Introduction: Banjo-Kazooie is one of a trio of titles that are finally making their way to the GBA thanks to a deal struck up with THQ and Microsoft. This most famous of duos first appeared on Nintendo's own N64 some years ago and was widely regarded as one of the essential games for the system. For those of you who may be a little confused as to why Microsoft have the final say on characters that were previously exclusive to Nintendo the answer is simple: they bought the company that created them. That's right, for some time now Microsoft's X-Box has been enjoying the kind of games that were penciled in for the GameCube thanks to their acquisition of UK developers Rare. Fortunately things are a little different in the handheld market and as the GBA is the only platform Grunty's Revenge could possibly appear on it was only a matter of time before it was released. We first saw this game in a playable version over a year ago; it?s here now though but is it worth the wait?

GamePlay: Grunty's Revenge is essentially an exploration affair with added mini-games. It takes place over five very different worlds in addition to an extra area where the final showdown takes place. Your quest mainly involves seeking out objects including Musical Notes to acquire new moves and Jiggies to enter new worlds. Just how you collect these is up to you but almost everyone you meet will offer you some sort of challenge, which is rewarded with a Jiggie. Each area also has some recurring pursuits such as collecting five Jinjo's but the most enjoyable way to earn a Jiggie is to see out a mini-game. These are varied to say the least although some do seem to use the same framework. Fishing for instance can be done on land with sheep and hay for bait whilst you'll also have to fish for real in another area. This can be difficult as catching the wrong colored fish will drain your energy but because everything appears as a silhouette under the water it's difficult to judge which is which. There are also races, tile games and some that will have you scratching your head for quite some time to come. Unusually, when you come to the final showdown, there's even a quiz but don't worry too much about brushing up on your general knowledge as it's all about the game.

One additional ability Banjo does possess is that of transformation so there are four other states he can adopt as well as the bear. First is a mouse, which is obviously better for crawling into small spaces. The octopus, on the other hand, can swim in polluted waters whilst the candle can cut through ice. Finally there's the very robust tank that can plough through almost everything but unfortunately can't jump. Eggs are pretty important too and this is really were Kazooie really becomes useful. This is because different eggs have very different properties and whilst some open door or activate switches others can defeat even the most robust of enemies. Finally a save feature which must rank as the best I've seen in a long time because it throws up a huge amount of stats including exactly what you've collected and more importantly how much time you've spent doing it.

Control: It's fair to say that the control in this game does eventually get very complicated and remembering the correct button combination when you're under pressure can be very frustrating. Things do start out very simply though and you have to 'earn' new moves by collecting Musical Notes and reporting to a Bozzeye when you have the required amount. Unlike some other games of this nature there's no on-screen help available to refresh your memory regarding various movements other than re-visiting the location where you originally received the training. You can glance at the manual but as this game is meant to be portable it may not always be with you. The control itself is very responsive and traveling around the lands can be done with great ease except for that old problem of misjudged jumps. This is something that really goes with the territory in platformers but the often awkward perspective makes in a lot more challenging than it should be.

Graphics: Visually Grunty's Revenge is a color explosion with the level of design that Rare were always famous for. It includes some wonderful diverse worlds, which have been designed and rendered with an admirable level of attention such that the ice areas convey a true feeling of winter and the harbor seems horribly polluted. The animation is also very pleasing with the two heroes of the game possessing an impressive number of moves whilst the various enemies move in a truly menacing fashion.

Sound & Music: The audio department really is top notch with the sound designers at Rare doing a fine job of utilizing the GBA's sound chip. This includes different music for each area and some wonderful sound effects to accompany absolutely everyone and everything. The highlight is definitely when Banjo converses with one of the many other characters in a kind of babble speak which is still highly amusing even when I think about it now. Crank up your volume control or, better still, invest in some headphones. You won?t regret it.

Final Comments: The first thing I would say about Grunty's Revenge is that it's the first GBA title I've encountered in a long time where I simply had to play it to the end. This is mostly due to the sheer variety in the gameplay meaning not only will you rarely get bored but also you'll always want just one more go to see what's around the corner. It's not without its problems though; some of the bosses are far to east to warrant their title and some critics have deemed it a little too short for the asking price. There's also little in the way of replay value once you've played it through once, solved all the puzzles and collected all the items. Personally though, I can't recommend this game enough and in a year of less than inspiring GBA releases this one stands out as an essential purchase. Get it now.

Pro: Loads Of Variety.
Con: A Little Too Short.
Final Score: 8.1


Reviewed by: Andrew Blanchard