Every Banjo Kazooie World RANKED

Banjo Kazooie is one of the greatest games of all time. Its worlds are some of the most memorable in gaming and this is kind of like my love letter to them. Every level is praiseworthy and fun to play, but which level is best? I tried to answer that question in this video, but I want to know what your thoughts are too!

What is the best level in Banjo Kazooie? Do you agree with my order or feel I snubbed your favorite world? Let me know in the comments below!

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0:00 Intro
0:44 World #9
3:22 World #8
5:59 World #7
7:39 World #6
10:47 World #5
13:37 World #4
16:09 World #3
19:33 World #2
22:28 World #1
25:47 Outro

#MrDrBoi #BanjoKazooie #N64

[joshuasnell]

Click clock wood was pure magic. Do you guys remember that early in the game you already got access to the puzzle, but it wasn't activated yet? But you could hear the music? It was so mysterious to me. And finally entering that world... only to find another hub in the hub... mindblowing

[kohvilence]

The best world is the lair it self. The changing music when close to other levels is what sells it.

[ISoloYouRelax]

Click clock woods is my favorite level, no matter which version it is. It holds a special place in my heart. Freezey peaks is a hard second.

[leramar]

Click Clock Wood is my favorite level. Autumn is so comfy.

[jacobwatson]

Banjo Kazooie is one of my few "happy places" Its so full of charm and nostalgia I cant help but smile when playing it. I even named my dog Banjo after it. The whole game has so much charm, especially the music. Grant Kirkhope is one of of the best video game composers next to Koji Kondo

[jonbod]

Move Click Clock Wood to #1 and we would be pretty much the same, I just love the music and set up of that level so much

[Joe_Parmesan]

The flying in Banjo Kazooie was a complete game changer for gaming as a whole. Super Mario 64 had the Wing Cap, which was also monumental, but, the flying in Banjo Kazooie was way more controlled and fun, especially when you get the Beak Bomb. Tooie expands on it with First Person View and the ability to shoot eggs while flying

[carlwinters]

Click Clock Wood was the best level. With the changing seasons it was basically 4 worlds in 1.

[grey-spark]

I can tell you love this game as much as I do. So I'm fascinated how our ranking lists can vary so wildly. Forgive, me for posting my two cents but I can't help myself. For various reasons I wont go into here, I honestly think this game is the best 3D platform ever made, and tragically ever will be made. I might make this my own video, but for now I'll post it here as a response to your thoughts.

(Fair Warning: some of my thoughts may come off as negative since most of the positive aspects of each level are already in the video. Please keep this in mind while reading.)

#9 Bubblegloop Swamp.

I agree that Bubblegloop is a pitstop and boy does it feel like one, completely shattering the games momentum, (and thank god Freezeezy Peak comes right after to save it.) The most horizontal of the levels, Bubblegloop requires you to trail down linear paths from a central point, resulting in tons of backtracking (the gold gator jiggie is even based around it.) Thankfully its saved by being small. The challenges are time consuming and repetitive if failed. Bubblegloop feels almost like a harbinger for the large walks and obnoxious challenges that would go onto undermine Tooie. I agree that its designed to be a benchmark test for the first act of the game, but unfortunately its about a fun as taking one. This is the only level in the game I wish I could skip while replaying.

#8 Clanker's Cavern

This level has a special place in my heart, and it hurts putting it this low. However, I can't deny that it feels incomplete, like a beta level that made it into the final cut. Most of it is a decorated cube, that I wish had the same level of polish as its entrance room. However, what saves the level is Clanker. His genius reveal, and as you pointed out, the great game flow of his various entrances. I agree its one of the best underwater levels mostly due to Banjos tight underwater mechanics. Although not tedious, its jiggies are a bit uninspired, making this level and Gubblegloop the low-point of the game.

#7 Mumbo's Mountain

The games advanced tutorial level, after Spiral Mountain. Many before me have already discussed the incredible instructive skill of its linear design. Its one of the best tutorial levels ever, but alas, its still not a real level. So it goes at here my default, Spiral Mountain, would go here too if included.

