When you think about Banjo-Kazooie ROM hacks and mods, there’s one name that immediately comes to mind. Mark Kurko of Kurko Mods is an absolute master of his craft, working hard for years to become both a driving force in the ROM hack world and an inventive gaming presence in his own right. We had the pleasure of interviewing him as part of our ‘Let’s Talk Retro’ series which you should definitely take a look at after reading this article, but for now, it’s game time!
Kurko Mods has engineered some of the best Banjo-Kazooie games in the business, doing what Rare and Nintendo won’t – giving us more of the real Banjo-Kazooie action that we haven’t seen since Banjo-Tooie released in 2000 (and I’m not counting Nuts and Bolts because it’s a travesty). The crossovers scratch your brain in the right way – they just feel right, as though Banjo had always been in Donkey Kong Country or was supposed to be running around in Pokémon Snap. They provide original fans like me a way of heading back into my favourite game worlds from my youth, and that’s time well spent if you ask me.
So, without further ado, make sure your beak and claws are sharpened, your Turbo Trainers are clean, and you’ve packed some glasses cleaner for Bottles the Mole, because it’s time to delve into an alternative world of Banjo-Kazooie titles that will make you feel like the N64 is still the most popular console of the day!
Oh, and if you want to support Kurko Mods and get ROM hacks at the same time, then join Mark on Patreon!
Table of Contents
1. The Legend of Banjo Kazooie: The Jiggies Of Time
- Incredible attention to detail
- A full-length ROM hack with 100 Jiggies to discover
- The ultimate nostalgia-evoking game for N64 fans
- Hilarious from start to finish
- Nothing!
- Release Date: 2020
- Number of Jiggies: 100
- Completion Time: Around 15-20 hours
This isn’t just one of the best Banjo-Kazooie ROM hacks or one of Kurko Mods’ greatest crossovers, but it’s also one of my favourite games. I guess there are no surprises there; if you’ve been reading my articles since we started back in 2019, then you’ll know that Ocarina of Time and Banjo-Kazooie were two games that I was obsessed with as a child. I can still remember battling Gruntilda and Ganon in both games for the first time, and seeing Banjo & Kazooie in Hyrule is like a nostalgic dream come true.
Banjo & Kazooie wake up in Link’s house in Kokiri Forest, speak to the Deku Tree, find Mumbo’s Hut in Castle Town, explore Hyrule Castle, delve through Death Mountain as a little Tektite, and much more. It’s everything you love about both games moulded into one, with all the humour that makes the Banjo-Kazooie series so epic.
From Kazooie advising Banjo that there’s an annoying owl hanging around that will keep chatting to them when leaving Kokiri Forest to finding memorable characters in Hyrule Castle Dungeon and secret Jiggys in the Deku Tree – honestly, I don’t have enough time to tell you everything I love about this game.
Kurko Mods’ love of Zelda shines through in this hack, particularly his excitement about opening up areas that were previously closed for exploration. I never thought I’d get to head inside Hyrule Castle in my wildest dreams or explore a hidden area at the top of the Deku Tree that’s home to a stinky squirrel!
2. Banjo-Kazooie: Stay At Home
- 9 worlds to explore from classic Nintendo games
- Great playthrough time with lots of secrets to find
- Perfectly made with the attention to detail we’ve come to associate with Kurko Mods releases
- Seeing Banjo-Kazooie in different Rare games as well as other Nintendo titles never gets old!
- It makes us wish Nostalgia 64 would hurry up be ready to play!
- Release Date: 2021
- Number of Jiggies: 72
- Completion Time: Around 10 hours
I think until you’ve seen Banjo & Kazooie standing in the Dam level of the classic N64 GoldenEye 007 game, then you haven’t really lived. Back when the world was locked down, KurkoMods made an incredibly nostalgic adventure that made staying at home feel a little easier. It’s also the inspiration behind the upcoming Banjo-Kazooie: Nostalgia 64 title and features the Bird and Bear in classic N64 game scenarios.
