Unremarkable and odd places in Banjo Kazooie

[@any_austin]

I gotta say something about the brief scene at 4:44 really hits me. what other games need an unremarkable and odd video?

[@scacknewman]

Crash Wrath of Cortex or Twinsanity, there's a ton of just empty locations especially with the latter that would work so well.

[@mcammontoya]

Battle for Bikini Bottom takes a lot of cues from Mario Sunshine and allows you to see certain levels from others. It's also got a lot of strange abstract levels strewn about that have no real connection to the larger game.

[@DarkAmps]

Banjo Tooie, Glover, DK64, Wind Waker, Sonic Adventure

[@ScarfKat]

Well with this one now I'd love to see a video for Tooie. But another game I think might be interesting to cover would be Sonic Adventure, or even Sonic '06. '06 especially has a lot of weird feeling areas imo because of how unfinished and barren a lot of the hub areas are. But as a result I find it kinda captivating in a weird way lol. Just the 3D Sonic games in general could be a good fit for this series I think. Heroes is another favorite of mine, and the boost-focused games have some weird spaces too if you just stop in a random spot the game expects you to zoom through. EDIT: OH GOODNESS CHIBI ROBO PLEASE I JUST REMEMBERED LOL

[@nuniyoa]

katamari damacy or forever?

[@ImpsDelight]

I love this series so much. There's really nothing like it on KZbin.

[@jakesharp7945]

Boundary break isn’t quite the same thing, but similar!

[@gigastrike2]

I thought he was pretty open about this being a branch of liminal space videos.

[@Gemma-Majoran]

theres a guy that does Video Game World Tour. which is sorta this but the vibes arent as good

[@JaxontheOkay]

@@gigastrike2 well it's all presentation. idk what it is about his style of commentary and presentation but it just feels so comfortable. like a sibling showing you something cool they found in a game

[@redchiprenegade]

Check out Video Game World Tours by Pretzel. Has a lot of the same vibe but neither feel like a copy of each other.

[@andrewfuller2857]

just spent 8 hours in county jail over a mistake the police made. I am more than delighted to see this video in my notifications. I'm gonna play this on repeat and try to sleep thank you!

[@Nickgaming-sy5og]

What exactly did they mistake you for doing? Sounds pretty bad if you weny to jail over it im guessing murder

[@User-17429]

@@Nickgaming-sy5oggoofy ahh reply 💀

[@RaineErasmusWalker]

​@Nickgaming-sy5og pretty sure he said some gamer words. like, he said "throwing a frag" in Siege and some rando on his team thought he's sayin "f🏳️‍🌈g" and reported him to the thought police. you know, some current year shit

[@User-17429]

@@RaineErasmusWalker goofy ahh way to get arrested 💀

[@putinmahcochin1636]

You got some turds in your comments, bud. Hope everything worked out for you. I had to go through some similar shit not too long ago. Crazy how fucking jilted the system is. 😂

[@negativesanchez]

The light house at the top of treasure trove cove will always stick with me really hard. It's one of the few places I can recall that they actually just cut the jaunty music and just let you vibe. it's so relaxing and tucked away from everything. I wanted to live there as a kid lol.

[@smurfquake]

On this note...a lighthouse at the very top of an island smack dub in the center. A little bit ODD right?

[@negativesanchez]

@@smurfquake it IS super odd. How useful can a lighthouse be at the top of an island away from the water?? Dare I say, its also pretty unremarkable because all you do there is nab a jiggy and use it to fly away if I recall. Either way, i lob it...

[@smurfquake]

@Negativesanchez the Witch switch of the level is up there too! And one Jinjo. Granted the Jinjo is not on the lighthouse, just beside it in the same area.

[@davidbarkhausen7739]

The frame rate actually dips up there, which only adds to the vibe...

[@hanburgundy4317]

It lets airplanes (and witches) know not to fly into the island in the dark.

[@HahnKirby]

I have a theory. What if these levels were actually Gruntilda's and her sisters' play areas from when they were kids? But now that Grunty is a heartless old hag she has converted all of them into prisons, torture rooms, and other dastardly things.

[@Wulfex]

I literally just had the same thought! They're an oil tycoon family, maybe that castle was built for their parents to just put them in and forget about... That's tragedy my friend

[@Gruntilda-Winkybunion]

almost true.

[@bullworthless]

Could be why the worlds are so huge in comparison to Banjo and the other characters. As a kid, the world seems so huge so thats why there's a giant objects in the game that have no purpose being that big, like the termite hill, snowman, and Eyrie to name a few.

[@WilfredCthulu]

Oh fuck yes. There's something about the aesthetic of Banjo Kazooie that makes finding niche little areas and secrets in it so exciting and special. I can't express the joy and wonder when I first found cheato, or got to the endgame area and opened everything up, or when I first saw a stop n swop area. It's so magical and rewarding. The most odd place of all is that space behind grunty's door.

