Relive Banjo-Kazooie on Nintendo Switch!

Whether you'll forever carry your own blue sky memories of Treasure Trove Cove from 1998, or you're a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate player keen to dig into Banjo and Kazooie's adventurous legacy, we hope the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack announcement back in September’s Nintendo Direct came as a welcome surprise. Yes, among the library of beloved Nintendo 64 games shown to be incoming was our very own Banjo-Kazooie – and here we are on launch day!

The question of classic Rare games resurfacing for a Switch audience is one that people have been asking for a long time, so we're immensely pleased that we could work with Nintendo to bring the bear and bird to this platform.

In the spirit of preserving the game exactly as it was alongside the other titles available, this version of Banjo-Kazooie is the Nintendo 64 original as you remember it. And if you grew up in a later console generation, well, we're looking forward to a whole new wave of gamers getting turned into a washing machine by Mumbo Jumbo, scrambling away from Snacker the shark and facing Grunty's Furnace Fun for the very first time.

This much-loved 3D platformer introduced players to the unlikely partnership of an amiable bear and the sarcastic bird who lives in his backpack, as they went head-to-head with Gruntilda the incompetent, rhyme-obsessed witch in an attempt to free Banjo's sister before she got… actually, just watch the Banjo-Kazooie in 60 Seconds video we made for Rare Replay and maybe it'll all start to make sense.

Adding to that, here's a quick series primer: Banjo-Kazooie was released back in 1998 (following Banjo's solo role in Diddy Kong Racing the year before), quickly riding the wave of platformer popularity into the hearts of diehard fans. Its colourful blend of characters, environments, puzzles and collectables was seasoned with offbeat Rare humour that helped it stand out in a crowded market.

The first game's popularity led to the release of even bigger N64 sequel Banjo-Tooie in 2000, a couple of original outings on Game Boy Advance and the duo's only starring role to date in Rare's Xbox era, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts on Xbox 360 in 2008.

Prior to their long-awaited debut in the Super Smash Bros. universe, the bear and bird gathered new fans through all three main series games appearing in Rare's 30th anniversary collection, Rare Replay. New material created around this time included a playlist of Rare Revealed videos with features on Banjo-Kazooie, its sequels and even its early life under the working title of Dream. And on Banjo-Kazooie's 20th anniversary in 2018, we sat down with series designer Gregg Mayles to find out just how well he felt the first game had held up.

That's a decent range of material for anyone to get themselves up to speed on Banjo-Kazooie, but of course there's no substitute for strapping on your backpack and playing it for yourself! It’s available for those with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership to download from today, January 20th. Xbox One gamers, meanwhile, can still get to grips with the Banjo-Kazooie games in the Rare Replay collection, and they're also available via Xbox Game Pass and Cloud Gaming.

Timeless adventure awaits. We'll see you on the Salty Hippo!