Super Mario 64, Bomberman 64, Donkey Kong 64, Diddy Kong Racing; they all have playable levels in this game for you to explore, ditching the honeycombs in favour of the most important and highly sought-after item at the time – toilet rolls. Rather than opening up different ROM files like the current status of Quest for Kurkoins which I’m coming to soon, Banjo jumps into paintings just like Mazza in SM64 to enter different worlds from a central hub. There are 9 levels to crossover into from some pivotal N64 titles in what can only be described as ‘a talon trot down memory lane,’ and you can quote me on that.
3. The Legend Of Banjo- Kazoie: Gruntilda’s Mask
- An immersive return to Clock Town with new areas to explore
- So many crossover surprises and Easter Eggs for fans to discover
- The comedic quips will have you laughing for days afterwards
- Shorter playtime, but still challenging and engaging
- Location is set to Clock Town – you can’t explore Termina
- Release Date: 2019
- Number of Jiggies: 20
- Completion Time: 3-5 hours
The Bird and Bear duo in Clock Town, working together to stop Gruntilda with a suspicious-looking mask that I think all of the Zelda fans out there will recognise. Unlike Jiggies of Time, you don’t actually leave Clock Town to explore around Termina, but it doesn’t detract from the gameplay at all. There’s so much to explore and find in this space, with characters from the Banjo-Kazooie Universe popping up in the wildest of places, like a sad Captain from a certain cove and a familiar toilet from a spooky level filled with ghosties.
There are 20 Jiggies and 100 notes to discover through the game which will most likely take you around 5 hours to complete. I don’t want to tell you too many spoilers, but Mumbo’s back in this game again (it wouldn’t be a BK title without him) and turns you into a classic transformation from the first game.
KurkoMods has again opened up more areas that were previously inaccessible in Majora’s Mask, making this version of Clock Town feel even bigger than it actually is. The mission – get to the top of the Clock Tower and stop Gruntilda. There’s no messing around with changing time either; just game and explore at your own pace.
4. The Legend Of Banjo-Kazooie: The Bear Waker Deluxe
- Beautiful crossover that plays smoothly and evokes excitement right from the intro screen
- Players can ride on the King of Red Lions
- Visit other locations from the game hidden around Outset Island
- While you might want to explore the ocean, the game is fully set on Outset Island
- It has a shorter playtime than the other two Zelda titles listed so far
- Release Date: 2024
- Number of Jiggies: 21
- Completion Time: Around 1 hour
KurkoMods really shares our love of the Zelda series, and while this is a GameCube game twinned with N64 characters, the game is made to work with N64 emulators like Delta, which coincidentally is the emulator I’ve been using for all of these Banjo-Kazooie ROM hacks so far and one that we’ve covered extensively here at Dodo HQ. It’s really nice seeing this game with a tidy 64MB file size too.
I’m going to start by saying that this game looks phenomenal. It brings back the first time that I saw the cel-shaded graphics of Outset Island, exploring and throwing pots with Toon Link and having that snotty-nosed kid chasing me around. Outset Island is exactly the same as it was back in the day too, with the hidden cove across the bridge that Tetra lands in, Link’s house, and of course, the King of Red Dragons.
While there are multiple areas from the game to explore just like in Gruntilda’s Mask, you don’t actually leave Outset Island. Again, it’s not an issue as discovering where these areas are is just as fun as sailing the ocean to discover different islands. Obviously, that means it’s not as long as Jiggies of Time and only has 21 Jiggies to find, but you’ll have a blast doing it. Can you also spot another Island that didn’t appear in The Windwaker in the distance? I went wild when I saw it; Mark Kurko really is a genius.
5. Banjo-Kazooie 4: Quest For Kurkoins
- The closest we’ve got to a brand-new (classic) Banjo-Kazooie game since Banjo-Tooie
- 5 levels to play through (in separate ROM files) all around an hour long, each of which could have dropped straight from Rare HQ.