[@Gemma-Majoran]

whatthe fuck are our recomendeds synced or something. ive seen you on alchestvreach and chugga and now here too xD

[@brotbrotsen1100]

Banjo kazooie had a even stranger atmosphere than Mario 64

[@tophario1492]

​@@brotbrotsen1100Mario 64 was the tech demo that did a big part in inspiring Banjo Kazooie. Mario 64 has amazing movement otherwise I prefer everything from Banjo. Banjo is alive, Mario 64 is some strange ethereal masonic art dream. That game has much stranger vibes than Banjo but Banjo is WAAAAY more vulgar than SM64. They don't make games with that much charm anymore or maybe that's nostalgia talking

[@roddydykes7053]

Doing the Treasure Trove cheat for opening the doors in Gobi’s Valley and Freezeezy Peak felt like finishing a long-dorment part of my childhood, watching the Ice Key spin and the desert door no more.

[@roddydykes7053]

@@tophario1492I absolutely agree the aesthetic of Mario 64 is plain weird and not really in a good way. The movement saves it and keeps replayability up, but otherwise BK, DK64 and BT any day of the week

[@HitakaPhoenix]

The creepiest thing about the last room is that the torches are still burning underwater.

[@overshivermountain]

A witch did it

[@peacemaster8117]

I sure hope someone got fired for that blunder.

[@roddydykes7053]

SpongeBob moment

[@CrazyRiverOtter]

Yeah. The torches

[@Wotvr]

The part about mysticism lost in video games today really hits home. Unfortunately every single thing about a game is known today down to the smallest detail and gone are the days of schoolyard rumors about Mew being under the truck outside the S.S. Anne and "How to unlock Sonic and Tails" in Melee according to EGM. Really do miss it. Bonus points for showing Cheat Code Central, what a blast from the past.

[@Draekmus]

I almost wish someone would find a way to obfuscate mined data. Then make an event that will be randomly loaded as DLC or an “update” but only for some users’ games. Let’s bring back gaming mysticism. Leave in bits of unused code, fragments of characters, obscene unlock conditions. Things that don’t seem to belong with anything else in-game.

[@no-bark4112]

@Draekmus I know this wasn't your intention, but you say this as if data miners are dumb people. Most games these days still launch with unused and fragmented content in them. Google "cutting room floor" for examples. Data miners can just cross check references in code to easily and immediately tell that the area/npc/event/whatever is unused in the game.

[@FlackNCoke]

Totally agree about those last three flooded rooms. I think the thing that freaked me out as a kid the most about that Mad Monster Mansion portrait room specifically - especially after raising the water level - is the fact that it's a dead end. There are very few true dead ends in Banjo-Kazooie. Almost every room has at least two points of entry, so even as you're exploring this hostile environment of Grunty's Lair, you always know you can escape. But that one room has no other exit. It's just the painting. Not only that but you have to swim through two other rooms to get there. It really feels like you're as deep into Grunty's Lair as you can possibly go, like you went spelunking in a cave and got stuck. And don't even get me started about the secret grated pipe that also leads into that room - still a dead end, but now it's also claustrophobic.

[@ElectricFortune]

Some other unremarkable and/or odd places I can think of off the top of my head: Ticker's Tower in Mumbo's Mountain: This is mostly due to the music, which unlike the rest of the game is a completely separate melody from the main world music. The reason for this is that Mumbo's Mountain initially had a different melody but was changed later in development, and Ticker's Tower is a remix of that original melody. It gives it this out-of-place vibe. The "suspicious doors" of Mad Monster Mansion and Rusty Bucket Bay: specifically the Grunty Gate at the front of MMM and the door out of the harbor in RBB. Both are acting as a barrier to an implied larger world which of course doesn't actually exist. Level boundaries in general are always prime for being odd and unremarkable, but specifically going out of your way to draw attention to the boundary like this really boosts these two examples. Nabnut's attics in Click Clock Wood: Nabnut the Squirrel has two windows located nearby his house that lead to little self-contained rooms with very little in them. One room has an acorn to find for Nabnut in Autumn, and the other room has an Extra Honeycomb in Winter, but other than that they are very barren which really hammers home the "fake space in a warehouse" vibe you were talking about. It's most prevalent if you go back to the acorn room in Winter when there is literally nothing for the player in there (there might be some eggs or feathers or something, but no main collectables). All the Lair Jigsaw Puzzle rooms/areas: similar to the level lobbies as discussed in the video, these areas also change the lair music to match the associated level. What makes these ones feel odd in my opinion is the almost entire lack of any notable collectable or enemy close to these puzzles, so the rooms that contain them are for the singular purpose of housing the puzzle, and after the puzzle is completed they just exist in a static state. Click Clock Wood's puzzle room is particularly odd because you can go there very early in the game, but you can't actually complete the puzzle until hitting a switch near the level entrance itself. This gives the CCW Puzzle room this incomplete vibe, like something has gone wrong and no one bothered to fix it. I could honestly go on and on about other weird areas in this game but I'll leave it there. This game truly does have a lot of love and care put into its design, which just goes to make the more overlooked areas stand out even more as out of place.

