In case you missed it, late final week, a trailer for Nostalgia 64 went viral on Twitter. The sport-sized mod is a fusion of Banjo Kazooie and a mess of various Nintendo 64 titles, created by outstanding Banjo modder Markus Kurko, who, on their YouTube channel, says they “attempt to create the Mods that I’d have appreciated to play 20 years in the past.”
With the mod releasing later this 12 months and the trailer hitting the eyes of a whole bunch of 1000’s, we spoke to Kurko, who informed us all in regards to the mission, the way it got here to be, and what the longer term holds.
Banjo Kazooie: The Jiggies Of Time
Traditionally, Kurko has created standalone mods like Banjo Kazooie: The Jiggies of Time, a whole crossover between The Bear and the Hen and Ocarina of Time, which took 5 years to create. His newest, Nostalgia 64, expands on his earlier work, serving as a mash-up of a number of of the most well-liked Nintendo 64 titles.
Gamers will play by what Kurko informed us is “a typical Banjo Kazooie recreation” Nonetheless, as a substitute of traversing areas like Freezeezy Peak and Mumbo’s Mountain, gamers will dive into ranges from video games like Tremendous Mario 64, Pokemon Snap and Yoshi’s Story. Nostalgia 64 will function a full standalone story, with every world containing a “defeated boss and a notice that claims “Bottles was right here.” seemingly referencing the once-friendly mole character from the unique Banjo video games.
Banjo And Kazooie Over Mario And Hyperlink
Kurko, a former 3D modelling scholar, observed a scarcity of Banjo Kazooie mods again in 2014. “Tremendous Mario 64’s modding scene was already broader then, however sadly, the Banjo Kazooie Modding scene had simply began, and there wasn’t a single full Banjo mod out there.” Due to this, he was “motivated” to begin enjoying round with the modding software Banjosbackpack, and it was from right here that his love and abilities developed.
Quick-forward to the COVID pandemic, Kurko began to create “small Banjo Kazooie worlds”, publishing them each few days, aptly naming the mission “Banjo: Keep at Residence”. After a 12 months, with 9 worlds created, Kurko created a hub world and thus, Nostalgia 64 was born. Nonetheless, in 2021, for causes past his management, Nostalgia 64 was placed on ice, with growth resuming in January 2024.
Resuming the mission in 2024 was Kurko’s most tough problem. He needed to discard a number of concepts from 2021 and rework others to suit with the brand new imaginative and prescient of the sport, which was “laborious and painful.” It is not all dangerous, although, as Kurko is “pleased with the choice; in any other case, the mission would by no means see the sunshine of day,” including that he thinks “gamers will like the brand new concepts.”
An N64 Lovers Dream
Nostalgia 64 is an formidable endeavor. The sport will function an abundance of worlds from Nintendo 64 classics. Kurko informed us that Tremendous Mario 64, Bomberman 64, Goldeneye, Diddy Kong Racing, Pokemon Snap and Conker’s Dangerous Fur Day had been out there because the mission was Banjo Kazooie Keep At Residence, with 4 extra within the pipeline because the mission restarted, which incorporates Yoshi’s Story, a recreation of the Banjo Kazooie beta and two extra ranges that he “most popular to maintain secret in order to not spoil the shock”. Not solely will Nostalgia 64 function full worlds, however the recreation may also embrace different secret areas “impressed by 2D NES, SNES and Recreation Boy video games”. These embrace Pokemon, Donkey Kong Nation 2 and Tremendous Mario Bros. 1 and three.
Kurko additionally informed us that the Pokemon Snap world was made by Bynine, developer of Cavern of Goals, a full N64-inspired platformer that was launched on Steam and Nintendo Swap late final 12 months, scoring a 77 on Metacritic and receiving overwhelmingly constructive opinions on Steam.
With the mission restarting, sure ambitions did should be scaled again. Initially, a Blast Corps degree was deliberate for the sport that included a “Banjo Blastdozer transformation”. Sadly, with Banjo Kazooie modding instruments much more restricted than a few of its different N64 counterparts, “Including new animations, mechanics or skills can solely be executed with code, and it is one thing fairly tough that only a few individuals know or are eager about doing.” Kurko additionally tossed round concepts for a Kirby degree, which later turned Yoshi’s Story, and a Goemon degree.
Wanting Towards The Future
Nostalgia 64 has been a labor of affection for Kurko. He hopes the viewers will “take pleasure in a visit of nostalgia to most of the N64 video games that captivated us in our childhood,” in addition to getting a way of nice satisfaction from “a high-quality modding mission of our favourite Bear and Hen duo, after a few years with out official video games.”
As soon as the sport releases, Kurko has no plans to relaxation, along with his head “filled with concepts for brand new initiatives”. He has two earlier initiatives within the works, Banjo Kazooie 4: Quest for Kurkoins and a Zelda prototype, however his lofty ambitions do not cease there. Sooner or later, he’d like to work on his personal recreation prototype utilizing Unity or Godot, “Though for this, I would wish assets to have the ability to rent a part of the exterior work (programming, music/sound and animation possibly), so I see it tough within the quick time period.”
Nostalgia 64 might be launched later this 12 months.
