Banjo is coming to the Switch! One of the most exciting announcements for long-term Banjo-Kazooie fans was made recently during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct. The N64 classic, Banjo-Kazooie, is going to be released on the Nintendo Switch Console in October 2021. The release of some Nintendos classics on Switch has been a hot rumor for a while now, and this serves as confirmation to many that the rumor is coming true.
Banjo-Kazooie has been a beloved game since its original release back in 1998, and now a whole new generation of gamers will have the opportunity to experience it. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few Pro Tips that will help those new to the series make the most of their Banjo-Kazooie playthrough on the Nintendo Switch.
5 Explore Thoroughly
Like a lot of 3D platformers, Banjo-Kazooie has a big focus on exploration. This is vital in this game, not only in the latter stages but the early ones as well. It is often necessary that the player thoroughly familiarize themself with the world they are in just to be able to make progress. This means looking around everywhere in every world and keep a sharp eye (and ear) out for anything that looks unusual.
Players will find many small things during exploration that might not immediately pay off, but will definitely come into play further into the game as more abilities become available. This is crucial for Mad Monster Mansion and Rusty Bucket Bay in particular, as they each have a lot of small areas and hard-to-notice-sections that contain some of the game’s various collectibles.
4 Write Down Brentilda’s Facts
One of the things that fans of the Banjo series love about the games are the wonderful and interesting Non-Player Characters that the developer, Rare, built into the storylines. Brentilda is one of those NPCs that really stands out. Brentilda is Gruntilda’s (the main antagonist) “much nicer sister” who appears at random times and locations throughout the game. When she shows up, she will pass along to the player a little bit of gossip.
Brentilda’s gossip turns out to be three slightly gross but helpful facts about her sister Gruntilda. We’re not going to give any specifics on those facts here in order to avoid spoilers, but let’s just say it is very important that the player has most, if not all, of these facts noted in some way as they will come up again very late into the game. It is highly recommended that players write down Brentilda’s facts or use the Switch’s screenshot button to take pictures of them.
3 Backtracking
Backtracking in most games is usually not a lot of fun. However, in Banjo-Kazooie, it is entirely necessary if the player is looking to 100% the game. Luckily, the backtracking happens very rarely in the actual worlds, so there’s not a ton of boring repetion. However, there are several Jiggies in Gruntilda’s Lair that require the player to go back for them after they do something later in the lair to make them accessible. So, it is certainly advisable for the player to keep track of the specific rooms in Gruntilda’s Lair that have Jiggies that cannot immediately be reached.
The Switch’s screenshot function is once again quite useful here, helping the player remember where to go back to when the Jiggies are available. Luckily, the only times this is ever relevant in the main worlds are Freezeezy Peak and Gobi’s Valley. In this instance, collecting the Jiggy in Freezeezy Peak requires a move that is not learned until visiting Gobi’s Valley, despite the fact the flow of the game gives access to Freezeezy Peak first.
2 Mumbo Tokens
One of the most important collectibles in Banjo-Kazooie is the Mumbo Tokens. These floating silver skulls are essentially a form of currency that you trade with Mumbo (the resident witch doctor) to be able to use the various transformations found throughout the game. These are instances where Mumbo uses his magic to transform Banjo into various creatures (like a Termite or a Crocodile) that can reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
There are a total of 115 Mumbo Tokens in the game, but only 75 of them are needed to beat the game. There are a finite number of them for each world, and the player will need the transformations to collect certain Jiggies. Once the player has given that world’s Mumbo the necessary number of tokens for that transformation, then the witch doctor will transform Banjo in that world. After the first transformation has taken place, the player can use it as many times as wanted moving forward without any additional cost.
1 Transformations In The Overworld
Players who want to get the most out of Banjo-Kazooie should also take note that the Mumbo transformations are also quite useful in the overworld. At any time, the player can take the transformations out of the specific worlds and into Gruntilda’s Lair. This is important, as they are necessary to obtain some of the overworld Jiggies.
The only other restriction here is that the player cannot take the transformations outside of certain “zones” in Gruntilda’s Lair. Once Banjo exits one of these zones, he will immediately change back into the normal Banjo and Kazooie form. This is actually helpful in a way since it lets the player immediately know when they have left an area where that particular form is required. Essentially, the game tells the player, “Go back. You missed it.” This saves a lot of time that would be otherwise wasted searching areas where there are no Jiggies to be found.
