The game Banjo-Kazooie Nuts and Bolts is the latest installment in the Banjo-Kazooie series and was developed by Rare in 2008 for Xbox 360. In this game, Banjo and Kazooie have to complete Jiggy-Challenges to earn Jiggies, that are required to unlock new worlds, but also to progress in the game. To be successful, the player has to construct different vehicles types, while collecting Mumbo Crates scattered throughout Showdown Town unlocks new vehicle parts to the player’s selection in Mumbo’s Motors. Also, completing a Gruntilda Challenge in a world unlocks a special part for Banjo and Kazooie’s trolley, that can be used to access new sections of the game’s main hub, Showdown Town. Banjo-Kazooie Nuts and Bolts is the first game of the franchise, featuring an online multiplayer mode, where players around the world can participate in races and battles by using vehicles. A few months later, L.O.G.’s Lost Challenges got released, which takes place in the world Test-O-Track. It includes six difficult Jiggy-Challenges, where twelve additional Jiggies and T.T. Trophies can be obtained, while completing all of them with a Jiggy Rank grants access to a sequel of Klungo’s Arcade game, titled Hero Klungo Sssavesss Teh Universsse. Also, six new multiplayer game types as well as ten achievements got added to the game, worth twp-hundred fifty gamerscores. Beside of that, the game features Stop ‘n’ Swop, that unlocks special crates in Showdown Town after collecting them in the re-released version of Banjo-Kazooie, and include a part that can’t be obtained through other means, while most of them are used as decoration.
» Game Prologue
The game takes place eight years after Banjo-Tooie, in which Banjo the brown bear and Kazooie the red breegull defeated Gruntilda. During this time, the protagonists have become lazy and out of shape because of the lack of adventuring. Suddenly, Gruntilda Winkybunion’s detached head returns to Spiral Mountain seeking revenge, and another battle against the protagonists is about to begin. However, their battle is interrupted by the appearance of Lord of Games, the creator of all video games. He explains that he has come to settle the conflict between them by devising a series of Jiggy-Challenges. Gruntilda agrees to the idea and asks Lord of Games what the price will be. Lord of Games replies that the winner gains ownership of Spiral Mountain, while the loser must work in his video game factory for eternity. He uses his powers to give the witch an artificial body and restore Banjo and Kazooie’s physical fitness, but not their techniques, which they have acquired from previous games, stating that they will not need them. After that, he summons two vehicles of different sizes, while Gruntilda pushes Banjo and Kazooie to take the big one, leaving them with a trolley-like vehicle. Both entered a portal in front of them, leading to the game’s hub world called Showdown Town, where the contest begins. In Showdown Town, Kazooie asks Lord of Games how they should participate in the game, since he has taken all of their techniques. In response he summons a special weapon called Magic Wrench, allowing them to attack with but also perform longer jumps if cast in the air. Without hesitation, the witch asks what she’ll receive instead, and Lord of Games summons a pink-colored cat named Piddles. Gruntilda was shocked and kicked Piddles away, causing her to attack the witch. After that, Banjo and Kazooie have to participate in Jiggy-Challenges and earn Jiggies to progress in the game, while the witch has to stop them from succeeding in the game with the help of Piddles and an army of Gruntbots.
» Gameplay Mechanics
One of the key differences between Nuts & Bolts and its predecessors is that it is not a traditional third-person platform game. Instead, it utilizes vehicles to transport the protagonists around the levels where they must complete Jiggy-Challenges to progress in the game. According to Gregg Mayles, around twenty percent of the game retains traditional platforming elements. This means that players of the previous Banjo-Kazooie games must adjust their expectations and play style when approaching Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts. Another significant difference is that Banjo and Kazooie have a limited set of moves available to them. In previous games, they had a wide range of abilities, including Beak Buster, Breegull Blaster and many others. This time, however, many of these moves have been removed, and the characters can only perform a few basic actions. For example, they can attack using the Magic Wrench they receive from the Lord of Games, but they cannot use most of the moves learnt in previous games. To compensate for this, the game puts an emphasis on creating and customizing vehicles. Players must use a variety of parts and tools to construct their own vehicles, which they can then use to complete challenges and explore the game’s levels. The game’s soundtrack was composed by Robin Beanland, Grant Kirkhope, and Dave Clynick, who also worked on the previous games. The music features remastered versions of existing soundtracks from the franchise, as well as new ones performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Furthermore, Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts was the final game that Grant Kirkhope worked on for Rare, making it a bittersweet moment for fans of his work. In 2009, Rare announced that all the soundtracks from the game were available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes, released by Sumthing Else, meaning that fans could listen to it whenever they like.
