About
Banjo-Kazooie is a video game franchise developed by Rare. The game’s main protagonists are lazy but kindhearted bear named Banjo and snarky bird named Kazooie. The series features five games, which were published on Nintendo 64, Gameboy Advance and Xbox 360.
History
It began as a SNES game named Project Dream. It was supposed to star a boy named Edison, who fought against a pirate named Blackeye. The idea was scrapped due the development team Rare feeling that it was “too generic.” The development then transferred the project onto Nintendo 64. The first game, Banjo-Kazooie, was released on 29th June 1998 in North America, and on 17th July 1998 in Europe. The sequel Banjo-Tooie was released on 20 November 2000 in North America and on 12 April 2001 in Europe. The third game Banjo-Threeie was supposed to come out on Gamecube, but it was reworked for a Xbox 360 game named Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.
Reception
The series received positive reception from critics and gamers alike. However Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, which was still received positive reception, the fan reception was mixed due drastic changes of the franchise.
Impact
The Banjo-Kazooie series was the inspiration for the Playtonic Games (made out of former Rare employees) latest project Yooka-Laylee . Banjo and Kazooie themselves appeared on Rareware’s last game on Nintendo 64, Conker’s Bad Fur Day.
Fandom
There are over 8,809 results of Banjo-Kazooie on DeviantArt.