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Our second issue of Volume 2 won’t begin in earnest until tomorrow, but if you read last week’s letter from the editor, you’ll already know that this week the Dojo staff will be discussing sequels. It’s with that topic in mind that we’ve chosen this week’s musical highlight, from one of my personal favorite gaming followups:
Of all Rare’s wonderful N64 titles, its two Banjo games were the ones that left the biggest impression on me as a young gamer. While Super Mario 64 introduced me to the wonder and magic of 3D gaming, it was Banjo-Kazooie, with its lush, open worlds and whimsical soundtrack, that truly captured my imagination. For its sequel, Rare expanded everything that had made the original game so captivating, increasing the number of collectibles for Banjo and Kazooie to find, introducing a handful of new moves to the pair’s arsenal, and– most exciting of all– creating a new batch of gargantuan levels to explore.
My favorite of these was Witchyworld, the third major world that Banjo and Kazooie would pass through on their journey across the Isle O’ Hags. As its name suggests, Witchyworld was Gruntilda the witch’s dilapidated amusement park, before it was closed due to its “appalling safety record.” Fittingly, the tune that plays in Witchyworld evokes the feel of a sinister carnival, making it the perfect musical backdrop for the park’s hostile staff and rickety attractions.
But what I love most about the theme are all of the different variations that play throughout the level. Witchyworld is divided up into several thematic “zones,” each of which contains its own appropriate attractions, and the tune would adapt to fit whatever zone you were currently in– the Horror Zone, for instance, mimics the soundtrack to an old monster movie, while the Wild West Zone, with its guitar strummed melody, conjures up images of dusty plains and tumbleweeds. The sheer variety in music and terrain is what makes Witchyworld one of the most memorable locales in the Banjo series, and a fitting track to kick off our week of sequels.
What are some of the best tunes from your favorite gaming sequels? Share them with us below in the comments!
Witchyworld was actually one of the poster child levels of why I DIDN’T like Banjo-Tooie (well, relative to Banjo-Kazooie, anyways) – the level was just so absurdly enormous.
It was a chronic problem in Banjo-Tooie – it took way, way too long to get from A to B in that game. in BK, I never felt like I was bored while making a beeline from one objective to the next. But in BT, I felt that way more often then I didn’t, and that was a huge problem in my eyes.
I suppose that’s fair enough. I loved exploring in the Banjo games, so the worlds couldn’t be too big in my eyes. :P Plus, the warp points were spread out generously enough that I never felt it was a problem navigating the levels.