Banjo Kazooie's Skyboxes
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ค. 2024
- #banjokazooie #skybox #anyaustin #unremarkable #liminalspace #gaming #n64
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B A N J O
is V I S I T I N G
R U S T Y B U C K E T B A Y
Don’t hate me for trying new titles and thumbnails it’s the same content I just want more people to see it.
www.patreon.com/any_austin
Hell yeah do whatever works and gets more views man, I love all your content regardless of titles.
Hi Auston
the map in the captain's quarters of RBB is of treasure trove cove
@@pirate4460 oh dang this throws a real spanner in the works
Honestly? It worked on me.
"Banjo has an obsession with decay and suffering" I don't think that's deliberate commentary though, I think that's just what living in Britain is like
100%
For 24 years I thought that Bubblegloop Swamp felt like it was in doors and you finally made me realize why I feel that way. Thank you
It reminds me of one of those themed indoor mini golf places.
Also the entrance is in a building
I’ve always felt that way too but couldn’t say why omg
It's like the sound stages they filmed the swamp sections of Empire Strikes Back in.
Not only did i too think this was the case for about 20 years, i didnt even _knew_ that i knew it! Such a weird and amazing shared feeling
Guys this is absolutely mindblowing. I think banjo is visiting rusty bucket bay
Almost as crazy as "it floats down"
@@FumblingBoolI just got it !!! i loled preety hard
I think the “black fading ceiling” skybox (or lack thereof), makes us feel like the area we’re in extends so far up that we can’t see the surface.
Like a tall tower or the trees surrounding us are so tall that the forest/swamp is swallowing us. We naturally look for openings in our surroundings and when we can’t find one it makes us feel claustrophobic and enclosed.
This is also a good perspective on it
The blackness just looks like a black ceiling, can't unsee.
I always interpreted it as either nighttime or just such dense foliage above that light doesn't penetrate through
I noticed that black ceilings are common in Tomb Raider. Most of the time, Lara is, well, raiding a tomb, so the lack of light makes sense, and the t-rex fight could have happened at night.
There was a theory many moons ago about that gate in Rusty Bucket Bay. The asset is reused in Banjo Tooie just outside the Grunty Industries building, so people thought that it would open with Stop N' Swop and you could travel between the two pollution themed worlds.
That obviously didn't eventuate, but it still makes the "BANJO IS VISITING RUSTY BUCKET BAY" thing ring a little more true, especially when you learn that Banjo Tooie's worlds are all physical places on an island viewable from Cloud Cuckoo Land.
The Mad Monster Mansion skybox viewed from the top of the church makes me feel a way I can't even articulate. The foggy, yellow moon. The cemetery. That feeling of haunting mystery.
But then again, I grew up with a mom that loves Tim Burton and Halloween, so that kind of aesthetic is very emotionally resonant with me.
Always fascinating to see how our life experiences shape our perspective on things
It's kind of subtle but the way Mad Monster Mansion's pale yellow moonlight fades into dark blue on its way towards black is a really beautiful gradient to me. The deep darkness of the moon's seas and the "noisiness" of the clouds (as in, the stark contrast between light and dark areas) also give the sky a kind of haunting quality, especially with the cognitive dissonance of the clouds passing behind the moon. The halloween level standard creepy trees also add a lot of visual noise, maybe they push it over the top for somebody who isn't as much of a goth freak as me, but I love this skybox because it has such an edge to it.
Most of the skyboxes in this game shoot for simple beauty and the rough edges like ugly-ass clouds are what give them character, but MMM is all rough edges and uncanniness with just a little bit of whimsy shining through. Like a good horror movie!
This is poetry. Perfect description.
12:42 Click Clock Wood has those big trees along the skybox. Those trees actually look like they are the same species than the big tree Banjo is climbing. This implies that it isn't a level contained in itself like the others, it is part of a forest. Banjo is visiting Click Clock Wood
Again dk64... underappreciated for this stuff. That game took atmosphere and stuff like this that's already good in Banjo and just amplified it even more. You can like smell and feel how humid the places are in that game it's that good.
I've also been requesting it in all these videos. It's definitely more of a wall box though. The sky always either ascends up into fogginess or just extends forever in a color gradient. The only thing actually in the sky that I know of is the moon in Creepy Castle and I think also in Fungi Forest.
4:05 Austin's dry delivery on these kinds of jokes never fails to put me in stiches. Reminds me a lot of flight of the Conchords
I was looking for smn else who appreciated this joke lmao
I love the unique way you interpret details, even after playing this game since i was a kid i never realized the way a Skybox can change an atmosphere, it would be cool if you did Banjo-Tooie as well!
