I know that Banjo-Kazooie is an almost thirty-year-old game, and that I already wrote a retrospective post on it less than four short months ago, but there has been a major development that basically requires me to write about it one more time.
A little over a week ago, a PC port was released, thanks to the work that has gone into a long-running decompilation project. This new port, which works on Windows, Mac, and Linux (Flatpak version available!), is a revelation, and is now the absolute definitive way to play the game.
My number one complaint from my last post, and indeed the one thing that kept Banjo-Kazooie feeling the most outdated, was that the camera was so rigid and difficult to move. There was no smooth, free-moving camera. Instead, the system tried to make assumptions about where the player would want the camera to be, and provided only a rudimentary system for adjusting it.
In the recompiled version, you get a modern camera that moves freely, and instantly makes Banjo-Kazooie feel like a platform that could have been released yesterday. It is such a massive improvement in every way.
Plus, seeing Banjo-Kazooie rendered in 4K is a sight to behold. Sure, there are some textures that don’t make the transition (although an additional mod pack to add hi-res textures goes a long way!), but overall it is visually stunning, especially considering it was one of the first 3D platformers ever created. The art design is still unmatched.
There are other quality of life improvements, including improved swimming and flying controls and, mercifully, it remembers the notes you have saved in each world, rather than requiring you to re-collect them each time you exit and enter. This feature was already implemented in the Xbox version, so it’s not necessarily groundbreaking, but it is nice to see it here.
All the positives I mentioned before still hold true. It has perfect progression, perfect character design, and a magnificent soundtrack.
The one remaining negative is that I still find navigating the hub world to be a bit of a pain. I wish there was an option to restart in the same world or room that you were in when you last turned the game off, rather than starting you out at the bottom of Gruntilda’s Lair every time. But that is a really minor complaint, and the shortcut system does let you move around the hub world rather quickly.
Even with this recompilation, I hesitate to call Banjo-Kazooie a perfect game, but wow does it come close. I don’t think any 3D platformer, or any game for that matter, has managed to match the immaculate vibes and charm that Banjo-Kazooie is dripping with. And now, with this Recompilation, you can experience it in a whole new way.