One of Rare's most ambitious and new thinking games ever, breathing new life into the small dying platform genre.
Cause once again Gruntilda is up for a fight, but when pathetically trying to beat down our now fat and lazy bear and bird, the game pauses. That's when L.O.G., creator of all video games, comes in and demands something fresh and new. So he sends us all to his own world where our lovable duo can fight the hag in new exciting manners. You now start collecting vehicle parts, funds (notes), and building vehicles in every imaginable shapes. Being built up pretty much like the previous Banjo Kazooie games, with a hub area which leads to several worlds where you collect puzzle pieces, the game is very different than anything else on the market. Rare hasn't been at the top of it's game since joining Microsoft for the next generation, but when doing something like this with one of their most beloved series no one can say they don't live up to their name.
The game sets off very quickly, and it wont be long till you are driving, flying and floating around this huge game world in all kinds of vehicle lookalike pieces of scrap. Cause you can really make whatever you want, that being a helicopter or a naval ship. And the whole process of making it in Mumbo Jumbo's garage is a cakewalk. It doesn't take a lot of practice nor time in general to make your vehicle of choice, and the whole reason for making that vehicle is so that you can win the games various challenges and earn the highly acclaimed puzzle pieces. You drive around in this hub area where you play some mini-games, and do some enjoyable exploring of this crowded town. From here you travel into a total of 6 different game worlds which contains many different challenges. These span from escorting passengers from A to B, all the way to more complex challenges like playing domino size XXL, and protecting a jogger on his daily training route. And while doing this you are looking at the most visually stunning platform game to date. The scenery and overall attention to detail is breathtaking. How everything looks homemade from L.O.G.'s very own working bench, with clouds hanging from wires, and the surroundings only put up on huge screens all around this made up "Nutty Acres" (World 1).
The soundtrack that accompanies these stunning locations are nostalgic and fun, mostly being remakes of old classics from the previous games. I found this very fitting for a game that on almost every other level does something different than before. The voice acting is the same, with weird funny gibberish talking representing each character. Having said so much good about the game there are some negative issues to mention. The cut-scenes feels unpolished and half-done, but when summed up in under a dozen, it doesn't ruin the overall experience. But the game's biggest problem is the entertainment value. Cause the game can feel very frustrating at times, and repeating very similar challenges over and over again just to add puzzle pieces to the growing pile becomes very tedious. But apart from these issues, the game very, very good.
Being one of the most highly original games in recent memory, you should not miss out on Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts.