In the Banjo-Kazooie games, the player has the opportunity to learn a wide variety of techniques that are essential for their progression throughout the game. These techniques can be taught by Bottles or his relatives, such as Jamjars and Bozzeye, including a variety of skills that enable the player to reach new areas and collectibles. At the beginning of Banjo-Kazooie, the player is only equipped with the most basic abilities like walking, jumping, swimming, and crouching. However as the game progresses, Bottles is on hand to teach the player additional skills like the Flap Flip which allows players to jump even higher and reach high located platforms. Furthermore, almost each world contains one or multiple molehills where the player can interact with Bottles or one of his relatives to learn additional techniques. In Banjo-Tooie and Banjo-Kazooie Grunty’s Revenge players had to work harder to acquire new techniques, since they had to find and collect Musical Notes in each world and have at least the same amount as required. Also, all techniques learned in Banjo-Kazooie are still available in Banjo-Tooie. On top of that, players can acquire additional abilities like first-person aiming, new egg types, or to play as Banjo and Kazooie separately each with their own unique set of techniques. In Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts, the player has access to a set of basic moves such as climbing, swimming, jumping and attacking with the Magic Wrench provided by the Lord of Games. However, many previously learnt abilities have been completely removed while others, such as Kazooie’s Egg Firing, have been mapped to vehicle parts.
» Yooka-Laylee Series
The Yooka-Laylee games offer players the opportunity to acquire additional techniques that are essential for exploration and completing the game. Trowzer, a red snake and businessman who runs Trowzers Worldwide Incredible Traders Co. Ltd, is responsible for teaching moves. Similar to Jamjars and Bozzeye from Banjo-Kazooie, Trowzer sells his moves to the player in exchange for Quills. In each world, the salesman offers a different set of techniques, each of which he explains upon purchase. In Hivory Towers, he can be found in certain areas, where he teaches the player a technique for free, which not only helps to open the next Grand Tome but also helps to expand his business. To use these moves, players need to keep a close eye on Yooka and Laylee’s power meter, as almost all moves consume some of it. The player can replenish the meter by collecting butterflies, and they can also expand it by finding Power Extenders that are hidden in worlds. As the player progresses, new abilities become available, which require varying amounts of energy from the power meter. They allow players to access new areas, complete challenges, and obtain collectibles, thereby adding depth and complexity to the game. In addition, in Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, Trowzer has a new business venture that places paywalls in the game’s hub world, Royal Stingdom, and players can only use basic abilities like walking, jumping, swimming and attacking. However, they are still sufficient to play the game, and Trowzer’s paywalls can be circumvented by skilled players. As you can see, acquiring new abilities is a crucial aspect of the Yooka-Laylee games, allowing players to fully explore and enjoy the richly detailed worlds.