Banjo-Kazooie: Showtime

Banjo-Kazooie: Showtime is a 3D platformer co-developed by Crash Co. and Rare Ltd. for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fourth game in the mainline Banjo-Kazooie series, the sixth game overall, and the first game released since 2008's Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. The game is a return to form of the pure 3D platforming gameplay seen in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, with the player controlling Banjo and Kazooie as they travel through various worlds collecting items and learning new abilities. The game's plot contains a lot of meta humor and references, like Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.
==Plot==
Banjo and Kazooie are coming back to Spiral Mountain after being invited to Super Smash Bros. Kazooie is ready to go on another adventure, but Banjo says he just wants to relax and watch TV. Spiral Mountain appears to be old and decaying (with Kazooie remarking it's especially dry today), but they pass it off as nothing. They head for Banjo's house while the duo sit on the couch and put on the TV. They then see a commercial for a new first-person shooter titled Kazo-Banjooie, starring a giant, muscular bird name Kazo and a baby bear named Banjooie who sits in a baby pack and wields a machine gun. Outraged that the developers have clearly ripped off their likeness, Kazooie suggests they storm into their studio and sue, with Banjo saying they probably shouldn't get involved. After some arguing, they end up going anyway.
The duo leaves Spiral Mountain and end up in Swirl Summit, with Kazooie pointing out more things this game ripped off from their series. They meet Kazo and Banjooie, with the Breegull demanding to know what they're doing ripping off their game. Kazo mocks her right back, calling them old timers trying to mooch off their success, before Banjo points out that's exactly what they're doing. The director then appears, who happens to be none other than Gruntilda. She explains that after she escaped the Lord of Games' laboratory following Nuts & Bolts, she went to college and got a degree in game design. She then bought the rights to the Banjo-Kazooie brand, pointing out Rare wasn't using them anyway, and decided to reboot it into Kazo-Banjooie as revenge for her defeats. The duo demands they get the rights back, but Gruntilda refuses since they need to pay her anyway. With no way to make money, Banjo comes up with the idea that they make their own adventure, thinking they can buy the copyright back to Rare if it's successful. Kazooie agrees and they head out to recruit their friends, but not without being followed by Kazo and Banjooie, who overheard the plan.
Banjo and Kazooie head back to Spiral Mountain, and with Bottles, Mumbo Jumbo, and Tooty, the group begins brainstorming plans for a new game. Banjo lays out the mission statement, which is to bring back the magic of 3D collectathons like their old adventures. Mumbo Jumbo turns Gruntilda's old lair into a set for the game. With Bottles in charge of coming up with new techniques and Tooty in charge of designing worlds, their game is ready to go into production.
==Gameplay==
Banjo-Kazooie: Showtime is a return to form of the true 3D platformer collectathon gameplay seen in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie; the player controls Banjo and Kazooie as they travel through various worlds and collect items in order to progress. The game's main collectibles are Jiggies, golden jigsaw puzzles, and Music Notes, with there being 100 in each level. Both of them can be used to unlock new worlds to explore. In terms of level structure, it resembles an in-between of the simple and compact levels of Banjo-Kazooie and the large, vast levels of Banjo-Tooie. Most levels take place within the studio that Mumbo Jumbo creates, though there are times the duo visit Swirl Summit and play levels in Kazo-Banjooie, which are typically more gritty and intense than the other levels.
As in previous games, Banjo and Kazooie's moveset is quite expansive, and by finding Bottles' molehills, the duo can learn new abilities to explore new areas. Alternatively, the player can instead choose to learn all these moves at once without needing to find Bottles within the levels (ultimately decided in an argument between Kazooie and Bottles regarding tutorials in games). Almost all of the moves from Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie return, along with several new ones. However, Split-Up Pads from Banjo-Tooie have been replaced with the ability to separate them on command, effectively giving the player three movesets; Banjo, Kazooie, and both of them together. Also unlike Banjo-Tooie, moves can be learned regardless of who the player is using; all of this combined ultimately cuts down a lot of the backtracking.
