(for those out of the loop about the "ahead of its time" comments this has gotten in the last few days, parts of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom[ゼルダの伝説 ティアーズ オブ ザ キングダム] are essentially the 2023 version of this game)
It was great back when it came out because of all the fun emergent gameplay situations and massive maps to traverse but Banjo fans hated it because it basically wasn't a Banjo game. Evaluated in a vacuum it's a really good time.
Really cool game. Some of the late missions were a little annoying and weirdly designed, but still really innovative
Also I feel it's kinda unfair it got trashed for 'disrespecting' Banjo. There was clearly a lot of love and homage paid to the series, from the amazing Grant Kirkhope remixes and mash-ups, to the entire museum level. The hub world was also a decently fun slice of platforming itself.
I'm so happy to see folks putting respect on this game's name. I think the overall aesthetic is really purdy, and some of the levels are absolutely breathtaking. It was always an odd choice to stick Banjo on this.. In another time I wonder how it would have been received as an original IP instead.
Also I feel it's kinda unfair it got trashed for 'disrespecting' Banjo. There was clearly a lot of love and homage paid to the series, from the amazing Grant Kirkhope remixes and mash-ups, to the entire museum level. The hub world was also a decently fun slice of platforming itself.
It was always an odd choice to stick Banjo on this.. In another time I wonder how it would have been received as an original IP instead.