- Imaginative ideas that will leave you in awe
- There’s no world hub as of yet, though this is in the works
- I want more, which is the only problem with a game that’s currently ‘in progress’
- Release Date: 2023
- Number of Jiggies: 5 (they’re Kurkoins in this game, however)
- Completion Time: 5-6 hours (for all parts)
Quest For Kurkoins is the closest that we’re going to get to a proper Banjo-Kazooie game with new levels and puzzles to explore without Rare kickstarting things up again and actually putting the Bear & Bird back into action. There are currently 5 levels to play through in separate ROM files, which means it doesn’t flow as smoothly as Jiggies of Time does with regards to seamlessly going from level to level, but man are they detailed. The game was born from a Twitch contest but has grown into a fully-fledged title with a world hub on the way!
Check out the level above; Mark and his team have so cleverly integrated real-world items into this game, with tins of beans and baseballs sticking out of the beach as though they had fallen out of a giant’s bag. The way that plastic spades form walkways and entrances to caves as well is brilliant, as is the temple layout underneath the sand and the sinkholes leading to it. The other levels are just as intriguing too, some with a heavy Freezeezy Peak vibe to them, which coincidentally is a key theme in some of the following ROM hacks.
6. Banjo-Kazooie X Donkey Kong Country
- Ultimate nostalgia for SNES fans with our favourite duo having the ultimate Rare crossover
- A side-scrolling Banjo-Kazooie title which (literally) provides a nice new angle to the usual formula
- This hack feels so familiar while being an exciting new game at the same time.
- It’s perfectly made but is too short – give us the mine cart level and a full ‘BK Country’ game Kurko Mods!
- Release Date: 2019
- Number of Jiggies: 0
- Completion Time: Around 10 minutes (max)
The hours that my cousin and I put into Donkey Kong Country back in the day have made it one of the games I instantly think of when someone mentioned the SNES. It’s such an important title for Nintendo too despite Shigeru Miyamoto hating on the pre-rendered graphics, and brought DK into a role where he was a protagonist instead of an antagonist. Together with Diddy, he created one of Nintendo’s best gaming duos, so it only makes sense for Banjo & Kazooie to literally follow in their footsteps and head out of DK’s house to kick butt.
Instead of collecting bananas and battling Kremlins, you’ll be picking up notes and thwarting enemies from Banjo’s world. It’s nice seeing Banjo & Kazooie from a different camera angle viewpoint too, something which we’ll also be covering a little later on in this list in another form.
There is only one level playable (Jungle Hijinx) so the game will be over pretty quickly, but to be honest that doesn’t really bother me that much. The nostalgia factor, which is something that drives every element of Mark Kurko’s work, is what makes this mod hack so fun to play. Yes, it is a massive shame that we can’t play the Mine Cart level, but having Congo on the tree line and reimagining this game with a different Rae spin is good enough for us (seriously though, let’s get some Mine Cart action, yeah?).
7. Banjo: Kazooie: How The Grunch Stole Christmas
- Cheato reading the story of the Grinch with Gruntilda as the main character is perfect for all Christmas fans
- Brilliant comedy elements in the storyline
- Mixes the spirit of Whoville with a Banjo-Kazooie twist
- Collect Christmas Coins rather than Jiggies
- A shorter mod, but perfect for a Christmas Eve playthrough while watching the movie
- Release Date: 2021
- Number of Jiggies: 20 Christmas Tokens
- Completion Time: Around 1-2 hours
How would you like to see Banjo & Kazooie walking around Whoville? How about hearing Cheato reading the story of Gruntilda as the Grinch and our favourite Bear standing on snowy, bauble-filled trees outside Who houses? I’m a huge fan of The Grinch, so much so that I have him tattooed on my leg. Christmas is without a doubt my favorite time of year, so I’m saving a re-play-through of this and some other mods on this list for the festive season.
Mark Kurko works with some amazing writers to create the comedy for these games; seeing Kazooie calling someone on a ‘person of the year’ banner a ‘massive nimrod’ cracks me up every time, and the quests involved with collecting Christmas tokens from iconic Banjo-Kazooie characters really get you into the Christmas spirit. I mean, going to the Eastern Forest to find the perfect Christmas Tree for the nimrod Who-child outside Banjo’s House could be one of the most wholesome acts in any ROM hack going.
Mumbo’s Hut looks fantastic covered in snow too, and the whole thing feels like the natural evolution of Freezeezy Peak, or rather how it might have become once all of the enemies disappeared and Wozza the Walrus could start a travel business bringing new faces to the area.