Banjo and Kazooie's health is measured in honeycombs, which can be found by defeating enemies or destroying Beehives. They can have up to five honeycombs initially, though it can be expanded to eight throughout the game. Several other upgrades can be found and unlocked as well, such as goggles that allow Banjo and Kazooie to breathe underwater and a radar to find Jiggies and Music Notes.
==Characters==
===Main Characters===
	Banjo & Kazooie
	Banjo and Kazooie are a duo of laid-back animals and the main playable characters. Banjo is a polite, easygoing bear while Kazooie is a brash, snarky bird that lives in his backpack. While they have many differences, they're inseparable friends. After finding out the Banjo-Kazooie brand has been sold and is being rebooted to Kazo-Banjooie, the duo set off to reclaim their fame by making their own adventure, looking to recapture the magic of 3D platformer collectathons.
	Bottles
	Bottles is a friendly mole who lives underground. He's recruited by Banjo and Kazooie to help them make a new game to reclaim their brand from Gruntilda, and is put in charge of coming up with new techniques they can use. His molehills can be found in many of the game's levels, and talking to him lets Banjo and Kazooie learn a new move to use on their adventure.
	Mumbo Jumbo
	The self-titled "Best Shaman in All of Game", Mumbo Jumbo is a powerful sorcerer, and a helpful ally to Banjo and Kazooie. He's recruited to help the duo make a new game, and he turns Gruntilda's old lair into the new hub world for their adventure. In exchange for Mumbo Tokens, he can transform Banjo and Kazooie into different creatures and forms, each with their own abilities that allow them to explore new areas.
	Tooty
	Tooty is Banjo's younger sister, and she lives with him on Spiral Mountain. She's eager to help Banjo and Kazooie buy back the rights to Banjo-Kazooie from Gruntilda, and is put in charge with designing the game's worlds. She can be found in all of them, and helping her out can earn the player a Jiggy.
===Antagonists===
	Gruntilda
	An evil witch who has a habit of speaking in rhyme, Gruntilda has gone toe to toe with Banjo and Kazooie on a few occasions. Out for revenge for her previous defeats, she gets a degree in game design and buys the rights to Banjo-Kazooie, planning to reboot the franchise into Kazo-Banjooie and wipe the original duo off the map. She acts as the director for Kazo-Banjooie, and is pretty confident that this new game will become a bestseller.
	Kazo & Banjooie
	Kazo and Banjooie are the stars of the eponymous upcoming game Kazo-Banjooie, a 3D shooter that aims to be a reboot of the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. Kazo, like Kazooie, is snarky and wisecracking, as well as a total show off, and while Banjooie is only a baby, she knows how to wield firearms. Not wanting to risk their chance in the spotlight, they eavesdrop on our heroic duo to make sure their new game doesn't top theirs.
==Abilities==
===Moveset===
These moves are taught to Banjo and Kazooie by Bottles whenever they find his molehills.
	Feathery Flap
	in midair
	A double and triple jump. Kazooie pops out of Banjo's backpack, and flaps her wings to give Banjo more height and distance in his jump. It can be used twice before landing, and holding the button lets Kazooie continually flap her wings, slowing Banjo's fall.
	Talon Trot
	+
	A faster form of movement than the standard walking or running. Kazooie starts running on the ground while carrying Banjo on her back. The duo can jump while using Talon Trot, and Kazooie's talons allow her to run up slopes that Banjo would normally slide off of.
	Peck
	
	Banjo and Kazooie's basic physical attack; Kazooie pops out of Banjo's backpack and pecks forward, damaging any enemies in front of them. It doesn't deal a lot of damage and has short range, but it's highly spammable.
	Breegull Bash
	+
	Banjo pulls out Kazooie from his backpack and slams her into the ground. This will heavily damage enemies in front of them, and can even be used to hit switches. It's a lot stronger than Peck, though it's slow since Banjo needs to pull Kazooie out, so it's less effective on faster enemies.
