say that BT is a great game and one of the greats to come out near the end N64’s life. This is why BT is better than BK in a nutshell friendos, hope you enjoyed. Peace