You make mundanity entertaining. I love this channel.
Same
This is the channel.
You nailed it when you pointed out that the lack of a skybox, especially in bubblegloop swamp, gives the impression that Banjo is exploring a diorama in the castle rather than visiting other worlds. I'm not sure how intentional this was by the devs, but it really does leave a massively different impression than other 3D platformers, even just subconsciously
so happy to see someone else who prefers sunrises to sunsets. the pale blues and yellows give me such a happiness i can't describe very well
I’ve never even thought about this but I have almost no idea what a sunrise even looks like. How are y’all up at 6 am and happy about it lmao. The few I can even think of are mornings I was up all night
@@monhi64 i don't really do it as much anymore but when i was a child on summer break i would try to wake up as often as possible to watch the sunrise. it made me so happy to just sit outside in my patio nearly every morning and feel peace.
An excellent man once said "Every episode is someone's first episode", I dare say you've stayed true to that to till this day.
Banjo Kazooie is a musical. All the levels are like stages with tall curtains. Considering you collect music notes makes sense
I absolutely adore this channel, your humor, and the love you have for these older games and niche categories! Super soothing and fun after a long day. Keep up the amazing work!
Austin needs an appreciation month.
That's a great point about Rusty Bucket Bay since it always felt more real than many of the other levels. I hope you do Banjo-Tooie someday since I've been obsessed with the skybox in Grunty Industries since I was a child for a very similar reason.
The lobby of Mad Monster Mansion out in Gruntilda's Lair features a very nice, slowly rotating skybox. I spent a long time watching the moon along its path.
When he said there was one more skybox at the end of the video that's instantly what I thought of because I loved that it was just one random exit to Gruntilda's lair that was suddenly a spooky graveyard at nighttime while it's daytime in the spiral mountain exit to Gruntilda's lair
*first eight seconds in * I've never had such a strong emotional connection with what someone has said before
Once again your unique approach to gaming has created entertainment where no one thought it would be. I can't remember the last time I truly paid attention to the theming of a game
Really sent me galaxy braining with your description of the levels as "diorama-like." The game is already so postmodern (lots of references to cliches and expectations of structure and narrative and character, direct references in-dialogue to the actual mechanics of the game [hints of the way more hyper self-aware Conker's Bad Fur Day?]) so it makes sense to think of all of it, its settings, its characters, its collectibles especially, as abstractions. You're collecting the literal constitutive parts of the levels you're going to "put together" like a puzzle and then gain access to. What a weird game. What a weird company!
Yes! I've been waiting so long for an episode on Banjo! I hope you consider doing the Sonic Adventure games soon!
There's alot to look out for in them, specially SA 1.
old games are comforting because they're unchanging worlds that aren't affected by time. places that you can completely know everything about and come back to and they'll still be the same thing that they were. skyboxes are such passive pleasant depictions of atmosphere that can't be changed or interacted with. comforting / cool pastoral representations of the vibe of a level at its most fundamental
The fall skybox for click-clock-wood made me feel the same way you did with frosty peak. the combination of the trees and orange sky that reminds me of a setting sun, and just how tall up you could get just did it for me. it felt like a long stretch of deep forest for kid me back in like, 2003 or so.
glad u mentioned the moon in the castle at the entrance to mad monster mansion. i cant ever seem to find it when i searched way back when, but i was always told (by my older sister) that if you stared at the moon long enough it would chase you through the castle. it gave me a weird sense of wonder mixed with fear.
this whole video was so nice, it reminded me of a lot of fun times i had as a kid playing games with my sisters. we'd always take turns playing and watching each other, handing the controller off if we died or got stuck somewhere. Thank you for this. :)
I remember as a kid being deeply impacted by the skyboxes in the first two Spyro games. It felt like every level had its own unique sky. It would be fun to hear your take on it someday.
"Those *banjo guhuh noise" clouds" had me
Idk why but watching these vids and listening to your commentary makes me forget about life for just the moment and it’s such a nice feeling tbh
I always thought it was interesting in FFXII how the first area outside the first city was a desert and not "grassy plains".
oh i love how you talk about how the levels feel a bit like a play! i totally agree, gruntilda's lair especially feels like that. clouds painted on the walls of treasure trove cove lol
I always felt like Bubblegloop Swamp *did* feel outside, but it felt like it was like such a deep swamp covered in so many huge foreboding trees and vines that the sky isn't even visible and shrouds it in darkness.
Also, seeing you doing Banjo content really brings me back to like 2015 (maybe earlier?) when I remember you let's playing it with your friend
I only discovered your channel yesterday, but I love it. You excel at making the inconsequential interesting, whether you want to or not.
