Smash Character Review: Banjo and Kazooie

Welcome to the Smash Ultimate Character Review. In this series, brought to you by no one because who would sponsor this, Bloggin Hood will review each character in Smash Ultimate, a daunting task for anyone without a crippling addiction for Nintendo products. This series will review important topics like best costume, taunt, and the most stylish moves in the character’s arsenal to embarrass opponents. It’ll also discuss less important topics, like best moves, character strength and weaknesses, and overall playstyle. If you survive the boring stuff, you’ll know just how to play to be the biggest baller online with a Kill Death Ratio at -3.

This all comes from a casual player’s mindset. Whle I’m not a button mashing new player with no concept of the shield button and I understand what profession players are talking about, I myself am not a professional. In fact, I’m all thumbs. I can’t input a combo, a combo breaker, or even a C stick Smash. It’s not pretty. Therefore, don’t expect these to be a technical discussion, or a high level point of view. I’m writing these for the people who follow up their Kirby Rock Form with a second Rock Form. I’m writing to the players that go out of their way to pick Star Fox and say “Pew Pew Pew” as he slams the B button like it owes him rent money. And yes, I write to you, the heavyweight characters who spam smash attacks hoping for the best. There may be some real content in here, but only because I back doored my way into it.

In our long awaited revival of the popular series, we discuss our first Downloaded addition, Banjo and Kazooie, in their long awaited return to Nintendo. Should the duo have been in the game for Melee? Yes. Should Rare never have parted with Nintendo and defecated on the Banjo Kazooie franchise? Yes. Was I bias and angry for nearly 2 decades about this? Oh yes. But was the wait worth it? Let’s find out.

Opening Rant:

Everybody has their list. We all know what the rules are, but there’s exceptions too tantalizing to ignore. While not everyone agrees, most understand why these lists exist, and allow the exceptions, begrudgingly. My list is three names long. Now, it would be much different if Smash allowed non video game characters in, but sadly, they don’t.

Wait, what kind of list did you think I was talking about?

Since Smash follows a hard rule that characters must have debuted in a video game, Darkwing Duck and Scrooge McDuck are not allowed. I would (and have) argued that Scrooge was in the classic Ducktales game on Nintendo, but it’s a losing argument. Since it has to come from a video game, my three are pretty simple.

3). Crash Bandicoot – While Sonic was always the main rival, people forget that Crash was PlayStation mascot and had 3 classic games and even a knock off Mario Kart racer, before falling off the face of the Earth. Crash games were made all decade, but if a game is created and nobody plays it, does it really count? The quality of Crash evaporated once it became multi platform. Still, for the call back to the glory days, I’d love to see it.

2). Mallow – Everyone begs and clamors for Geno, but you know what? I recently played through Super Mario RPG, and Geno is kind of just there. Yeah he’s powerful, but after his introduction, he’s just a generic playable character. The personality is gone. Mallow was the true breakout star of the game, stealing scenes throughout the masterpiece. His weather control provides some interesting moveset potential and he can use his cane, cymbals and sticky gloves for A button attacks. The only flaw is that lightning is his main element, but Pikachu doesn’t have a monopoly on it. Mallow for Smash!

1). Banjo Kazooie – Most people just assumed that these characters were Nintendo property back in the 64 days. Technically, they were, but when Rareware left to join Microsoft, they took all the characters they developed, save for Donkey Kong. I believe the reason King K.Rool was so delayed in appearing was because of the bad relationship Nintendo and Rare had. Surely, there was no chance this would happen, even though the duo for the series perfectly.

Banjo & Kazooie’s inclusion ended a 2 decade long absence on Nintendo. Even when there were rumors that Microsoft would get a character, people expected Minecraft. What were we going to get, a box? I mean, that’s not even better than the L block from Tetris. Unless the main character from Halo was coming, Banjo and Kazooie was the most likely choice. Yet it still felt like a pipe dream because of the horrific relationship Rare and Nintendo had. Heck, one of the creators of Banjo Kazooie petitioned for Banjo to get into Smash but seemed to be met with deaf ears.

One of the reasons I didn’t think it would ever happen was the inclusion of Duck Hunt Dog, ironic as he remains my favorite Smash character of all time. This sounds ridiculous, but think about it. Duck Hunt is a combination of the dog and the duck, a duo that never worked together before. The duck is used for various attacks and the character has a wealth of projectiles. You know what this sounds like? Banjo and Kazooie. If you’ve ever played one of their games, you know projectiles is their main feature. The vast majority of attacks are done by Kazooie and Banjo is in charge of mobility. Even the way they jump worked the same.