[@smurfquake]

This is one of the best comments I've seen on YT all year. Props. The CCW puzzle room is 100% strange and disconnected from everything else.

[@cedarskull]

I always found it so weird how early in the game the player can discover the CCW puzzle mural, I'm so glad you mentioned that. None of the other puzzles take even half the time to complete. It also feels daunting to see how few pieces are up on the mural when in the early game you are used to stumbling upon the puzzles in an almost-completed state. CCW is also my favorite level in Banjo

[@gerardow92]

The ccw puzzleroom wholeheartly agree!!!!! YES

[@nahuelcodesal7252]

Click Clock Wood's puzzle room was my favorite as a child, I wished it was real so I could swim there and chill.

[@davidbarkhausen7739]

I spent so much time trying to reach nabnut's attic in the spring or summer in CCW as a kid! I was convinced that that flight pad under the snarebear on the tree stump in the pond had something to do with breaking the attic window and getting one of those stop n' swop eggs... I don't know how much time I spent trying to find a way to get in there!

[@gavinwightman4038]

I'd love to see unremarkable places in Banjo Tooie, like the canyon to the right of the jinjo village entrance, the ferry line above Witchyworld (skybox+treeline with music cutout), the cove where tiptup laid her egg, the inside of atlantis buildings with the pirates enemies, etc. Great series!

[@zacheray]

Yes Tooie please! It’s an even darker game

[@Toudou1620]

That cove area is one of my favorite place in the game!

[@Dolphins-ov5oe]

@@Toudou1620agreed. The level in general is so beautiful

[@gavinwightman4038]

​@@squamous330holy crap I forgot the stomping plains. What a crazy skybox+atmosphere for such a brief area.

[@kade7xx]

I completely forget about the little canyon area in Jinjo Village. Every time I think about the village that canyon is a grey area, just not there at all. It kind sof freaks me out just thinking about it. I'm not sure why I forget about it.

[@legokingcandy]

the whole banjo kazooie art style always reminded me of those air-brushed indoor playgrounds with those little tree standees, and slides that look like logs. the blurry filtering of the n64 really makes the whole game look airbrushed and artificial almost. there was this local company where I lived that went bankrupt at the start of covid, and they had this indoor amusement park with rides and bounce houses. they also had a tot section with that whole fake outdoors design with like Vikings, pirates, forest animals, etc., and everything was airbrushed. They also had these creepy animals and it reminded me of how Banjo Kazooie looks and feels, also DKC 3 because they have a similar-ish design.

[@donniewalters00]

surreal, dreamlike, and uncanny is how i would describe the feeling of playing early 3d games.

[@Reptonious]

We wore an onion on our belts because that was the style at the time.

[@winterlogical]

You already touched on it in a skybox video - but the top of the lighthouse in Treasure Trove Cove will forever stand out in my gaming memories as an odd place... Perhaps it is "remarkable" since it is an actually useful objective (a jiggy and a grunty switch at the top), and it's a lot of effort to climb all the way up to it. But once you're standing at the top after you get the jiggy, it's wholly unsettling. Going from the whimsical "pirates-life-for-me" vibe to nothing but wind and an empty sky around Banjo; for me it was almost like I detached from the game-world for a moment and had to sit with myself and the funny anthropomorphic bear on screen. It was jarring how existential it felt.

[@MarMaxGaming]

Hardcore, I know what you mean… it is pretty crazy only hearing the wind up there, it makes you stop and think

[@H3Vtux]

One thing that I think contributes to the vibes you're referring to is the weird balance of stillness and movement in this game I remember as a kid noticing that wherever you look the world is extremely static except for one item or enemy's idle animation, such as at 1:47 you can see the Jigsaw piece spinning, but everything else may as well be a painting. 2:08 also looks like a painting, and in fact the walls are literally painted to give the illusion of a background, it almost feels like the moving water is part of a different universe that's colliding with this one.

[@anlev11]

That shiny thing in 1:47 is an extra life

[@megavolnutt4629]

The idea of Banjo's world being crafted like the set of a play is solidified in Nuts n Bolts. In the first level if you fly through the sky, all the way to the top, you hit a ceiling and see all the gears and mechanics that operate the "world".

[@gigastrike2]

The weird thing is that Tooie is less like this.

