Harbour Masters are at it again, and man, am I excited by this one! If you follow the PC Port scene and the news that we share here at Retro Dodo, then you'll know all about Harbour Masters' work on Ship Of Harkinian, the ultimate open-source port of Ocarina of Time. So far, they've also worked on ports of Star Fox 64, Super Mario Kart, Majora's Mask, and Super Mario 64, and now Banjo-Kazooie, one of my all-time favourite N64 games, is joining the ranks.
When Harbour Masters changed their name from 'Harbour Masters 64' after saying that they were going to be working on GameCube titles next, I did worry that they would be leaving the N64 behind. Their new Banjo-Kazooie PC port, 'Light House' proves that I had nothing to worry about, however. The port is releasing this July, and it looks absolutely wild!
Check out the YouTube video below to get a feel of what I mean. I've seen every one of Mumbo Jumbo's transformations coming out of Banjo's House, multiple crocodiles all eating jumblies, the inclusion of Kurko Mod's ROM hacks alongside other creations, and much more. Plus, it's compatible with every regional version of Banjo-Kazooie.
Harbour Masters are known for their quality of life features alongside features that you never even knew you needed. Expect widescreen support, co-op play, ability shuffle, and a randomizer for items and jiggies! That Godzilla-like Jinjo coming out of the ocean is pretty dark and terrifying too!
Seeing KurkoMods Bear Waker opening scene in the YouTube video was very cool, and you'll also spot scenes from Nostalgia 64, Lair Witch Project, and Jiggies Of Time, which just so happens to be my favourite ROM hack of all time.
There's still a little bit of work to go, but the release is set for next month at the time of writing, so we don't have much longer to go until we can check it out for ourselves! Head to the Harbour Masters website for more info on their previous ports, and keep your eyes peeled here for more updates!
