Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Should Have Been a Standalone IP, Composer Says
After the break between Nintendo and Rare, which ended up taking the English company to Microsoft, fans of the studio anxiously awaited the new release of Banjo-Kazooie, a franchise that won a number of followers with their 2 titles on Nintendo 64. However, it took many years and a platform cycle for this to happen and the answer was Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts for Xbox 360, a title that generated controversy and that, according to Grant Kirkhope, should have been an IP related to the franchise.
The announcement of the arrival of Banjo-Kazooie as a duo for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate revived interest in the history of the Rare franchise and this has allowed us to know details never before revealed and opinions on success and mistakes made. If there is someone with enough authority to talk about the franchise, that is Grant Kirkhope, composer of the soundtrack of the Banjo-Kazooie titles, and whose arrangements will be on the stage destined to the duo in the brawler of Nintendo Switch.
Precisely, this weekend Kirkhope gave his opinion on Twitter about Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, a game that divided opinions and that was bittersweet for the fans of the series who expected a return with a traditional platform proposal. In that sense, the composer said that Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was a good game, which in fact was a forerunner of what would later be Minecraft, but, from his perspective, would have had a better performance in the market if they had managed as a new IP, instead of using the Banjo-Kazooie license.
Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts is a good game, in some respects it pre-dates Minecraft’s build “anything” mechanic ….. it just shouldn’t have used BK and been a stand-alone IP
— Grant Kirkhope (@grantkirkhope) July 7, 2019
Since we talked about Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, it should be remembered that it started as a project focused on the platforms, seeking the continuity of the previous 2 titles. However, the development team considered other options and the creative process led to a construction-oriented proposal, trying to mix these mechanics with some elements of the franchise.