8. Banjo-Kazooie: Santa’s Village
- Continues the Christmas Token theme and is a magical title to play around The Holidays
- 200 notes on the level means a lot of thorough searching which keeps things interesting
- The level design captures everything we loved (and still love) about Christmas as children
- Once again, a shorter game when being compared to some of the earlier entries in this list, but one that you’ll come back to again and again every Christmas just like your favourite movies
- Release Date: 2023
- Number of Jiggies: 10 Christmas Tokens
- Completion Time: Around 1 hour
If there’s a storyline about letters and Santa, then there’s only really one Postman for the job. As soon as I saw this still from the beginning opening scenes on the Santa’s Village mod, I knew that it was going to be another blinder. It’s another short title lasting around an hour, with 10 Jiggies, 15 Mumbo Tokens, and 200 notes to collect. Gruntilda has stolen Santa, and you’ve got to use the Beak-Buster, Talon Trot, and all the moves that Bottles taught you back in the day to bring him back.
Santa’s Village is designed in such a way that makes even the oldest, most cynical gamers feel Christmassy. It’s how I imagined the Elf Village in ‘A Boy Named Christmas’ to look when I first read the book and feels as close to me actually stepping into Santa’s Workshop as I’m probably likely to get (until he comes and asks me to help him on his rounds, that is…).
The level is quite big in design, so the fact that the Turbo Trainers last far longer than they do in the original game is a welcome touch. It definitely makes finding all of Mama Penguin’s kids a lot easier, though how she landed up all the way in Santa’s Village when she should be in Super Mario 64 I don’t know!
9. Banjo-Kazooie: Eagle’s Dungeon
- A top-down SNES adventure featuring our favourite N64 duo
- A crossover that combines Mark Kurko’s (and our) love of Zelda & Banjo-Kazooie which goes right back to Link’s roots
- Another new angle to see a Banjo-Kazooie game from, with updated graphics from the original NES Dungeon
- I’ve said it multiple times through this article – shorter hacks like this make me want to experience the full game!
- It is harder to perform moves on enemies at times, but that’s due to sticking true to the feel of the original Zelda NES title and a choice I’m happy to work with
- Release Date: 2015
- Number of Jiggies: 0
- Completion Time: 10-20 minutes
Mark Kurko clearly loves Zelda, that much is clear. And if you’re making it a kind of signature move to mould Zelda and Banjo-Kazooie titles together, then it only makes sense to take the Bird & Bear back to where it all began for Link on the NES.
The Eagle’s Dungeon hack puts Banjo-Kazooie inside the first-ever dungeon on the very first Zelda game ever made. That means that, unlike every Banjo adventure that we’ve played bar Grunty’s Revenge on the GBA, this is a top-down adventure, and even Grunty’s Revenge had more of an isometric viewpoint rather than an ‘eagle-eye view’. Like the Jungle Hijinx hack, this is a short game that doesn’t take too long to complete but leaves a lasting impression.
With classic phrases like ‘It’s dangerous to go alone’ spoken by Rubee the Snake Charmer and mummies walking around wailing in the dungeons, it’s as close to Banjo-Kazooie being in a 1986 title as you can get. The gameplay looks super smooth on Delta too with the classic Zelda level being ‘Banjoified’ and made more vibrant.
10. Santa’s Glow Village Remake
- Nice features of characters from Banjo-Kazooie & Banjo-Tooie
- Another Christmassy title for the festive season
- A hack with lots of substance with exciting secrets to uncover
- Chance to play both old and new versions of the game
- The game lasts around an hour which might be a little short for long-time Banjo fans
- Release Date: 2022
- Number of Jiggies: 20
- Completion Time: Around 1 hour
Remember the Priests at the Temple of Jiggywiggy? Well, they appear in this game with a big N64 logo as their heads, giving you advice and information about the hack itself. As the title says, the game has been redone and has options to play the original or remade version from a world hub that has a strong feel of the forest glade that Jack Skellington uses to get into the different ‘Towns’. There are 20 Jiggies to collect here, giving it a little more longevity (but just as much substance) as the next few titles in this list.