	Beak Barge
	+
	Kazooie pops out of Banjo's backpack and slides across the ground, stabbing with her beak. Holding will allow Kazooie to slide further and cover more distance.
	Bear Haymaker
	in midair
	Banjo throws a haymaker, damaging any enemies he hits. He jumps slightly forward before punching, which can be used in tandem with Feathery Flap to gain even more distance.
	Egg Firing
	+
	Kazooie pops out of Banjo's backpack and spits an egg forward, which flies through the air in a straight line. Up to three eggs can be fired in rapid succession. These eggs can be used as projectiles or to hit targets.
	Rear Egg
	+
	Kazooie sticks her rear out of Banjo's backpack and drops an egg behind them, which will bounce along the ground. Can be used to put eggs in containers, drop them on enemies below, or use abilities of certain eggs easier.
	Breegull Blaster
	+
	Banjo takes Kazooie out of his backpack and holds her like a shotgun. Kazooie can then fire eggs from her mouth in a first-person perspective. They can jump while using this move, and pressing lets Kazooie fire eggs. It can be cancelled by pressing again.
	Beak Bayonet
	while using Breegull Blaster
	A physical attack Banjo and Kazooie can use while using Breegull Blaster; Banjo lunges forward, stabbing with Kazooie's beak, damaging enemies nearby.
	Split Up
	
	Kazooie hops out of Banjo's backpack, allowing the two to be controlled separately. On their own, Banjo and Kazooie have their own abilities. The player can swap between which one to use with . Making the two touch each other will have Kazooie hop into Banjo's backpack, allowing the two to be controlled together again.
	Pack Claw
	+ with only Banjo or Kazooie
	A giant metal claw extends out of Banjo's backpack, grabs Kazooie by the neck, and drags her into his backpack. This makes the two be able to be controlled together again.
	Pack Whack
	with only Banjo
	Banjo takes off his backpack and swings it around. He can hit enemies and switches with it. Holding allows Banjo to keep spinning with the backpack while moving, though he will get dizzy if this is done for too long.
	Wing Whack
	with only Kazooie
	Kazooie spins around with her wings, slashing and defeating any enemies. It can be used on the ground or in midair, and the latter can be used to propel Kazooie into the air slightly.
===Transformations===
Mumbo Jumbo can transform Banjo and Kazooie into these forms, which have movesets and abilities of their own.
==Levels==
	The Tutorial Level
	The first level in the game, which has a blank white background with blue platforms. It has little if any aesthetic, mainly because Tooty didn't have time to design the first level when the game started. Banjo and Kazooie agree to "pretend" it's the first level to give Tooty time to design the rest of them. The Jiggies, Jinjos, and Music Notes are easy to collect, there are few enemies that pose a threat, and there are no notable characters to meet. Bottles also teaches the duo's basic abilities here.
	Ripperoo Rapids
	The true first level in the game, Ripperoo Rapids takes place in a lush, green grassland with a large river flowing through it. There's cliffs on the sides Banjo and Kazooie can climb on and there's caves on the river's bed the duo can swim through. Enemies are uncommon but do patrol the area. The duo learn more of their attacking moves from Bottles in this stage.
	Blub Bowl Blvd.
	An underwater level that takes place inside a giant fishbowl, with schools of fish swimming around in it. However, they are under control of the seahorse mafia, and request Banjo and Kazooie's assistance. While some collectibles can be found outside the fishbowl, almost all the Jiggies, Music Notes, and Jinjos are underwater. Bottles hides in sand castles instead of molehills in this stage, and he teaches the duo's swimming abilities. When Kazooie says none of these attacks make water levels any less annoying, Bottles gives the duo flippers to allow them much better control underwater.
==Trivia==
*The game was made as a secret santa gift for 
Category:3D Games
Category:3D Platforming Games
Category:Crash Co.
Category:Banjo-Kazooie (series)
Category:Banjo-Kazooie Games
Category:Collectathon Games
Category:Rareware Games