It’s definitely special!
2:05 it's because it makes the player feel secure during tutorial areas, blue skies and green pastures in theory feel familiar, therefore calming and safe to a lot of people
I didn't expect to sit through a 15 minute video on Banjo Kazooie skyboxes yet...
Rusty Bucket Bay actually holds up really well compared to a lot of locations. The skybox DOES help a lot in bringing the atmosphere together, since it all feels like it's lit with the same ambience.
It also reminds me a bit of the skybox in MGS2 when you're at the bottom of Big Shell helping emma cross the struts. Very scenic.
You know what old game has fantastic skyboxes? Morrowind. Just gorgeous skies.
Freezeey Peak is one of the few levels in videogames where the skybox elevates it, and just in time for the holidays!
These sky box videos always help me fall asleep. Also I've got to say I've been listening to your one song "Nobody noticed" on repeat since I heard it in your unemployment rate video for majora's mask.
The skybox videos are very intentionally made to be fallen asleep to. Thank you very much.
i feel the exact same way about most banjo kazooie levels seeming like they are artificial sets made by gruntilda, and i'm obsessed with that feeling! that sort of weird, almost real but not quite sensation. but i had no idea that this was because of the skyboxes but now that you've pointed it out it all makes so much sense, what an incredible revelation! amazing video as always austin, i absolutely love this series and the unremarkable places and unemployment surveys as well
10:15 Not just England, but Twycross, England, a small village where most of the early Rare games were developed (in barns) :)
It took me until now to realise that the moon actually shines light on the clouds in Mad Monster Mansion.
Also, Mumbo's Mountain's skybox always made me feel uncomfortable because you could see the endless green plains that surround the level.
I've been waiting for this! Thank you. Goby's Valley, Mad Monster Mansion, and Freezeezy Peak were my favourites when I was a kid.
Every now and then I make a pilgrimage to your channel. But I haven't in a few years and just noticed the name change. Glad to see you're still kicking it and still have that dry humor
I’m so glad you’re still making videos Austin! It’s crazy I’ve been watching since I was like 11 or 12. I’ve always loved the weird sort of philosophical tangents you would go on in eggbusters episodes and I feel your latest content channels that vibe a lot. Also thanks for putting me on to that spacey orb game exo one because I play it all the time when I’m tryna chill and vibe out
3:43-3:54 I've never noticed the lack of a sun in a skybox before but now that you pointed it out my mind is blown. That empty blue sky hits way dif
I just want to say thank you for that tangent at 11:34, I feel the exact same way about those "negative aura, supernatural video game" videos.
You unintentionally made me realize that in all my days I have never seen a games skybox have a moon during the day (except games set on other planets who might have all sorts of sky oddities like planets/moons) It’s super common in real life but we all just kind of ignore it cuz it’s harder to see and doesn’t really fit the vibe. If anyone knows a game set on earth that has a realistic moon in the sky mid day lmk because now I’m curious
(AWW man Austin liked my comment but it made me see a grammar mistake that I edited and now it’s gone 😂😭 I can see why it does that though, I’ve learned my lesson)
NOOO! I loved the windows in Grunty's tower as a kid. You've just casually destroyed a piece of my childhood.
That's still my favorite room in the whole game tho.
This video is great, really explains why some of these levels have that oddly contained feel. I hope you keep making videos like these!
Interesting video. I enjoyed the whole thing in its entirety. The detail, humor, information lovingly put into the game and this analysis of the skyboxes. It makes you think and appreciate just how much love Rare puts into their games. But most importantly, i learned that Banjo is visiting Rusty Bucket Bay.
So excited to watch your channel grow Austin you make the kinda niche gaming stuff TH-cam needs it’s so good
The skybox of the swamp level in Spyro A Hero's Tail is one of the most beautiful sky boxes I remember seeing while growing up. 🥺
Starting off with a blue sky gives you a starting point and subliminal "goal" to work your way back toward. As things get more dangerous and enemies get tougher, you yearn for Level 1-1 where things were sunny and bright.
I used to watch you watch back when you did your egg buster series and I had no idea you were doing these skybox appreciation videos. Very happy to find this series and I also had no idea you made music! Very pleased to discover that too.
Thank you so much for doing this one! I've been waiting for it.
I’ve been waiting for this one and it didn’t disappoint!