[@Rislear]

One I always liked doing was getting some big machine stuck in between the huge cogs and they would actually stop moving. It looked very creepy when looked at from far away

[@kade7xx]

I loved that level but the gears always scared me. Always moving, so big even from afar. And I think, I'm not sure, but when you approach them they're so loud the music cuts and all you can hear is the gears turning. And because some were underwater, that level terrified me as a kid. I hated water levels. I've even had dreams reminiscent of that world.

[@IfyourethenIm-sc1vj]

@@gigastrike2That makes sense, since Tooie is the only one where you aren’t really in crafted “worlds”, it’s just the real world that happens to be sectioned off. I love that they made that distinction

[@tmak1313]

Never noticed the fake, painted, manufactured aesthetic of the inside of Grunty's castle before. Very fascinating. They put a ton of work into creating a particular feel! What a great hub world.

[@Pirateyware]

Two of my favorite spaces are the interior of Nipper's shell in Treasure Trove Cove, and the top of the tower in Grunty's Lair. Both of these areas have bits of visible sky (through the cracks in the ceiling in Nipper's shell, out the windows in the tower room), but they are FAKE SKY. Instead of having actual skyboxes, these areas just have a little bit of sky on a flat surface JUST outside each visual opening. Makes them feel extra weird once you're aware of it. Fun fact! Several rooms in Grunty's Lair technically don't have ceilings. The walls fade to black as they approach the top, and what you're seeing above them is simply the black background. I guess they did this to save on polygons. An odd side effect of this is that if you hack flying into these areas, you can fly out of bounds very easily. 5:15 Also, that's a mausoleum! You go inside and there are coffins lining the walls, plus a big one in the center of the room containing the switch you use to raise the water. That Mad Monster Mansion entrance area gives me a weird feeling mostly because it doesn't feel connected to the rest of Grunty's Lair. You turn around and look at where you came in and it's just a little entrance building thing, like you warped to a far off graveyard somewhere, or entered a pocket dimension inside the lair. Which I guess the worlds all kind of are.

[@MiloRaglan]

One of my favorite games of all time. This video made me realize that Banjo-Kazooie is just kind of a series of liminal spaces. Which may explain why I am kind of immune to the liminal space anxiety or fear as an adult. I see liminal spaces and just think "I see nothing wrong here."

[@marzipan__]

I have been wondering why liminal spaces don't affect me much as well. And honestly, I absolutely loved playing Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie when I was a child, so your explanation might have some merit to it. Maybe it's also the other way around, that people who wouldn't be affected by liminal spaces were more drawn to these games.

[@RyuuRider]

I was thinking a similar thing! I also grew up with Banjo Kazooie so this whole video was more like nostalgia ASMR for me. The water droplets, the beehives clacking, the sounds of the game were very pleasant. The only thing this video made me realize was the "warehouse" vibe of them - it never occurred to me!

[@spiralgodking9877]

I fear nothing because the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

[@Lab-Gr0wn-Lambs]

10:59 I just love this little note and I never even really noticed it myself. The further into Grunty's Lair you go the more the facade of Weird Children's Playground falls apart. It turns out you were right to worry about the slightly creepy vibe you got from those initial places as everything slowly becomes more and more threatening with the lava and giant flooded caves and cobwebs and monsters.

[@toothbrush64]

Grunty's Lair is a space of mashed together vignettes, one after another, that make little physical or designer sense. It's almost dreamlike. I spent a lot of time as a kid just walking around in there rather than "playing" the game. This episode hit hard for me

[@Giga_7K]

It's definitely not unremarkable, but Sharkfood Island in Treasure Trove Cove when it's still sunken is like one of those weird places in games that every kid thought held some sort of mysterious secret, except it actually turned out to be true and absolutely was home to a mysterious secret. And all that Stop 'n' Swop stuff kind of gives every other weird little space in this game that much more of a vibe.

[@TheLastComa]

Yeah it adds this weird, eternal schoolyard rumor, kinda vibe. Pre-looking shit up era feelz.

[@davidbarkhausen7739]

I think that's why people still remember these games today... Because they spent so much trying to find things that may or may not have been there...

[@davidbarkhausen7739]

maybe that's why we are still looking up this stuff today... Because subconsciously we're still trying to find closure over those unresolved rumors.

[@6O8gamer07]

I always felt the area inside nippers shell in treasure trove cove was an odd place. Being big in a little space again. Definitely think that should be included.

[@ethanandmackthedreamteam417]

This video does remind me of a dream I had a while ago. It was basically about Banjo-Threeie, but it felt like an uncanny and almost evil version of a Banjo-Kazooie game. There was one world where the entire premise was just flooding this giant shipping container full of rusty beams and wires. Another level was this unsettling, empty grassland. The entire main home world was like a museum, where Banjo and Kazooie would have to go through multiple holes and pipes to reach everywhere, but the entire game felt really lonely. There was one ice level where Banjo and Kazooie were split apart for the entire thing. No other characters appeared in the game.