My theory has always been that Nintendo asked Rare for Banjo and Kazooie in Smash 4 and were turned down. Instead of scrapping the character idea, Duck Hunt Dog was born. I think when I reviewed Duck Hunt in Smash 4, I mentioned this, though that was years ago on a website with much less credibility (also less spam attacks). I think part of my affinity for Duck Hunt was he was the proxy for Banjo Kazooie. My theory was low key confirmed in Banjo’s reveal trailer. Who pretended to be Banjo and Kazooie before the pair entered? Duck Hunt Dog and Duck. It was a nod. Thankfully, Duck Hunt Dog was not cut and became a unique character on his own, though I do worry about future installments. But this isn’t a Duck Hunt Dog write up, this is about Banjo and Kazooie, finally playable about 3 installments late.

I never said why I liked the pair so much. Banjo and Kazooie’s gameplay was fantastic, a platformer on par with the Mario and Donkey Kong offerings on the 64. Honestly, it was my favorite of the bunch and the sequel was just as good. You had a variety of attacks you can use, including firing off eggs, turning invincible, and flying. Learning new skills were paced properly, so you got to make use of the full arsenal.

Unlike other platformers, the game featured a lot of dialogue. Banjo was your typical nice, friendly protagonist but Kazooie was such a jerk. She mouthed off to everyone and pretty much everyone insulted her right back. That was my favorite part about the game – it’s humor. Nobody was writing games like this in the late 90s and early 2000s, making Banjo a completely different experience than Mario or Donkey Kong. Today, the dialogue might be considered a negative, slowing down the gameplay with a array of insults. But that dialogue was the main reason I kept playing. Honestly, it had an influence on me blogging. Well, really it was the Simpsons, but I think Banjo Kazooie deserves a small amount of credit for its wealth of insults.

This also doesn’t include that you can transform into a washing machine, but that’s a story for another day. Seriously, it’s insanely unique.

So Banjo and Kazooie’s debut might have been delayed, at least it’s arrived. But were they worth the wait?

Fighter Review

Character Gimmick – While Banjo and Kazooie isn’t a gimmick character (unless you consider the 2 characters in 1 thing as a gimmick but its not like the Ice Climbers), they do have two gimmicks, one huge and one small.

The big gimmick is the limit of Wonderwing attacks Banjo and Kazooie can do. Wonderwing is their best attack, serving as a way to power through projectiles, land KOS and, unfortunately, recover. The problem is, you’re limited to using 5 per life. This means you can’t spam the attack, especially with the recovery issues Banjo and Kazooie have. This balances the attack, and makes the character more strategic then, oh, I don’t know, Hero?

The smaller, less exciting, but still super cool gimmick is that when you hold B, Banjo carries Kazooie around like a semi automatic, rapidly firing off eggs. You can cancel this by guarding or getting hit. It’s not that effective, but it’s a ton of fun, and it’s another nod to the series.

Playstyle – It’s balanced, but leans heavily toward close combat. I wouldn’t call Banjo and Kazooie a rushdown character, but more of a defensive character who can mix up how to attack. While the duo has two projectiles, they are really more for annoyance than winning a fire fight. The grenade is a tool to open up the opening rather than keep them at bay. To do big damage, you’ll need to be close, with Wonderwing opening up holes in the opponent.

But if I’m being honest, Banjo and Kazooie is like playing a character pulled right from their home games. Sure, a few attacks had to be created, but most of Banjo and Kazooie’s arsenal comes right from the game, or at least heavily based off of them. Their movement is almost identical, if smoother here. It’s really just a delight. No, Banjo and Kazooie isn’t the most complex character, but that’s ok. They nailed it.

Costumes – I have heard great things about some Jojo Bizarre Adventure references in the color schemes, but I don’t see it. I haven’t explored these as much as I should have, so I play with the default. In my defense, I waited 20 years for this – I’m going to use the colors I recognize.

