For years, Banjo-Kazooie fans have been begging for something new in the long-dormant series. Outside of a one-off experimental platformer back in 2008, and a couple of HD re-releases in the 2010s, the happy-go-lucky duo hasn’t seen the light of day since developer Rare was acquired by Microsoft in 2002.
Well, one talented fan has decided to take matters into their own hands, creating a new Banjo-Kazooie experience. However, the developer didn’t use Unity or Unreal Engine 5 as one would expect for a fan project like this. He instead used one of PlayStation’s most underrated and powerful exclusives to get the job done.
William Butkevicius, a level designer for Ori and the Blind Forest developer Moon Studios, used PlayStation’s Dreams to create Banjo Kazooie: Mambomania. The game consists of one large, sea-themed level with tons of jiggys, musical notes, and tokens to collect. The level is completely original and made in the style of the Nintendo 64 classics.
Butkevicius said he worked with two collaborators and had the award-winning ensemble The Game Brass make the music. As of writing, the game has been played nearly 3000 times, an impressive figure for what’s ultimately a fan game made within a dead game.
Most surprisingly, the playable level has been totally embraced by the Banjo developer and former employees of the legendary studio. The series composer Grant Kirkhope retweeted the game’s trailer, and former longest-tenured Rare employee Greg Mayles (who recently exited the company) called it “splendid.” Even the official Rare Twitter account had kind words for the project.
As big a stir as the Mambomania has created, Butkevicius says this is a one-time thing for him.
“Since numerous people have asked, Mumbomania is just one level and there are no plans to add any more,” he told fans on Twitter. “I’d like to move away from big Dreams projects now, so unless I get the opportunity to work on an official Banjo-Threeie (which I would be thrilled to), this is it for now.”
Xbox did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the project. However, I would expect Xbox to be cool about this whole thing. The company has a history of embracing fan projects like these. And considering their openness to other platforms in recent years, it’s unlikely that Mambomania being accessible only on PlayStation consoles bothers the company at all. It’s not like there’s a new Banjo-Kazooie game in the works or anything, so fans showing love to the old series is fairly harmless.
It’s not often we see fan projects like this get embraced by their creators. For every Timesplitters Rewind, there are equally fantastic fan works that get shut down. Earlier this year, Rockstar Games shut down the Liberty City Preservation Project, which brought the Grand Theft Auto 4 map into GTA 5. Nintendo is notoriously litigious about where its characters and IP appear, having shut down numerous fan projects like the remake of Metroid II and the Legend of Zelda fan film.
The last Banjo-Kazooie, subtitled Nuts and Bolts, was released 17 years ago on the Xbox 360. It featured a vehicle-building mechanic that rewarded player creativity. While the game was a technical showcase at the time, it didn’t provide the traditional collect-a-thon gameplay the series was known for under Nintendo.
