Gregg Mayles Thoughts on the Banjo-Kazooie Series

 

 

WHAT HAS GREGG MAYLES SAID ABOUT THE BANJO-KAZOOIE SERIES OVER THE YEARS ON TWITTER?

 

Gregg Mayles has not been present on Twitter for years, but it's still a good source of information. Here is a compendium of most things he had said about the Banjo-Kazooie series. This is written similar to a Q&A, but I'm taking tweets about each subject and placing them together.

Thoughts on a new Banjo-Kazooie Game

I think Tooie was close enough to Kazooie but added the 'two' element, anything like Threeie or Fourie is too far removed from Kazooie's name.

I have never said (another Banjo) could not sell well. My opinion has always been that a new Banjo game would have to offer something different, both to interest and challenge me as a designer and to appeal to new players who did not grow up with Banjo. The audience that didn't grow up with Banjo is larger than the one that did. The game would need to appeal to both sets of people for the best chance of success.

I have said I would not do another one unless I felt I could bring something new to the genre. There are elements from the 90's that would still work today but others less so. Look at the Mario platforming games, they are still true to Mario's heritage but they constantly evolve and look for new ways of entertaining players.

NO-ONE could genuinely want Nuts and Bolts 2. I’m not sure I could handle Bolts 2, it’s much easier making pirate games. That vehicle editor still gives me nightmares.

I'll be the first to admit I got carried away with the Tooie world design. Bigger and more complex is not always better. If I ever did another Banjo game I think I would would go for level design that is small and clever, best of both worlds surely?

 

Why was Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts' Writing so Negative?

My sense of humour is quite divisive, but I've always believed that poking fun at yourself and your own work keeps you humble. I am extremely proud of all the Banjo games I worked on and always will be. I wrote pretty much all the dialog in B-K and B-T. I'm pretty sure I wrote a lot of the NaB dialog too, definitely Banjo, Kazooie, Grunty and L.O.G. 

It was just me and my odd sense of humour having some fun. I’m proud of Nuts and Bolts, really enjoyed making it. Rare has always been a studio to take risks and try new things, that’s why I’m still here!  

Why did Banjo-Threeie become Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts?

I wanted to call it Banjo-Buildie.

(The Banjo-Threeie name) was a joke. I never wanted to do another game in the same vein as the first two. Nuts and Bolts was the third idea for a different kind of Banjo game. Nothing to do with Microsoft. I based the joke off the ending in Snake Rattle n’ Roll.

The first idea for a third Banjo game was to 'remake' the original in a very different way. Imagine revisiting Grunty's Lair 5 years later and she had made a load of changes. Same game on the surface, but played differently.  

The second idea for a third Banjo game was to pit Banjo against an AI-controlled Grunty, who would be competing against Banjo in all the worlds. I seem to recall it being co-op as well, so you and a friend could tag-team the old crone.

Just having a bit of fun with people who say it isn't a 'proper' Banjo game. Yes it is. Just not the one some people wanted! Of course it is canon. Just because it is different to the others doesn't mean it isn't.

Was there a Banjo-Kazooie coming to GameCube?

There was never a Banjo game planned for the Gamecube. Ghoulies was, though.

What were your Favorite things about Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie?

I liked Rusty Bucket Bay and Treasure Trove Cove, because they had ships. I like ships! Still don't like Mumbo's Mountain that much or Bubblegloop Swamp. I think I am most pleased with the giant snowman on Freezeezy Peak, but the rest of that world wasn't as good. My favourite RBB, best music Grant Kirkhope did for the game. 

Mumbo's Mountain was the only level I had to redesign. The first version was rubbish, more a test that went a bit wrong.

Rusty Bucket Bay hasn't really got a bay nor has Mumbo's Mountain got much in the way of a mountain, just a few hills and a termite nest.

The Saucer of Peril was probably the bit I liked best in the whole game. I loved being a T-Rex. Which one next? I think you'll be surprised...

Dingpot is one of the best characters in Banjo. So is Klungo. Deceased Bottles was the best Bottles. Well, actually devil Bottles would have been the best. I just wanted to make it funny that Bottles haunted Banjo for the entire game.

