Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts

Rare’s long-running franchise gets more than just a facelift in Xbox 360 exclusive Banjo–Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Rob Power gets down to the nitty gritty with the family-friendly furry critters...

We all love to see old friends popping up in new releases, resurrected for a new crowd, showing off a bit of gaming heritage. The sense that this  young industry has produced some characters with longevity is a satisfying one, proving that video games have the ability to produce characters that can make as much of an impression on their fans as figures from literature or film. Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, Lara Croft – they all have their place in the gaming hall of fame, and so too does Banjo the bear and his mate Kazooie.

Having been a stable of console gaming since the first Banjo-Kazooie title was released way back in 1998, there’s a lot of affection for the series that has warmed the cockles of many a cold and twisted gamer’s heart. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is the fifth instalment, and the first to be released on a non-Nintendo platform, this time finding an (exclusive) home on the 360.  

Pulling Banjo out of a three-year holiday – his last outing was in 2005 with Banjo-Pilot on the Game Boy Advance – may at first seem an odd decision, but with a strong feeling of nostalgia attached to the name, not to mention the widespread appeal of the title with its family friendly face, it would seem that now really is the time for Banjo-Kazooie to take the step up to the next gen.

“I think here at Rare we knew Banjo would return at some point but the timing was always going to be crucial,” comments Rare lead designer  Shaun Read. “The idea for a ‘build-em-up’ came first. This initial concept only came into being once we knew the current generation of consoles were up to the job of realising our ambition. From this initial seed of an idea it seemed a natural progression to build it around the Banjo universe.”

The ‘build-em-up’ idea, as you may have gathered from the Nuts & Bolts title, is the central theme of the game. The storyline this time revolves around a new character, the Lord of the Games, who has decided to settle the long-running battle between Banjo and his nemesis Gruntilda by setting up a showdown between the two in order to decide who gets ownership of Spiral Island.

So, Banjo has to traipse around completing the Lord of the Games’ tasks by building vehicles to get himself over land, sea and air. Parts are collected along the way, with players having to kick their imaginations into gear and piece them together to create their mode of transport of choice. “We dabbled with making another traditional Banjo platformer but soon came to realise that the franchise deserved something more,” continues Read. “To us, the whole idea of building vehicles to solve traditional Banjo-style puzzles was very exciting and a perfect evolution of the genre.”

Pushing Banjo-Kazooie into the 21st century has been crucial to making the new game seem vital, especially with the lessening popularity of traditional platformers. The drive to create an update on a classic has proved strong with the Rare team, which has been determined to put a fresh edge on things. “Preconceptions of the genre’s popularity had little to do with our decision,” asserts Read.

“I honestly think if we had released a high-quality traditional Banjo game it would be just as popular as we hope Nuts & Bolts will become. The bottom line is, as a team, we wanted to create something new.  And while we might meet resistance from some fans, we are confident that the final game is strong enough to win over even the strongest doubters.”

For all its heritage and past popularity, Banjo-Kazooie is certainly no gore-splattered shooter and perhaps, it could be argued, has little in common with a lot of the other titles that are fuelling the 360’s current success. Rare, however, remains confident that the hardy honey bear and his winged companion have more than enough about them to add a new dimension to the Xbox staple.

“We very much like to think we bring something new to the table, not just on the 360 console but to gaming in general,” says Read. “The 360 has some truly outstanding titles and this holiday season is looking like the console’s strongest yet. Hopefully Nuts and Bolts provides an alternative to the majority of games out there and in doing so helps the platform reach as wide an audience as possible.”

Promoting the latest exploits of the bear and his bird to the masses is as crucial as ever, although having such a loveable and widely known character to work with should make things a touch easier. “We have a variety of marketing activities from ads in all the gaming press as well as a strong DPS campaign running across the lifestyle titles like FHM, Zoo, Maxim and Empire,” comments marketing manager Laura Disney.

“Online marketing will target both the gaming community but also take Banjo to the wider audience via Monkey and The Sun. Banjo-Kazooie Nuts and Bolts is also one of our feature titles of our Trial Tour, which is visiting shopping malls and universities around the country in the run-up to Christmas. To support this we also have interactive floor advertising, floor vinyls and billboard ads running in the malls.”

Expectations are certainly high, and with a significant number already making a noise about the launch, Microsoft looks sure to reap the rewards that come from working with a well-established franchise. “To date, the reaction to the upcoming Nuts and Bolts game has been great and we expect this to be reflected at retail,” adds Disney. “The original Banjo-Kazooie games are an important part of gaming history and known and loved by many – it’s wonderful to introduce Banjo-Kazooie to a whole new generation of gamers.”