[@msgameandcake628]

Clearly, the game was evil because it was the game Grunty threatened to make at the end of Nuts N Bolts.

[@seth8858]

I want to play this game

[@zackarvon1885]

Maybe its just me, but was anyone else surprised to notice the torches stay lit underwater at 10:14? I've seen this room a hundred times and never noticed before.

[@brettczarnecki9489]

The comparison to the themed indoor play areas really hit the nail on the head. Something about the twice removed nature of being an artificial recreation of an artificial recreation makes it feel so odd in such an interesting way

[@Atomhaz]

I always feel like someone is watching me when I play banjo or mario64 and I just have to accept it so I can enjoy the game.

[@CrazyRiverOtter]

That'e actually somewhat intentional. Banjo-Kazooie has you constantly spied on by Grunty, and all of Mario 64 is being livestreamed by the Lakitu Bros.

[@dylancreighton4276]

This series scratches an itch that almost nothing else does. It’s almost like ASMR but not quite? Idk it’s awesome and I can’t get enough

[@preliminarypetrichor]

The room at the top of the tree in click clock wood is one of the weirdest places I've ever been. I can't say I'm surprised it wasn't in the video though because it is quite the chore to get up there. I only got up there one time as a kid, which certainly adds to the mysticism.

[@Toudou1620]

Definitely one of the hardest place to reach in the game. It would be so cozy if it wasn't for the tentacles...

[@davidbarkhausen7739]

Try nabnut's storage room... which of course has water...

[@TheLocalForecast]

Thank you for addressing Banjo Kazooies eerieness because I've felt that way about Rare's platformers since a kid. Something about the "womp womp"ing soundtrack too just feels strange but they're great games, just somethings weird.

[@riccaby]

I was definitely waiting for that last one, the Mad Monster Mansion puzzle room, because it always unsettled me, too, how you flood it and can never “unflood” it and explore it again like you did when you first found it. Another unremarkable and odd place that jumps out to me that you didn’t mention is the small room with the honeycomb piece in Rusty Bucket Bay. You have to swim through the oily water to get to it, so in addition to being kind of stressful to even get to, it has this weird vibe of “Why is there a room here? How are the dock workers supposed to access this room normally?” There’s also a flight pad in it, which you technically need to get the honeycomb piece, but it just feels weird, like the room is way too small to let you fly around in there when you can’t even fly in the main open part of Rusty Bucket Bay. And lastly, like I said, you have to swim through the oily water to reach it, but the water that’s inside the room is clear. But it still has the air-draining properties of the oily water, so there’s this weird and kinda terrifying disconnect of swimming in what looks like clear, clean water, but still not being able to breathe in it. In a level that’s already full of weird and wonderful little rooms for you to discover and spend 45 seconds in, that one in particular with the honeycomb piece always just stuck out to me as having really weird vibes. Unremarkable and odd, for sure.

[@-liomus-8197]

that whole level is SOOO offputting and terrifying to me, largely because of the difficulty but something about the unfriendly theme too (like compared to click clock wood for instance which allegedly should be harder as the final normal level). also part of it is the offputting entrance room to it which is weird on its own, but also when i first saw it thought was some kind of leprechaun themed level (i have No idea) and was really offput when i found it to be totally different than that.

[@ridethelapras]

10:32 Remember, StalacTITES have to hold on TIGHT to stay on the ceiling, and stalagMITES MIGHT grow up and touch the roof.

[@michellek7923]

stalaCtites Ceiling, stalaGmites Ground

[@RedYDG]

Nobody ever really thinks about it, but in most games there's no music from the character's point of view. Like Mario is running down a silent hallway and just decides to listen to his WAHOO echo into the void.

[@PhantomV13]

A remake would capitalize on those lair elements really well. Imagine paint and felt textures, plastic sheen, weathered wood. It contrasts well with the actual levels, makes the transition from the lair exciting as you find yourself in a sunny beach, winter wonderland etc. Kinda looks like Grunty grew up there and made herself a creepy DIY clubhouse. Also, I might have had that exact ship at 0:06. I certainly had one of those cannons.

[@Ares_gaming_117]

I think these videos, and this channel is really really important. Not to sound snobby but not enough people talk about aesthetics like this or even aesthetics at all, period. Thank you for these!

[@sault.baggins9023]

#1 game of my childhood. Thank you, Austin. You’re a hero.