Brentilda is my least favourite Banjo-Kazooie character and her role around providing 'facts' on her sister to enable you to win Furnace Fun is certainly one of the worst pieces of design I have ever created.

Why Did Clanker go from Organic to a Scary Mechanical Shark?

Because as a 'real' creature I couldn't do some of the ideas I wanted due to making no sense or being excessively cruel. Making him a cyborg solved the problem!

 

Clanker was always Clanker and he's a Whark - half Whale and half Shark.

 

The original design had a straight pipe so that Clanker was (just) visible from where you entered the world. The idea was to intrigue players. But the hardware couldn't cope! So I changed it to a kinked pipe, which changed the emotion from intrigue to shock.

What are the Origins of some of the Character and Location Names?

Tooty was originally called ‘Piccolo’, as that is the instrument she played (like Banjo played the banjo and Kazooie played the kazoo). But we couldn’t copyright that name, so we changed it to Tooty. The same reason why Kazoo became Kazooie and Dinky Kong ended up as Diddy Kong.

(Banjo and Kazooie are allegedly named after former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi’s grandchild Banjo and son Katsuhito) The Banjo part is true, not so sure about the Kazooie one though!

 

The Inn name came first, Jolly was named after it.

(Why is Bubblegloop Swamp have Gloop's name?) the swamp name came first, based on the noise a swamp makes when bubbling. Well, it does in my head.

 

(Image of Edson) That's the village Edson lived in. Struggling to remember it's name. Do remember the mine was called Glitter Gulch Mine. 

Did Donkey Kong Country Influence Banjo-Kazooie and do they share a Universe?

Early Banjo had a lot of DKC influences, as seen in the 'borrowed' baddy ideas and level based hub world layout.

 

Easy answer to this. No. In my head, each game existed in its own world, but characters could travel between worlds to feature in each others games. A bit like all the heroes and villains in the Marvel universe.

The reeeeeeally slow Cranky levels were going to be really short and basic to compensate for his rubbish speed. In many ways it was an idea that I finally put into Banjo: NaB as Klungo's deliberately terrible arcade game.

Can you tell us more about the Banjo-Kazoo Prototype?

Early Banjo used a variety of balls for the bear's abilities. Kazooie didn't exist at this point. Before Kazooie, early Banjo had Dinger the Dog as a companion, modelled by Steve Mayles.

 

Early Banjo wasn't fully 3D, more 'semi-3D' viewed from a fixed camera. Closer to DKC, actually.

 

Early Banjo was going to collect fruit on levels, not musical notes. He was also going to visit 5 'fruit houses'. Prior to the iconic mumbling voices and daft dialog, early Banjo was going to have 'Bubblespeak'.

 

What are some scrapped ideas from the Banjo-Kazooie series?

I originally planned more 'freezing underwater' gameplay for Freezeezy. Likewise, I also planned to flood the engine room in Rusty Bucket Bay. Grant was so used to me asking for things on a whim he got reasonably good at predicting what was needed.

 

'Super Frog Mode' was Grunty's last spell turning Banjo to a frog, then players controlling Tooty to search all the worlds to find 'tokens of some sort' that changed Banjo back into a bear.

 

There was a temple test level at the very start of B-K but not related to Mayahem Temple. The temple test level had been scrapped well before Grunty's Lair was planned out. Fire eyes, giants lair and temple test map are the same thing. If I remember rightly! Planned bad guy was a giant. Wasn't used in the game. 

 

Lava World for 'Kazooie that I designed, then cut, then reworked into 'Tooie. Tooie's mine world was originally planned for Kazooie.

 

We ran out of time and I sadly had to do a super cut down version as Cauldron Keep. We never even started building it, so it remains just an idea on paper. The evil time boss also defeated Bottles Revenge mode in 'Tooie. 

Banjo N&B unused 'Weird West' design by Steve Malpass, boarded up entry exists in Showtown Town. 

(Does Sea of Thieves use ideas from Project Dream?) Nope, we used all the good Dream ideas for Banjo. The rubbish ideas we conveniently forgot about.