Taunts – Not the most aggressive taunts in the world, but I’m a sucker for Kazooie yawning in the up taunt. The down taunt is Banjo’s celebration when he finds a jigsaw piece in his games and the side taunt is the two looking so happy, probably because they’re in the game. I spam that side taunt for days. It’s a heartwarming moment for the three of us. Just this once, I forgive these taunts for not angering the opponents – but only because I’m extremely bias.

Speed and Mobility – Originally, I was going to complain about how can a team featuring a bird be slow, but then I remembered he’s tied to a bear. So yeah, it makes sense.

Banjo is not the fleetest of foot. While his movement is fluid, he’s not quick. Banjo’s dash however, becomes a real treat as it turns into Kazooie running and Banjo riding upside down. It’s a wonderful call back to the game that isn’t tied to an attack, but definitely improves Banjo’s speed. In the air, the pair has an extra jump, plus an UP B that doesn’t put them in free fall which is effective, but there’s not as lot of aerial mobility. You’ll find yourself struggling to move in the air much after the first leap. It’s not horrific, but not good either.

Projectiles – Is it better to have poor projectiles than to have ever experienced projectiles at all? Yes, 100%. Banjo and Kazooie don’t have the best projectiles but they have their uses. The egg projectile is more of less a Mario fireball, but a little more rapid fire. If you really need more rapid attacks, hold B and took Kazooie into an egg shooting menace. It’s a weak attack, but it’s not bad.

The pair’s grenade attack is a little more awkward as you cannot predict the bounces. I see it as an edge guarding tool for those trying to recover underneath the stage. It’s also decent for opening up the opponents by using it as an item. The grenades have a short fuse like Kazooie, so you have to use it fast. This makes it predictable and honestly not a move I use as often as I’m sure it was intended.

Recovery and Edge Guarding – Like with the mobility, any benefit the pair gets for being ½ bird is negated for being half bear. Recovery is a bit sluggish as the extra jump provides some height by little horizontal movement. UP B not causing free fall is fantastic, but it’s still difficult to make up some horizontal difference. This means there are times you’ll waste a use or two of wonderwing recovering. It’s not ideal and hurts you offensively, but you can’t just fall down cliffs all day, now can you? I mean, you can, but you won’t win. On the plus, Wonderwing will all but guarantee a recovery as you’re invincible upon activation. You may even catch someone trying to attack you off stage or with projectiles right on the edge and turn this into a positive. But hey, I doubt it.

Edge guarding will revolve around Back Air for speed and Forward Air for power. Each are excellent moves for their particular circumstances. You can use Down B for those recovering under the ledge, but that’s circumstantial. Down Air provides a kamikaze style attack, but is rarely worth it. Eggs don’t have the range to be particularly effective, but they may annoy enough and add a bit of damage. For my money, the aerials are your best bet.

Ground Game – Banjo should use his projectiles to try to get openings, or if desperate, wonderwing. His attacks aren’t the quickest, but do provide solid damage. Any attack involving Kazooie works as a sword, giving extended range while not putting Banjo at additional attack risk. All of his Smash attacks are threats and while his throws are nothing outstanding overall, he has some combos off Down Throw. I enjoy his Up tilt, a decent KO move at higher percentages, though a bit slow. There’s no attacks you need to avoid as everything seems at least average. The standout, again, remains wonderwing.

Air Game – Since we’ll be talking about the side aerials soon, I’ll focus on the pair’s other attacks. Up air is a very quick attack that does little damage and knockback, but juggles, making it worth it. Neutral air is a spinning attack, like nearly the whole cast, which is great as part of a combo or a quick attack. However, there’s better versions of this out there. Finally, Dair. Dair is awful. Dair is one of my least favorite attacks in the game, and definitely B&K’s worst attack. I’m not against the occasional stall and fall, but usually they are either quick, or have some serious power. This move has neither. Avoid it if you can.

Power – Banjo has 5 potential kill moves: each smash attack, Forward air, and the consistently mentioned Wonderwing. You may get a few with Bair off the edge, but that’s unreliable. Even his grenade attack isn’t really a high knockback move despite being a deadly explosive. Nothing else provides even above average knockback except Up tilt, but that’s situational.

Most Stylish Move – If you have option to rapid fire eggs with a bird like a submachine gun, you’re going to do it. There’s no other option. Maybe their dash, but I mean, that’s not even an attack. It’s pretty sweet though.

