Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

GBA, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge (2003) game

Amazing what they could do on such a limited system, really, but the humble Game Boy Advance (standing on the shoulders of the giants of the original Game Boy range), played host to some strong titles and should never be discounted for its contribution to console gaming. At the same time there's no point going into this game with expectations of another platforming epic to rival the N64 classics, but if you never got tired of 'Banjo-Kazooie' and 'Banjo-Tooie' and simply wanted more of that world, then you'll probably enjoy this. In the absence of 'Banjo-Threeie' (jokingly mentioned at the end of 'BT'), this is, as far as I'm aware, the only other starring role for the bird and bear (not counting minor appearances such as 'Diddy Kong Racing,' Banjo's first role in Rare's catalogue, or 'Banjo Pilot'), so you have to make the most of it. It's actually pretty impressive that they managed to evoke the feel of Banjo's world on the handheld, the same colour, style and Game Boy version of the music and 'animal talk' voices, not to mention many of the same moves as the N64 versions, despite limited control options.

The story, as ever, is about Grunty causing havoc again, but this time cunningly set between 'BK' and 'BT,' despite coming out three years after the latter game. This time Grunty's ghost is sucked out from under the rock which pins her corpse at the end of 'BK' to inhabit a machine body which, for some reason, goes back in time with the help of loyal Klungo. I'm guessing the time travel story was partly so they could get away with simpler levels that didn't need to look like the big brother console's vast lands, and there was no need to worry about continuity with characters and locations. It may also be that Rare themselves didn't actually make the game as it's the THQ logo that comes up first, so I'm uncertain whether it was just published with the Rare name on it, or whether they really were responsible - published at a time Microsoft had bought them out, yet I think the Banjo characters were owned by Nintendo (though I could be wrong on that), so it was a sort of backdoor way of releasing another Banjo game. Regardless, they didn't just put out a rush job to capitalise on affection for the old games, it's a technically proficient release that has many of the hallmarks of the other games, but in miniature.

The music really stands out for me, with Spiral Mountain having the same jaunty tune as 'BK' did, and while the other levels aren't as memorable (it would have been more fun to visit past versions of existing levels), it's all in the same familiar style. The same can be said for the sound effects, with that pleasing wobble as you pick up notes, and Kazooie's harsh cries as the bird takes to the ground or makes a jump. The baddies are similar, too. There aren't many of the old character back (which made me wonder if it was for rights reasons), but there are a few (so maybe not), such as Klungo, Jiggywiggy, Honey B, and of course, Mumbo Jumbo, this time a much younger version. Not that you'd really know, as I didn't feel they made use of the time travel story beyond being able to set it between the other games - they could have shown Mumbo to be a lot less reliable in his magic, or had them meet young versions of other classic characters (Boggy, for example), and there does feel like a lot less character to the settings. You always have to keep in mind the limitations of the system, so these are only minor points and don't detract much from a fun experience, similar to what we'd seen before: notes and Jiggys to collect, as well as Mumbo tokens (only one per world this time, won by beating Klungo), and honeycomb pieces which you can take to Honey B, as in 'BT.'

There's even the option to fire eggs and become invincible with golden feathers, though you're restricted to using them from pads rather than any time you want to, but that's fine as it would make the game too easy if you could do that anywhere. The game's difficulty comes more from the fact that enemies reappear almost the moment you move away from the screen you defeated them on, but again, I guess there were limited ways to make a simple game difficult. Mumbo's magic once again changes you into different creatures, which on this occasion you can change into on any level, though this isn't worked into the puzzles much (the candle and the octopus were most enjoyable). For obvious reasons there's no flying, although the worlds are cleverly designed in a three-dimensional way thanks to a layered approach - not isometric, but straight up three-quarters, plan-view, a bit like the 'Zelda' Game Boy games, but with added height. This, while being impressive and helping to give the game its feeling of size and weight, also caused the only real fault I could find: you're not always sure which platforms you can reach, and which are too high. It was just a small thing that would obviously not have been an issue in a true 3D world.

The levels aren't huge, but they are reasonably varied, having different themes within, rather than sticking rigidly to one setting, such as cliff tops as well as sand, wooded as well as industrial, though this also means that some levels are a bit samey, repeating the themes of others. There are only five levels, not counting the overworld of Spiral Mountain, but it is a Game Boy game, and I'm not sure how much more they could have squeezed in. As well as collecting, you have the usual quests of helping people, fighting, and playing minigames. These were in the same style as 'BT,' top-down battles against three other opponents to hold or collect something could seem a bit basic on the N64 game, whereas it suits the small screen perfectly. There's quite a bit of repetition in these games, with fishing, shooting, battling opponents and racing down a slide being the main types of game, repeated in variations, but at least it gives the feel of the other games. You soon feel right at home with all these tasks to complete, and the game begins without Kazooie, who's been captured, which gives it a different feel as you learn Banjo's basic moves.

It's a shame Spiral Mountain isn't the same layout as the other two games, but as it's set in the past that isn't a problem, and it's great fun spotting the landmarks, such as the giant stone witch head (this time you head, pun intended, inside the hat for the final battle), mole hills, the Jiggywiggy Temple, Mumbo's Skull, Banjo's house and the boulder (though only in the cutscenes). The landscape is so similar that it's a shame when you can't experience the freedom you're used to, such as climbing trees. As I said, the layered approach gives a sense of 3D ground to cover, and it took me a while to work out that to progress from Spiral Mountain all I needed to do was whack the Jiggy switch outside the Temple to get in, rather than scouring every cliff face thinking I ought to be able to get up somehow! Grunty was the hardest challenge, and though the game took only about seven hours to finish, it would have been about an hour less if I hadn't taken so long to beat the final battle - partly it was the confined screen and small controls (excuses, excuses!), which made changing things (like swapping eggs mid-battle or swapping to Kazooie for a turn of speed), less intuitive and comfortable. But as a whole it was a pretty easy game, which is no bad thing when you get tired of scrunching up, bent over a small screen with cramped hands… It was nice to see the return of the game show aspects to the final battle, too, as you're forced to recognise sounds and sights, and replay minigames.

The Banjo games had earned a lot of love, but while they couldn't have been accused of playing off of the name, I'd have liked a little more ingenuity, and perhaps more humour, as, if you strip away the sound effects and music, it could almost be any 3D platform game, with the usual beach, ice, lava, water lands. But they were lush and colourful, as you'd expect, soundly done, and more of the same, which is what you want (although I wished they'd had the changing jigsaw puzzles you had to put together in a limited time in order to unlock levels). I didn't understand the significance of the coins you can collect in the end credits slide minigame, but it may have been just a novelty as they don't show up in your game totals, despite the game autosaving. The main draw is for the novelty of playing a Banjo game on a handheld, why, it's a novelty to be playing one at all that isn't 'BK' or 'BT'! It does enough to be a good experience, not just the licence slapped on another game, and makes me long for a modern update on one of the current consoles, with the return of the charm, humour, ingenious puzzles and beautiful lands to explore. The story nicely resolves with Grunty's beaten spirit returning to its bouldery grave, Klungo trying to shift it, and the witch ordering him to contact her sisters, as well as the Jinjos thanking Banjo and going off to reclaim their land ready for 'Banjo-Tooie.' The bottom line is, if you want more Banjo, this is the place to come.

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