Banjo and Kazooie Are Raring To Go!!
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is huge. Not just in terms of hype and importance and sales potential, but just in terms of sheer stuff. The Nintendo Switch mascot fighter features over a hundred stages, nearly a thousand songs, and too many Pokemon and items and Assist Trophies to think of crammed onto a cartridge you can plan on the go or on a TV. When you have as many big franchises as Nintendo, putting them all in one game will make that game is very big boy indeed.
But the biggest, most exciting thing about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is its mind-blowing, heartwarming roster of playable characters. Fighting games pride themselves not just on the strength of their mechanics but the strength of its fighters, especially in a crossover fighters like this. And Super Smash Bros. Ultimate crushes all rivals by including every single playable character from the across the four previous games in the twenty-year-old series. Include the new combatants and so far we have over 70 fighters to wrap our heads around. We’re excited, but we’re also intimidated. So to get ready for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, every day, character by character, we’re creating the ultimate guide to all of its characters. Today’s fighter: Banjo and Kazooie.
Who Are They?
Banjo and Kazooie, the sassy bird and chill bear, are the stars of Rare’s beloved mascot platformers (and occasional car-building games). They hang out with the shaman Mumbo Jumbo and stop the evil witch Gruntilda from stealing Banjo’s sister’s beauty. And since they came from an old-school 3D platformer, they collect a lot of stuff, in this case puzzle pieces called Jiggies.
Smash History
The first Banjo-Kazooie game launched on Nintendo 64 since Rare was owned by Nintendo at the time. The developer had already reinvented Donkey Kong to great success so why not try a new idea? After that they seemed next in line to appear in future Smash Bros. game. But before that could happen Rare was acquired by Microsoft. Only now, thanks to Nintendo and Microsoft’s current bromance, can this duo finally join the fight that is their birthright.
What Looks New in Ultimate?
Until now Smash players had to settle for Duck Hunt dog if they wanted to play a mammal/avian duo. But Banjo and Kazooie bring their own unique style to battle. Banjo packs a punch but is surprisingly nimble. Kazooie has tricky projectiles like egg bullets and egg grenades. And together their most powerful, but most limited, move is a shoulder bash with transcendent priority.
Our Hopes?
Finally, a DLC fighter who isn’t some JRPG character! Let’s keep this up. And while we’re at it, let’s get the original Banjo-Kazooie games on Switch. If Cuphead and Ori can came over, if Sakurai can say “Xbox” on a Nintendo stream, anything is possible.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is available now. Read our review of this majestic video game pageant. And for more check out cool Switch games to play that aren’t Smash Bros., because those definitely exist.
