Koku Gamer: Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts Review

It is often said “Never meet your heroes,” because the chance of being disappointed by them is far greater than the probability of them being as great as their on-screen personas. I guess, in a similar sense, the same can be said for the gaming industry and great games; “Never attempt a sequel of a great title.” See though, unlike the former, developers in the past have created great sequels to fantastic games. Think Need For Speed Underground 2 from Underground 1 in the Need For Speed franchise. The thing is though, there have also been times when developers fall short in creating a solid sequel. Often one poor game might not ruin the franchise, but the opposite can happen and what a crushing blow it deals to the games when it does (think ProStreet for the same franchise).

Very recently however, I was confronted with quite a dilemma. I, along with thousands of other gamers, am very fond of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. I was given the first game on the Nintendo 64 over a decade ago and then a few years later, was given the sequel Banjo-Tooie. Both were fantastic games and the sequel did well for the franchise; and this belief was exemplified further only recently when I purchased both these games on Xbox LIVE Arcade.
Now moving forward, as I said, I was faced with a problem. In-front of me sat Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, the third title in the highly regarded franchise. Up until this point I had heard conflicting opinions about this game; some said it was a great with excellent gameplay whilst others complained about its simplicity and radical change when compared to the previous two titles. I wasn’t sure what to do – should I leave the game in its packaging and keep my memories about the franchise as being nothing but joyous and fantastic, or should I finally play the game and risk tarnishing these childhood memories forever?

As you’ve probably already caught-on, I decided to do the latter, so reluctantly I peeled off the protective packaging from the game box and slowly opened it – inside sat this brightly coloured game disc; which in a few moments would bring great happiness, or horrible sadness. Now I knew from reading previous comments from other gamers that this game was going to be different – it wasn’t the traditional platformer I had come to know and love, but it did involve vehicles; and for me, being the racing nut I am, I decided to take that as a plus. So after much ado and anticipation, I placed the game in the disc tray and prepared for the worst.

It has been quite some time between Tooie and Nuts & Bolts, and there sure have been some differences. One thing you notice almost immediately with this game is that it is nothing like its predecessors. The developers have changed and the gameplay has too. Unlike the past two titles where you ran, swam and flew around collecting a host of items, this game does away with most of that and focuses on using vehicles instead. Yes you can still walk, climb and swim around, but that isn’t what you’ll be doing most of the time. Even the items you are able to collect have been reduced.

Instead of collecting eggs and feathers you collect spare parts, instead of collecting Mumbo tokens and Glowbos, you collect trophies. There is still the inclusion of jigsaw pieces and musical notes and this is the focal point of the game. In Nuts & Bolts, musical notes are used to purchase blueprints for additional vehicles, spare parts and a host of other items/facilities available and notes are used to unlock new worlds and further your game progress.

Vehicles range from cars to boats, and from helicopters to planes – and everything in between. Here, imagination is the key to success. As Banjo and Kazooie, you’ll find yourself using both vehicles provided for you and custom-built machines to succeed in completing over 100 challenges across the various worlds. Unlike the last two games, the worlds are split into ‘Chapters/Acts’, each with their own jiggies to collect.

To facilitate accessible gameplay for all, the abundance of moves have been replaced with a do-it-all wrench that Kazooie uses along to way (which is explained later). A great part of this game is that it can’t be finished all at once – because not only is it ridiculously grand in its size, but many of the challenges require vehicles which you’ll either unlock later on or which just don’t have access to immediately at the time. Some might find this irritating, having to go back and complete challenges to unlock all the rewards, but I find it great as it allows you to take your time, and experience all the game has to offer, then tackle it once more to finish it all.

Some time will be spent in this game finding new parts, some will be found exploring and some time will be thinking about new methods to cut-down your times to unlock each trophy. All in all, it really isn’t a complicated game, but it isn’t so simplistic that older gamers will be put off. The use of vehicles brings a change of pace and adds a whole new dimension to unlocking and collecting jiggies.

Graphics is yet another strong-point of Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts. Now in this game, the characters aren’t modelled on being realistic, and before the reader starts screaming out, “Obviously” let me explain. The characters in this game look rather blockish – but in a good sense, as they look fantastic too. Without a doubt, Nuts & Bolts does well with showing the capabilities of the current-generation consoles in boasting clear and defined graphics.