[@JasmineTea127]

I loved how creepy it got without music. I love your way of viewing things and your perspective. I don't appreciate different perspectives or the little things enough. I take daily reality for granted, miss details and don't explore the world to it's proper potential. I suppose ways of interpreting the world are part of the beauty of being alive. We're alive for such a brief time, are so wrapped up and busy in our own ways of viewing and lives, but there's little blessings everywhere. Interesting things that can enrich our experience. This type of appreciation is true romanticism by embracing and considered what's there. The little comments you make like the later levels feeling 'farther than home' also really capture the little thoughts and feelings I got as a child playing back then.

[@BynineStudio]

my favorite weird little place in BK is the room underneath the entrance to clanker's cavern, that you enter via a pipe. it's totally optional to enter which makes it feel even more mysterious and something about the small mossy cavern full of fog with pipes leading to nowhere is very evocative

[@--_--_--_--_]

pretty much all of this game always made me feel weird. its a really mysterious atmosphere but also very claustrophobic

[@GJERocks]

This is probably going to be one of my favorites of this series, keep it up!

[@DarkAmps]

YES! I've always thought Banjo Kazooie was the epitome of liminal, dream-like video games. I totally agree the N64 graphics and music give it that fake indoor play place vibe. The emptiness of some of those places I think adds to the creepiness. I often think of how odd the hub room in click clock woods feels to me. The vibes are unmatched.

[@zefile]

stop asking for my permission to take me on a tour. kidnap me. force me to see the unremarkable and odd places. do it.

[@zacheray]

This is one of those games 25 years later, I still have a perfect memory of the areas and maps.. I just loved it that much and still do. Thank you for doing this, really good picks

[@kidsamsa]

I really love your way of delivering these videos. So many liminal space videos feel the need to really push the creepiness, but you let the visuals and your appreciation for the art speak for itself.

[@Liboo52]

3:46 when he said, “so here’s the last thing I wanna show you quick,” I was so afraid the video was ending. Very relieved when I saw how much there was left

[@timhutchinson8485]

I never really thought about the 'derelict indoor playground' vibes of this game, but now that you mention it, it makes so much sense.

[@Brooktree131]

I love the nostalgia that these videos bring, thanks again for making videos like this!

[@Punkqurupeco]

Clanker's cavern has a lot of creepy spaces, if you take the wrong tube and end up in just a random yellow one that only contains a blue egg or something and a dead end and if you stay there to analyze the space it really hits home the creepy vibes.

[@Crenga]

love this as always. 5:40 feels like one of those open top gravitron rides stripped down and painted over

[@DagothXil]

I felt like I was spending the whole video waiting for you to say miniature golf course. Especially looking at the treasure trove cove entrance - _huge_ minigolf vibes

[@elfieharper]

holy hell this game without music is so uncanny. Takes me back to the time when i was taken to odyssey fun world like super early on a weekday. It was basically abandoned by that point (it shut down less than a year later) and the speakers didn't work--it was so eerie in there

[@ScarfKat]

goodness the moment you turned off the music was fricking AMAZING lol. the sound design in this game is incredible. definitely gonna run around these spaces again with the music off now

[@techwiz81]

That picture of the fisher price pirate ship just unlocked a core memory

[@AgedBlaine0]

I love these videos. I don't exactly feel the same way about weird spaces as you do, but I can tell with the desperate searching for words that aren't there that you are really affected by them. It's a window into a very genuine experience that I haven't had.

[@GLVMR64]

To me, SM64 is liminal, and Banjo is weirdcore but i never could explain that feeling without this channel, thats why I love it

[@MoonMan1267]

Great video. Banjo is a game I never really thought of, but looking back now it is definitely a placeholder in the odd and unremarkable (and unsettling) world.

[@okami220]

this is definitely gonna need a part 2, dont even get me started on clanker's cavern

[@simonthomas5113]

I always marvel at the inside of Naughty Nipper's shell in the Treasure Trove Cove level. You only visit it once to collect a jiggy and maybe return to collect some notes to get to 100, but it just so beautifully rendered.

[@NickBaysingar]

Banjo-Tooie also definitely had a lot of these vibes. The overworld being mostly outdoors might not lend itself to the whole liminal aesthetic, but I personally found some of the levels in it to be much weirder than any of the levels in the first game.

[@yomilemondragon1721]

THANK you for touching on how terrifying this game was. I've never been able to put my finger on it but comparing it to mascot horror absolutely hits the nail on the head. Banjo-Tooie actually cranked the horror factor up to 11 imo, Witchyworld is the most terrifying location in any video game ever and I will die on that hill. The music gives me chills to this day.

[@Levacque]

The creepiest thing about Witchyworld is that all the employees are in on the con. They imprison sentient beings in the freak show, sell tainted food, and trick you into fighting Mr Patch. Conga runs away as fast as he can once you enter the big top. Visitors to Witchyworld, at best, end up beaten and bloody.