#6 Feezeezy Peak

You already discussed what I love about this charming winter wonderland. Everything about this level is designed around constant motion. From the snowmen that hurt you for standing or flying still, to the freezing water and winding paths, to the two literal races. Which ironically, captures both the wonder and the stress of the holiday season. So I'm torn. It maybe a matter of taste. For my brother, the snowball enemies were a deal breaker, annoying, mean spirited, and hard to kill, I get where he was coming from, in a level that feels way to claustrophobic for its own good. The large snowman set piece should have been made smaller to give more flying room and scale it to the rest of the level. Even still, its sheer magical charm over powers all my gripes, making it one of the best christmas levels ever.

#5 Click Clock Woods

You nailed it. I have nothing much to add. Its an ambitious flaunting display of interconnectivity that makes the series incredible and perfect end to the game. I hope you do the video about it.

#4 Treasure Trove Cove

You ranked this number one, for its wonderful attention to 'little details' that you say makes Treasure Trove stand above the rest. But for me, that's every level. Every level is carefully crafted. Almost every level has an interesting Grunty switch and memorable characters. Every level transports you into a world that, for Treasure Trove it a tropical vacation, for Freezeezy its Christmas wonder, for Mad Monster its tip toeing through a creepy mansion. And yes, even Bubblegloop gave the feeling of trekking a forest with my dad, in muddy boots. In other words, what you think makes this level special is part of why I think makes Banjo Kazooie the best 3D platformer ever made.

(But Banjo's attention to detail is not the only reason its the best. There's also: its willingness challenge, its unique immersion and its inter-connectivity. My top three will covers each.)

#3 Rusty Bucket Bay

While Rusty Bucket is iconic for its difficulty, in truth it was designed to intimidate. Pushing the player to do uncomfortable things. Jump into a shark cage, the fight aggressive enemies, toxic waste, swimming into ship propellers. Even the water is something to be fear, making the player think twice before swimming under, making a plan of what to do first, perhaps like they would diving in real life.

This intimidation is at its most naked in the bows of the ship. The dreaded Machine Room is a spectacle of camera work, starting first by staring down as you descend the smokestack, then narrows and opens onto the spinning display of churning gears and chopping blades. At that moment, you realize you've entered somewhere you shouldn't have, featuring the only pitfall in a main level.
In truth, the machine room is place very close to the levels spawn point so its more forgiving than it seems, the only unfair part being the spinning blades that can be hard to time.

The whole level is forgiving, having two parts, the boat which functions like a mini-mad monster mansion, and then a surrounding linear obstacle course, that still manages to resemble a Liverpool factory harbor. Its very open so that players can navigate around the challenges they don't like. I fear this level of challenge has been lost to modern children games. But for those of use who are old enough, there will always be a place in our nightmares for Snacker and the Engine Room.

#2 Gobi's Valley

This is the best ordinary level of the game. When you put Rusty Bucket last, I was unphased expecting it even, but this placement honestly surprised me. This level lacks charm? Its dripping with atmosphere and exotic detail, and has several memorable characters. Gobi, the Sphinx, Grabba, the palm tree, King Sandy Butt's horrifying maze. It has the best level design. Its big but still walkable. Every nook has something interesting in view, and it also has the best challenges in the franchise. Unlike Tooie, where all the minigames are ham-fisted and colorcoded, these puzzles are diegetic to the booty-trap tomb exploration, creating more immersion rather than taking you out of it. Like Treasure Trove its a case study in good level design.

There's nothing bad about this level. It should be #1. But in terms of what makes this franchise great, what sets it apart from (and superior to) Mario or Rayman there is only...

#1 Mad Monster Mansion

You already know what's special about this level, and you even pointed out my favorite jiggy in the game. The Gutter Jiggy. Its so counter intuitive to the genre. In a Mario game, you would do a bunch of platforming to get it, but no. In Banjo, the only way you get it is by thinking of the water spout as a real waterspout. Forcing you to not only consider the room in the context of the level, but to think of the level as a real world place. Inter-connectivity. Immersion.