Furthermore, the colours are also top-notch. The worlds and characters are showered in bright colours and overall, this just enhances the appeal of this game and continues with that tradition of having aesthetically pleasing game environments which Kazooie introduced and  Tooie re-enforced.

Another strong-point of the last two games of the franchise has been the sounds and music – and I’m glad to say that this is continued in Nuts & Bolts. Just like the older games, everything simply seems welcoming to the player and it comes together nicely to re-invigorate those feelings of nostalgia. Gamers who have played Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie will recognise familiar level background sounds such as the theme of ‘Treasure Trove Cove’ in the Nuts & Bolts level, ‘Nutty Acres’. Engine notes and other related driving sounds aren’t too loud and they don’t dominate over the sounds of the environment. Overall, the developers have done well here.

After playing through Banjo-Kazooie and its sequel, I wondered about how the controls of Nuts & Bolts would pan out. As great as the first two titles where, anyone who has played both on the Xbox 360 would agree in saying that the number of button combinations was quite large. It was a little puzzling to comprehend how all the old moves would be combined with those of driving the vehicles without becoming too challenging. Well, on this matter, there are just two things to make clear – the first is that all the old moves from the traditional BK games have been removed and the controls of this game are quite easy to get accustomed to.

Rather than the numerous combinations for jumping, attacking,  swimming and climbing, Nuts & Bolts has just three traditional moves – jump, climb and attack, where a press of ‘A’ or ‘X’ will achieve each, respectively. Yes, swimming is still present and there is still the ability to hold onto ledges, but it just doesn’t feel as fluid in this game, thankfully though there are little situations which require swimming and climbing isn’t used nearly as much as it was in Banjo-Tooie.

Moving onto the new controls, this is where Nuts & Bolts shows it’s a real ‘family’ game. Doing-away with all the moves Bottles and Jamjars taught you over the years, the Lord of Games (or L.O.G.) has replaced them with a wrench – but what a wrench it is! Using this, Kazooie can pick up items in close proximity and move them from place to place or onto your vehicles for further transportation. Almost everything can be picked up and placed elsewhere and this comes in handy for reaching music notes and items which are just a tad out of reach.

The vehicle controls are also just as simplified. The two bumpers control acceleration and braking and there is also the use of the four coloured buttons for additional functions (such as shooting). Whether it be a plane, land-based vehicle or a helicopter, every vehicle’s handling is accessible and it takes no more than a few minutes to get the hang of them.

Without a doubt, the ability to create your own vehicles is the main focus of this game. Throughout the levels you’ll find crates which house various building materials that can be used as you see fit to create your own designs. The parts are sorted into clear groups and the game does well with offering a short tutorial to introduce you to the basics of vehicle-building. Whilst there are some restrictions of where items must be placed, it really is up to the player to decide what parts to use and where to put them. Size, weight, fuel and power are just a few characteristics which must be taken into consideration when designing your vehicles as each will affect their performance and handling. With the inclusion of a test-track feature, you can create and try out your design before saving it – and this in itself will prove itself a mini-game in itself as you use different parts to create the best-suited vehicle for the challenge at hand.

Along with creating your own vehicles, the game does reward you with blueprints of pre-made ones, and this does help when you just can’t get the knack of vehicle creating (or when you can’t be bothered to make one from scratch). In addition, you can take existing blueprints and modify them to make even better. Whilst I found making my own quite difficult, the ability to buy and use existing blueprints is fantastic and it does ease you into ultimately creating your own down the line.

Overall, Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts is a great game. It wasn’t quite the sequel I had hoped for, but it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t pleased that I purchased it. The game is a giant leap away from what the first two games offered, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The new developers have done a good job in creating an enjoyable and accessible game which caters for all gamers of all ages. The graphics are fantastic, the sound is a perfect mix of old and new and the gameplay is fun if nothing else. This is the sort of game that leaves you wanting more and with so much to collect, explore and do, it isn’t surprising why. Some fans of the franchise might be disappointed that this wasn’t the platformer we might have liked, but missing out on this game would be a far greater disappointment.

8 Ninja Heads out of 10