Song: Main Title (Banjo and Kazooie Theme)
Game: Banjo Kazooie
Composer: Grant Kirkhope
I felt bad that I didn't include much talk about Rare Replay in the August edition of Game Time, so here's some Rare goodness. This week it's all about the introduction of Banjo Kazooie.
There's something about Rare games that's magical and fun. It's hard to describe, but their games are full of a whimsy that most other developers can't even come close to. A large part of that comes from the art style and music. As we saw a few weeks ago Dave Wise is an excellent composer, but Rare also likes to hire Grant Kirkhope for many of their projects.
Kirkhope has a very unique style, which is very easily discernible. What I like about the intro to Banjo Kazooie is that it shows all the signature Kirkhope instruments. His style has a whole lot of banjos. xylophones, and any woodwind instrument you can think of. I mean seriously, Mumbo busts out a Saxophone!
While I like almost all the music in Banjo Kazooie, this intro theme in particular strikes an emotional chord with me. It takes me back to the days of video game rental stores and my fascination with everything on the Nintendo 64. Sadly, both of those things are gone now, but that's the time this song reminds me of. Even better, this song personifies Rare to me. It has style and whimsy you won't find anywhere else.
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