Banjo-Tooie, the second installment of the Banjo-Kazooie series, was developed by the company Rare in the year 2000 for the Nintendo 64 consle. The game features an engaging storyline that follows Gruntilda Winkybunion, who was rescued by her sisters Mingella and Blobbelda. Seeking revenge on Banjo and his friends, the three witches devise a plan to steal the life force of others to restore Gruntilda’s previous body. The player takes control of Banjo and Kazooie and embarks on an adventure to thwart their nefarious plan and save the world. The gameplay is similar to its predecessor, and centers around the player finding and collecting Jiggies to unlock new worlds within the hub world, Isle O’ Hags. However, it introduces a new challenge where the player must complete a picture challenge inside the Jiggywiggy Temple. The game features interconnected worlds that makes it more difficult for players to acquire certain Jiggies. Additionally, each world features at least one boss and the player now has access to five different types of eggs that aid Banjo and Kazooie in their journey. Banjo-Tooie boasts several new features, such as a respawn timer for enemies and additional game modes, including a local multiplayer mode. Furthermore the game features the mysterious Stop ‘n’ Swop, where players can unlock special rewards. Due to revisions in Nintendo 64’s hardware, it was only possible to collect three of the eggs along with the series ice key. However, the re-released version of the game makes it possible for players to obtain all items of the Stop ‘n’ Swop series and unlock rewards like gamerpics or themes.
» Game Prologue
On a dark and stormy night, two years after the defeat of Gruntilda, Banjo and his friend Kazooie were playing a poker game with Bottles and Mumbo Jumbo. Meanwhile in another part of Spiral Mountain, Gruntilda Winkybunion’s loyal henchman Klungo is still trying to free his mistress from the heavy rock that had crushed her in the previous game. Suddenly, the peaceful evening was interrupted by an earthquake that rattled entire Spiral Mountain, while putting a halt to their card game. Mumbo heads outside to check what the earthquake caused and hides in a bush, where he soon realized that the cause of the tremors was none other than Gruntilda’s sisters, Mingella and Blobbelda, who had arrived with their massive digging machine, the Hag One. With the use of a powerful spell, they freed Gruntilda from the boulder, but unfortunately, all that remained of her was a skeleton wrapped in robes. Her sisters promised to help restore her body, but she has to accompany them back to their castle. Mumbo Jumbo, quick on his feet, raced back to Banjo’s House in order to warn them of the danger. However, the witches spotted Mumbo running away whereupon Gruntilda Winkybunion chased him, while hurling deadly spells at him, determined to stop him from ruining her evil plan. When she arrived at Banjo’s House, she paused to charge up a particularly powerful spell. Mumbo Jumbo warned his friends that Gruntilda is about to cast a powerful spell, after which Banjo and Kazooie leave, while Bottles, believing that Mumbo Jumbo was trying to cheat in the current poker game, remained behind. In an instant, the powerful spell hit Banjo’s House, obliterating it and killing Bottles inside. Gruntilda and her sisters then fled with the Hag One, leaving Spiral Mountain and heading to their new hideout, Cauldron Keep. The next morning, the devastation caused in Spiral Mountain was evident to all. At the same time, Bottles who had crawled out the wreckage, had now become a ghost, adding to the misery. Determined to seek revenge, Mumbo decreed that the witch must pay for what she has done to them.
» Gameplay Mechanics
Banjo-Tooie, the sequel to the critically acclaimed game Banjo-Kazooie, boasts expansive three dimensional worlds that are filled with various collectibles for players to uncover across different themed worlds. The main collectible in the game are golden Jiggies, which players must collect to unlock new worlds within the game’s overworld, Isle O’ Hags. Unlike its predecessor, the game doesn’t require players to search for incomplete puzzle boards to progress. Instead, it features a singular board located in Jiggywiggy’s Temple, where Master Jiggywiggy resides. Once players have obtained enough Jiggies they can enter Jiggywiggy’s Temple to initiate a Puzzle Challenge in order to unlock additional worlds. However, as they progress through the game the challenges become more tricky and require more Jiggies to complete. In addition, Musical Notes also make a return in the game, but they are used differently than in the previous game. Instead of opening Note Doors in Gruntilda’s Lair, players have to use them to learn additional abilities from Bottles brother, Jamjars. Moreover, players can use all the abilities they have learnt in the previous game right from the beginning, and can learn new ones such as first-person aiming, new egg types, or playing as Banjo and Kazooie separately, with each gaining abilities that they can only use while they are alone. Furthermore, the game offers new gameplay mechanics that have kept players entertained. Mumbo Jumbo, the character who could transform Banjo and Kazooie into different forms in the previous game, is now a playable character, and can also use his magic to change the environment, such as providing electricity to enable the lights in a dark cave. The game also features several characters from the predecessor, as well as new ones like Humba Wumba, who has taken over Mumbo’s previous role, transforming the heroes after being given a Glowbo.
