Banjo-Kazooie Remastered Trailer Shows What We're Missing Out On

We're praying to the shaman and hoping Mumbo Jumbo can work his magic, because a Banjo-Kazooie remastered trailer shows what we're missing out on. It's been 23 years since Rare released the original on the Nintendo 64, and while there have been plenty of games since, we need a true Banjo-Kazooie remaster now more than ever.

The mid-00s saw the N64 at its peak, and while many of us remember the console for the likes of Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Rare brought some of our favourites to the black box in the form of GoldenEye 007, Diddy Kong Racing, Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and the aforementioned Banjo-Kazooie. 

What does the Banjo-Kazooie remastered trailer look like?

The latest Banjo-Kazooie remastered trailer comes courtesy of a fan called Project Dream on YouTube. Discussing the fan-made project, they explained, "As a huge banjo fan I have always wanted to see what a remastered version of the original 1998 game would look like. I set out to produce a trailer that would capture the attention and ignite a little bit of nostalgia that Banjo-Kazooie brought to all of us."

This labour of love was created using geometry from the N64 original and giving an update with high-resolution textures. Teasing that there's more to come, they promised to deliver more scenes from Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie - suggesting they aren't done with the bear and bird combo just yet.

Touring Banjo's house and the entrance to Mumbo's Mountain, there's also a HD version of a seaside Treasure Trove Cove, a blizzard-covered Freezeezy Peak, and Halloween-inspired Mad Monster Mansion. Alongside some operatic music, the trailer is enough to have us recreating the Fry meme and shouting, "Shut up and take my money!"

Will there be a Banjo-Kazooie remaster?

Remember, this isn't the first time we've heard about a Banjo-Kazooie remaster. With the 1998 game earning a slew of awards and critical acclaim, it was quickly followed by Banjo-Tooie in 2000. Although things were bigger and better, the game didn't spawn a sequel until Grunty's Revenge waddled onto the Game Boy Advance in 2003.

Things went a little stale, and aside from the forgotten Banjo Pilot racing game on the GBA in 2005, the dynamic duo wouldn't return until Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts in 2008. By this point, Rare had its spectacular split with Nintendo, and the ill-received revival launched as an Xbox exclusive. These days, Banjo and Kazooie are largely known for their inclusion in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and it's unclear when/if they'll return for their own adventure.

Added to this, we've already (sort of) had two remasters. As well as the 2008 remaster of Banjo-Kazooie for the Xbox Live Arcade, there was later a spiritual successor with original Rare developers banding together to release Yooka-Laylee. Still, Project Dream's channel is full of Banjo-Kazooie HD levels, and we've got to admit, we love the new Rusty Bucket Bay.

Even though the future of Banjo-Kazooie remains uncertain, the reaction to the trailer proved there's still an appetite here. Just like we're clamouring for a true remastering of GoldenEye 007, Rare is building up quite the catalogue of cult followings. All we need now is someone to pitch a next-gen version of Conker's Bad Fur Day.