Moves to Focus on

Down Throw (Buried Treasure) – Anytime a character has a automatic bury move, it has to be listed. Unfortunately, the animation leads to a fairly easy escape for the opponent. Still, this is useful as it helps lead to putting the opponent on the defensive – they have to guess your next move or take damage. As the percentage racks up, this leads to guaranteed attacks. For example, Down throw to wonderwing over 100% is an insta kill. You can also use this for smashes, or even at low percentages, learn opponent’s patterns and follow up accordingly.

Back air (Beak Barrage) B&K’s most useful aerial, it can serve as an approach, a “get off me” attack and a good edge guarding tool. There’s not a ton of knockback, but it’s one of those good attacks you can spam without fear. Other than running around like a mad man with a loaded Kazooie, this is the attack to use most often.

Forward Air (Bear Claw) – I love this move. It’s more of less the same attack as the “heavy” Forward Aerials, like Ganondorf, the Marios and Cloud. There is no spike proprieties with this attack, which should make it less hype, but for me, it doesn’t. The knockback on this thing is crazy, and if you catch somebody with it off the edge, you can KO sub 100%. For some reason, I tend to hit with this significantly more than other heavy aerials. I don’t know if it’s small sample on not, but this seems sneaky consistent. Fun attack, and an even tastier breakfast.

Forward Smash (Fowl Fury) – I know this attack is from the second game, but it’s still hilarious. I make a point to mock face based offense as it causes as much self damage as you inflict. In this case though, it’s a great idea. Banjo is smarter than you’re average bear, (suck it Yogi), and bashes Kazooie against his opponent, or the ground if he misses, preserving his own health. That’s ingenious. Beyond the great attack animation, it’s decently fast for a smash move, and plenty powerful. It’s not spammable, but it has a bit of an arc to catch attackers jumping to avoid it. Remember Kazooie acts like a sword so the bird is safe from counter attacks. Not head injuries though. This looks like it hurts.

Side B – Wonderwing – Since this move got nearly as many mentions as the characters, let’s talk about it’s weaknesses first. As previously stated, you only get 5 attacks per life. That’s a bigger handicap than you realize, but it would be overpowered without this. While you’re invincible to attacks, you can be grabbed or blocked. You can’t afford to miss this attack not just because it leaves you open, but because of the limit. I wish there was an attack and recover version of the attack since it’s so useful to supplement Banjo and Kazooie’s poor recovery. Those are the breaks though.

Now, the positives are littered throughout the review, but it’s really an awesome move. You’ll rack up KOs with this if used correctly, but it’s best use is as a free approach through projectiles. You can time this right and not just dodge a Samus ball, but counter for about 20%. It seems like an easy attack to use, and it is, but you’ll lose a lot of your utility by spamming. When you run out of attacks, an accidental input will leave you wide open and have Banjo fall on his face. Don’t… don’t do that. Always keep 1 Wonderwing in the chamber, in case of an emergency recovery, or for a guaranteed KO off a down throw.

 Verdict 

In Smash’s history, downloadable characters have been, in general, grossly overpowered. In Smash 4, both Bayonetta and Cloud quickly became the game’s most dominant choices, with Bayonetta nearly reaching Brawl Metaknight’s combo potential.* Smash 5’s first extra characters included Joker, who becomes an absolute nightmare when he fills his summon guage, and Hero, who randomly gets critical hit smash attacks that nuke the opposition. Fun.

Banjo and Kazooie are not overpowered. Instead of getting cheap gimmicks, the gimmick they received keeps them in checked. What we did get was an excellent, faithful adaptation of a beloved duo. They might not be the elite, top tiers that people wished for, but they’re perfectly solid. The best compliment I can give is this character doesn’t feel out of place. If Banjo and Kazooie were on the main roster, nobody would bat an eye. I am glad they waited and gave him an announcement though. A reunion this big deserves the spot light. As my official #2 character for Smash 5, I give Banjo a 9.5/10. No, they aren’t top tier material, but find me a more faithful adaptation. I’ll wait.

Sadly, they are only the 2nd best mammal and winged creature team in the game. Tune in for the next smash review to find out who’s the #1.

It’s Duck Hunt. The answer is Duck Hunt.

*Brawl Metaknight was so overpowered, he was banned in competitive play. This actually prevented me from ever really playing as Metaknight cause I thought he was too cheap in Brawl and never picked him up. I’ll have to re-try him as he was always one of my favorite Nintendo characters.