[@islaamNogood]

Peace be upon you folks! I give this video the "GUH-HUH" Thumbs up of Approval. :D Also I absolutely LOVE when there's an option to turn off music but leave on sound effects and voice acting in a game. Not only does it make editing easier, it also really makes the scene feel more "real" I guess, because chances are Mario or Banjo or Samus aren't hearing the gorgeous tunes we as the player are hearing. It's probably just an uncomfortably loud silence, although Banjo has the luxury of being with Kazooie, so I like to imagine they're just bantering instead of being alone in their thoughts like other characters are. Also, I'm all for seeing a Unremarkable and Odd places in Rayman 2: The Great Escape! :] Have a good day everyone and godbless

[@blueangel1579]

Clanker Grunty’s garbage disposal was the scariest thing I had ever seen as a child.

[@hannahschmitt8442]

I’m about to go full ramble, so apologies preemptively. Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie were two games that as a kid I would comb through every detail extensively, so again these kinds of videos take me back to being that age and noticing the strangeness of these video game spaces. There are so many strange places in this game and it doesn’t really click with you until you take a minute and really look at them. Once you turned off the music of the game, the full blown creepiness really set in for me. Would love to see the strange places in Tooie, especially Witchy World. Love this video, good work ,keep it up Austin proud to say that I’ve been following you since 2013.

[@any_austin]

I think I remember you Hannah Schmitt thank you for sticking around

[@hannahschmitt8442]

Anytime Austin, once an egg buster, always an egg buster. I have a cool shirt that say so 🥚 💜

[@maagnuuus]

In the first room of Click Clock Wood; as a bee, you can fly up and land on the branches that were sticking out of the walls. I always found those branches fascinating and creepy just to sit up there, as a bee, and look down on the entrances. It feels like a perfect spot to spy on someone, without being noticed. Also the little hole, high up on the wall, in front of the entrance to Freezeezy Peak was kind of interesting as a kid, because you needed to fly to get up there. I was hoping that there would be extra notes up there, cause I was always missing a few :P

[@WHErwin]

I remember spending a lot of time just staring at the moon in the Mad Monster Mansion lobby area. I love that room, there's just something mesmerizing about it.

[@tassaron]

"before Banjo drowns" immediately made me want to rewatch your two "how long does it take them to drown" videos. You always have such memorable video ideas

[@GraniteStateVictoria]

You forgot the most terrifying part of the game, the deep underwater part of Clanker's Cavern, that music still creeps me out as a 27-year old grown adult woman. It's unremarkable and odd fitting the theme because you only go there to free Clanker, but that music.......there was no reason for it to be so scary in a kids game.

[@User-17429]

Clankers Cavern ahh place

[@Unknown-ie7pj]

Clanker himself is scary in my opinion. Especially the first time you see him where he stares at you with his blank eyes and opens his mouth really wide.

[@inertiaarch3798]

@@Unknown-ie7pjyeah bruh, I wasn’t ready for that as a kid 😂 lowkey a jump scare.

[@Zeldarulah]

YESS! YESSS!!! THANK YOU AUSTIN YESSS!!!

[@MetaphoricTechnique]

I feel like you have been putting out more videos recently, it's always a joy to see a new video from Any Austin, especially one about my favorite game!

[@any_austin]

Every Monday is the goal thank you for noticing

[@WindmageZyphos]

Great video. These types of areas are what make exploring in games worth it. Also, next time I play through this game, I’m playing it with the music off.

[@HahnKirby]

6:21 No, I think the mysticism is actually gone now thanks to people fully datamining all of a game's secrets very shortly after release and then uploading it all on the internet for anyone to see.

[@any_austin]

Ywa

[@any_austin]

Yea

[@weirdosheep619]

this video made me realize i DID actually have the mario 64 recurring dreams, but from banjo-kazooie instead. especially that big, echo-y, jade room with the pipes and the deep water. clanker's didn't bother me much, but something about swimming in that room to get to the rusty bucket bay portrait gave me the willies.

[@gigastrike2]

Gosh. I never thought about it, but that's exactly the aesthetic that Grunty's Lair is going for.

[@the_real_Kurt_Yarish]

"Banjo Drowns" has got to be in my Top 5 favourite creepypastas

[@cikame]

I don't know whether it's the scan lines in this video or not kinda messing with my head, but this game looks f***ing incredible.

[@torchilicho]

This is amazing! I love banjo-kazooie and liminal spaces so i really appreciate this! I’ve always had the feelings of this as a kid and i loved it so i love you expanding on it and acknowledging it in general. Amazing video!

[@blakeingle8922]

This is my favorite video in this series so far. Banjo is actually terrifying without the music.