But this kind of thinking is all over the game. Its how you get blubbers treasures in the ship's hull, its how you reach the jiggy behinds Clanker's tooth, and these logical thinking puzzles are naturally all over Click Clock Woods, since its an interactive time travel level. As a young impressionable mind, I felt like Mad Monster Mansion was a real place. Even if some parts are gamified with comical proportions like the giant church interior. After all this isn't Super Mario Sunshine, Miyamoto's answer to Banjo Kazooie, where every setting and platform was hyper realistic. No, Banjo strikes that perfect balance. A balance that I feel has never been hit since...

Thank you for reading this. There's a lot I didn't touch on. Like how I don't think the mumbo transformations or new moves are really that important, since the game is mostly built on the large move set you leave the tutorial with. (Like how Zelda BOTW is “so revolutionary” for doing the same thing with the sheika slate 20 years later.) Like how the entire soundtrack is a complete banger roaster from start to finish. I could keep going, but I'll just stop here.

[nachomonje]

That stupid shark scared me so much as a kid and I totally agree when you said “burning the inescapable anxiety and fear” into your head. Even today, my heart speeds up whenever I see that damn shark, and I’m 21 years old😅

[JP-ksnh]

Miss the 90’s . Still remember my first play through in 98 i was 12, some of my most cherished childhood memories.

[EnjoyTheChaos]

Click Clock Wood is my number 1. What makes it better is how early the game teases you with the picture frame.

[hunterbladen]

Whether or not I agree with your list is irrelevant. You explained and described each level amazingly and really captured why this is my favorite game series of all time.

[Ceruleannn]

Man, I'm overwhelmed with nostalgia watching this video. It brings back memories of music I listened to when I was 12, the friends that came over to my house, or my mom sitting next to me watching me play BK, even the food I ate or certain smells and emotions.

[l.francesca]

I would put Mad Monster Mansion above Bubble Gloop Swamp and switch Treasure Trove Cove to be #3 and Click Clock Wood to be number 1 but regardless of ranking, these are all great points and I think we can all agree that playing Rusty Bucket Bay on N64 was one of the most punishing experiences in gaming history.

[caboose]

Would love to hear your thoughts on Yooka Laylee (and also a Banjo Tooie ranking!)

[ipathskater]

1. Click Clock Wood (My favorite level in my favorite game)
2. Freezeezy Peak (Great theme handled perfectly. Very rewarding level, with many of the same pros as Gobi's Valley)
3. Gobi's Valley (Not too big, not too small, most puzzle heavy world. Feels the most distinct in my mind, along with Freezeezy Peak)
4. Mad Monster Mansion (Nails the theme, decent size, with even more to do once you get into the sub zones. Doesn't feel dragged down by theme like CC & RBB)
5. Treasure Trove Cove (Some of the best music and a very visually fun level to play in. Adds a lot to the early game, though it does have a bit of the big & empty feeling of CC)
6. Bubblegloop Swamp (From a collectathon standpoint, this level is probably the best. It is pretty straightforward and not overly challenging. A good midway point for the game.)
7. Clankern's Cavern (Too much water...no jk. A solid water level with a decent amount of fun & challenging platforming. Clankern is a fun idea, but also feels like a a mini level inside a larger empty one at times)
8. Rusty Bucket Bay (Overall difficulty is high (in a good way), though the Engine Room can be painful. Lower on my list due to personal preference over theme and appearance.)
9. Mumbo's Mountain (Great first world, but a bit small and simple compared to the ones that followed it)

[youngtoonfish]

I actually love Rusty Bucket Bay 😅
From the design to the soundtrack to the difficulty.
Always love to see different opinions about stuff like that and you do really good videos on stuff like level design!

[lisyxdoll]

Personally, my favorite is Mumbo's Mtn. It's so serene, despite the baddies. It just makes me think of a secluded mountain side 😜 Loved Click Clock Wood, especially summer cuz the bees hum the song 😆

[archiewebb]

My Ranking
9) Clankers Cavern
8) Gobis Desert
7) Treasure Trove Cove
6) Mumbos Mountain
5) Click Clock Wood
4) Mad Monster Mansion
3) Rusty Bucket Bay
2) Bubble Gloop Swamp
1) Freezeeazy Peak