Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge
Encyclopedia
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge is a 2003 handheld action-adventure
video game for the Game Boy Advance
developed by Rare and published by THQ
. It is the third installment in the Banjo-Kazooie series and the second sequel to Banjo-Kazooie
for the Nintendo 64.
Grunty's Revenge is a interquel, taking place after Banjo-Kazooie
and before Banjo-Tooie
. It also contains a time travel
plot; its story actually takes place before the events of Banjo-Kazooie. The game used an overhead platform design similar to Conker's Pocket Tales
to replicate the 3-D
feel of the console entries in the series, but on a smaller scale.
It was the first Rare game released after being purchased by Microsoft
from the Stamper Brothers, and the first Banjo-Kazooie game to be released on the portable Game Boy Advance
and to only be licensed by Nintendo. It is the first Banjo-Kazooie game that was not released in Japan.
, with the witch Gruntilda trapped beneath a boulder as a result of her first confrontation with Banjo and Kazooie. After failing to move the boulder, Gruntilda's minion Klungo builds a mechanical body for Gruntilda which she possesses with her spirit, allowing her to have her revenge on the duo. Gruntilda kidnaps Kazooie and travels twenty years back in time to keep the duo from ever meeting, which would prevent her defeat. Mumbo Jumbo uses his magic to send Banjo back in time and stop her.
Just like his previous adventures, Banjo must collect 10 Jiggies from each world to advance to new worlds, eventually leading to Gruntilda's castle. Aiding him is Mumbo, who turns him into different forms, and Bozzeye, one of Bottles' relatives who teaches him new moves. Banjo quickly reunites with Kazooie, and they arrive in Gruntilda's castle and defeat her, dismantling her robotic body and sending her spirit back into her real body underground. Gruntilda sends Klungo for assistance from her sisters, while Banjo has Kazooie invite Mumbo and Bottles over for a card game, setting up the events of Banjo-Tooie
.
There are several cameos of different characters in the Banjo-Kazooie series present throughout the game including the statue head of King Jingaling in Spiral Mountain, and a seaside beach house named the Tip Tup Suite named after the turtle Tip Tup in Spillar's Harbor.
said that the ability for Banjo and Kazooie to fly was removed because it just would not have worked out in the game.
gave the game a 6.8/10, criticizing the better aspects of the game being overshadowed by its focus on item collecting and "the rather short nature of the overall quest". The game has an average score of 72.70% at Game Rankings
.
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
developed by Rare and published by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
. It is the third installment in the Banjo-Kazooie series and the second sequel to Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998...
for the Nintendo 64.
Grunty's Revenge is a interquel, taking place after Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998...
and before Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Tooie is a platform and action-adventure hybrid video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 as a part of the Banjo-Kazooie series. The game is the successor to Banjo-Kazooie and was one of the most anticipated sequels for the Nintendo 64.The game's story...
. It also contains a time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
plot; its story actually takes place before the events of Banjo-Kazooie. The game used an overhead platform design similar to Conker's Pocket Tales
Conker's Pocket Tales
Conker's Pocket Tales is an adventure video game developed and published by Rare and released in 1999. The game features a dual-format cartridge that serves as both a Game Boy and Game Boy Color game. The gameplay is presented from an overhead perspective where players control Conker the Squirrel...
to replicate the 3-D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
feel of the console entries in the series, but on a smaller scale.
It was the first Rare game released after being purchased by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
from the Stamper Brothers, and the first Banjo-Kazooie game to be released on the portable Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
and to only be licensed by Nintendo. It is the first Banjo-Kazooie game that was not released in Japan.
Story
The game begins two months after Banjo-KazooieBanjo-Kazooie
Banjo-Kazooie is a platform and action-adventure video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998...
, with the witch Gruntilda trapped beneath a boulder as a result of her first confrontation with Banjo and Kazooie. After failing to move the boulder, Gruntilda's minion Klungo builds a mechanical body for Gruntilda which she possesses with her spirit, allowing her to have her revenge on the duo. Gruntilda kidnaps Kazooie and travels twenty years back in time to keep the duo from ever meeting, which would prevent her defeat. Mumbo Jumbo uses his magic to send Banjo back in time and stop her.
Just like his previous adventures, Banjo must collect 10 Jiggies from each world to advance to new worlds, eventually leading to Gruntilda's castle. Aiding him is Mumbo, who turns him into different forms, and Bozzeye, one of Bottles' relatives who teaches him new moves. Banjo quickly reunites with Kazooie, and they arrive in Gruntilda's castle and defeat her, dismantling her robotic body and sending her spirit back into her real body underground. Gruntilda sends Klungo for assistance from her sisters, while Banjo has Kazooie invite Mumbo and Bottles over for a card game, setting up the events of Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Tooie
Banjo-Tooie is a platform and action-adventure hybrid video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo in 2000 for the Nintendo 64 as a part of the Banjo-Kazooie series. The game is the successor to Banjo-Kazooie and was one of the most anticipated sequels for the Nintendo 64.The game's story...
.
There are several cameos of different characters in the Banjo-Kazooie series present throughout the game including the statue head of King Jingaling in Spiral Mountain, and a seaside beach house named the Tip Tup Suite named after the turtle Tip Tup in Spillar's Harbor.
Development
Before the game was released, several early screenshots depicted Banjo and Kazooie flying and another featuring an unnamed industrial world of some sort. In a recent edition of Scribes, Leigh LovedayLeigh Loveday
Leigh Scott Loveday is a Welsh-born video game writer and designer. He is known for his unusual sense of humour with which he writes the material.-Your Sinclair:...
said that the ability for Banjo and Kazooie to fly was removed because it just would not have worked out in the game.
Reception
With a lack of promotion from THQ, Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge was a relatively low-profile release and therefore didn't have as much popularity as its N64 counterparts. Regardless, most reviews were generally positive. However, GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game a 6.8/10, criticizing the better aspects of the game being overshadowed by its focus on item collecting and "the rather short nature of the overall quest". The game has an average score of 72.70% at Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
.