[@OfficialJoeyC]

god, i love this so much. Austin is amazing

[@xiaominy]

Found your channel through a tumblr post that kinda blew up around your Unemployment series and I feel like I’ve discovered a precious hidden gem. I love finding people who appreciate video games deeply (but also don’t take themselves too seriously). Really really love the Odd and Unremarkable series! I’ve even been rewatching them multiple times the past week. Please keep the videos coming! Great work seriously. :)

[@shibersdad5920]

In Banjo Tooie Witchyworld always gave me odd vibes but it was my favourite level because of the theme park aesthetic

[@larrythelatypus]

Clankers not being in this video is crazy, theres a giant metallic shark and you go inside it and there's fleshy walls, swimming down the chain to free him is absolutely horrifying. i also think some of the other giant animals are terrifying, like the alligator in BGS or the octopus in Atlantis you have to swim past in Tooie the scariest and most unsettling room to me is the room where you fight Weldar in Banjo Tooie, there's something about the largeness and depth of the room that scares me. it's mostly empty too, which also freaks me out for a reason I cannot place

[@Levacque]

Like.. what is Weldar repairing that could possibly need a hangar-sized workshop??

[@Toudou1620]

Some of my favorite obscure places from the game were: - The puzzle room for Click Clock Wood, I've spent to much time trying to figure out why I couldn't fill it! - The bedroom in Mad Monster's Mansion with the big treasure chests that were rumored to be tied to the Stop n swop a long time ago - Inside the Christmas tree, I just loved seeing the decorations through the spines and wished I could jump through them I love this serie so much! I was so obsessed with Banjo as a kid I made this KZbin account 16 years ago just so I could subscribe to Banjo Kazooie content and upload my findings!

[@Atomhaz]

The drops are most likely sync’d. Grant Kirkhope did the music and it’s full of these kinds of things. Like how the music changes when banjo is underwater. Ambient masterpiece.

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

Gamma rays absolutely made this video mate. More of that please.

[@Fullkornen]

Please keep on making these videos forever. I live for this stuff.

[@IBiel73I]

4:39 Dude. I can't believe how scary or odd this game is without the music. What the fuck

[@Londe_e]

I like the CRT effect because it makes the game look a bit more how it was originally intended to. Kinda like how Super Mario RPG sprites look better on a CRT screen all blurred together

[@mooninites3]

Lol, the torches still lit underwater

[@Shirayuuki1]

i love the Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood vibes that these videos give me. like the little calm transitions with the music and the calm voiceover...*chef's kiss*

[@alecpalmer1538]

The "creepy Source Engine game" comment is extremely accurate.

[@KrisMcCauley]

haven't watched this yet but know its about to be an absolute banger

[@Lilly_Belle]

Keep making these videos, Austin! I can't get enough!! ❤❤

[@TikiShades]

Unless I missed it, you didn't even mention how the cave walls are made out of eyes and screaming mouths. Freaked me out as a kid, like I was always being watched and laughed at by shadows

[@sabrinam.8006]

"Warehouse" bro... We're in a literal cave

[@superstarric6003]

Such a great entry in this series. Praying for a Tooie odd and unremarkable places.

[@unmeltabledjdkrnrjdjsnd9317]

I don't think I ever knew the Mad Monster Mansion painting room got flooded. Shoutouts to Grunty's Furnace Fun being another weird room, specifically after you beat it, and everything is just gone. You ever knew if you looked up in that room, you can see a big audience of enemies?

[@HahnKirby]

Favorite video game of all time! Had no Idea that the water drops actually matched with the sound. XD

[@zachholloway33]

that fisher price ship just hit me so hard wow

[@josebarajas713]

whole n64/early 3d era of gaming was pretty liminal especially when you turn off the music for a lot of games

[@KB-er8bm]

Having recently played most of BK, I'm a bit surprised the starting area INSIDE Click Clock Woods wasn't mentioned! The room you spawn into, the one that has the four entrances to the different seasons, was one of those places where I just HAD to stop completely and take it in. If Banjo elicits that artificial indoor space feel a lot, that room particularly nailed it; I suppose because of how it's just one room of four similar but differently themed quadrants

[@typ0z]

One of my favorite unusual spaces in BK has always been the graveyard in Mad Monster Mansion. When you enter it, the music suddenly and abruptly stops. Instead, you hear the howling of the wind, followed by what sounds like a theremin and church bells on a cheap and cheesy halloween background music cassette tape. This video was the first time someone gave words to that feeling; it feels fake, plasticky, but also weird and fun. Like the whole game is taking place in a silly funhouse, but there’s also this sense of real danger lurking in the background. Similarly, when you’re really high up in some areas, the music stops and you only hear the howling of the wind. It’s like a reminder that you’ve strayed too far from the funhouse; you’re breaking through the illusion.