It dropped on December 24th, 2022 as a little Christmas Surprise for KurkoMods fans and, as I’ve said with the other Snowly levels in Mark’s games, has an incredibly strong Frezeezy Peak 2.0 vibe to it. I particularly liked discovering the secret treasure trove filled with the ‘Golden items of Nintendo past’, with DK’s Golden Bananas, a Power Star, Yoshi coins, and more stored inside a picture frame. It’s the level of imagination that Mark puts into these titles that makes me playing them over and over and makes him the best in the business.
11. Banjo-Kazooie: The Night Bear Before Christmas
- Get ready for Christmas with a snowy Spiral Mountain
- There’s a lot of content crammed into such a short hack that still gives you plenty to think about
- Less to explore than in the other Christmassy ROM hacks
- More of a familiar setting which will please some fans but leave others wanting more
- Release Date: 2020
- Number of Jiggies: 7
- Completion Time: Less than 1 hour
The Night Bear Before Christmas might not have Mr. Burton’s weird ideas in it, but seeing Topper and the Spiral Mountain enemies bouncing around kind of feels like something that Tim would dream up. Your main mission here is to save presents that have been stolen before Christmas, and it’s all set around a wintry Spiral Mountain. Mumbo has moved to his Winter Vacation home and is here to help you with your task after discovering all of his tokens, turning you into a ‘busy little’ creature who can zoom to great heights.
The game will take you less than an hour to complete; it’s more of a nice little Christmas Eve title to play while you’re waiting for the big man himself to drop your presents down the chimney. Mark still manages to cram a lot of content into the game even though it’s such a short title, with multiple changes from Mumbo, new areas to open via Grunty Switches, little nooks and crannies to explore, and much more.
12. Banjo-Kazooie: Smash Bros. Temple
- A crossover I never knew we needed but one that works so well
- Exploring the Smash Bros. Hyrule Temple level instead of being thrown around it makes a nice change
- Great inclusion of other retro titles and a teaser to an iconic Jiggies of Time area
- It’s super short – this is a game that I could play for hours as opposed to 15+ minutes
- Release Date: 2019
- Number of Jiggies: 6
- Completion Time: 15-30 minutes
I can distinctly remember using Marth on this battle map and smashing the C-stick on my controller as though my life depended on it. Smash Bros. games have always played a big part in my and my friends’ lives, so having Banjo jumping around familiar territory sat very well with me when I first turned this mod on.
This is one of Mark’s smaller mods and will only take around 20-30 minutes to blast through. It features portals that take you briefly into Zelda II: Adventure of Link and The Temple of Time, the latter of which you’ll have spent a lot of time exploring around if you’ve been playing Jiggies of Time. There are 8 Jiggies to collect and with a nice level of difficulty for seasoned players. But again, as is the case with the majority of KurkoMods’ releases, nostalgia is the first port of call, and this level scores a full 10/10 for that!
13. Bubbling Bog Brewery Redone
- A faithful remake of the level made by Daveyx0 and Aegonian back in 2014 that keeps the original level design intact
- It has a strong Bubblegloop Swamp feel to it which fans of the original title will love
- ‘Snap & chomp’ to your heart’s content after visiting Mumbo’s hut
- The only negative thing I can think is that it might feel too much like Bubblegloop Swamp for some fans and not provide enough of a distinctive change
- Release Date: 2023
- Number of Jiggies: 10
- Completion Time: 20-30 minutes
The final alternative Banjo-Kazooie game in our list is a remake of a ROM hack made back in 2014 by two creators named Daveyx0 and Aegonian. Mark Kurko took the level and remade all of the models inside to give them a fresh new look while keeping the design of the level exactly the same. There are also some new challenges that make the whole thing feel more Banjo-Kazooie-esque which makes the gameplay even more appealing.
Obviously, Bubble Bog Brewery has a Bubblegloop Swamp feel to it. It’s also very fun to both say and write down in an article! I really enjoyed the spooky nature of this one; any Jiggie that comes out of a giant pumpkin is definitely making my Halloween game playlist, and having the chance to get turned into a crocodile once more while snapping enemies hiding behind giant toadstools feels brilliant!