Banjo Kazooie was a formative game for me for sure, so I have feelings for those skyboxes
Loooved this! Always look forward to these!
and sweet my fave song of yours at the end too :D
I will always appreciate Banjo + Kazooie content. One of the best n64 games by far. This was my childhood. *screams in ‘92*
awesome video! i love these kinds of videos about game atmosphere and that kind of thing. i think treasure trove cove feels slightly more ''real'' than some of the other worlds due to the fact that it could just be an island in the middle of the ocean, the only thing holding it back is the invisible wall making it feel more enclosed
I know what a Josh-darned skybox is Austin, come on!
Omg favorite game
Favorite creator
Favorite series
I have been waiting for Banjo Kazooie skyboxes. This game and Banjo Twooie hold a special place in my heart. As a small child I remember spending hours exploring every nook and cranny of those games. One of my favorite moments with the skyboxes in these games is flying as high as I could go and hearing the music still as all you can hear is the wind in your ears. Love the series so much, keep at it Austin love seeing you in my subs.
"The stars are projectors, yeah, projecting our lives down to this planet earth."
I love your takes on these things, and how you describe them. I'm glad you can put these feelings into words, many feelings that I have had myself but have never had the brain to describe like you do. The skyboxes in this game are definitely surreal and uncanny at times, and they work for what theyre meant to do.
If you'd like a suggestion for another Rareware game to look at the skyboxes for, I'd suggest Jet Force Gemini
Wow. I've been playing this game since I was 12 when it came out. I never thought to even think to look at the sky and about how the worlds are like a mureal or vinette themed. This has always been one of my favorite games ever! I love your channel and content man - coming from a pretty new subscriber.
Some of your best work! A sequel furthering your analysis into indoor vs outdoor in Banjo Tooie would be great
Banjo Kazooie is one of my favorite games. Been waiting for this one, a huge fan of the artistic style of the game.
If I had this game as a kid, I would have spent years trying to glitch past that big door in Rusty Bucket Bay, thinking I could explore the whole planet. I basically thought games were other dimensions.
something you didn't mention is how the outer geometry fades seamlessly into the skybox, a thing i've never seen from another N64 game. notice the outermost hills of spiral mountain. even when the ceiling is pure black, the walls fade into the black in a natural-feeling way
Wow just yesterday i was scrolling through your videos and was shocked there werent any banjo kazooie odd and unremarkable video but this was like a prophetic vision for me
Yes! Thank you for spending the time to make this!
Love the new editing style!!! I like the usual off-scripted style, but this more structured approach feels really good too. Also idk why but the subtle music in the background adds a lot of depth.
What is the song that plays in the background? I recognize it...
I love your videos. Your appreciation for the unseen makes me look at things with more attention
These unique videos are why I'm subscribed. Really enjoying the odd places videos as well.
I like how the moon in Freezeasy Peak and Mad Monster Mansion is different. The MMM one has like creepy man in the moon look.
No one else does this like you that I've seen. Thanks for the awesome content man keep up the good work!
Loved it!
philosophical revision of our favourite games. Specially the way you remember and feel them!
Dude please keep doing these❤ they are so relatable and are important to our nostalgia and understanding of our childhood
So a literary reason for starting in the green field areas is actually tied to the origin of the 'farm boy' trope which is a subsection of the Hero's Journey. You are presented with a nice, pleasant, safe space that is uncorrupted and easily identifiable as calm and homely and as the game or media progresses the environments become increasingly hostile and alien. By introducing us to a game in the green, pleasant spaces, to use your own example, Twilight Princess, the game allows us to bond with the 'home' of the characters and become accustomed briefly to the peace and status-quo of life for these characters. By making these environments increasingly alien we make the player long for a return to home in their subconscious, which is why often starting areas like Ordon Villiage or Besaid Island or Green Hill Zone feel so nostalgic.
Hope that helps.
Banjo-Kazooie really did have that sense of "attitude" without being too edgy, rude, or zany. It was the perfect balance. Really felt like the devs didn't want to insult me, the player.
Anyway, yeah. RBB is a vibe and a half. It almost feels more like something from GoldenEye than a game like Banjo-Kazooie, and I love that about it.
At 15:00 “you can fall asleep to them they’re really good for that” I legit felt that cause that’s what I’m doing 😂
Great video! Two points that I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention though:
1) I totally agree that RBB gives you a sense of "connectedness" with the outside world via its skybox and door. You mentioned the maps you can find inside the ship, but the one on the wall is actually a map of Treasure Trove Cove if you look closely. So I think that also lends a sense of connection to that level as well, a la Mario Sunshine and its connected levels.
2) There is another skybox outside the entrance to Mad Monster Mansion within the graveyard section of Gruntilda's Lair. It is noticeably different (and IMO better) than the one inside MMM. There is a big moon texture with eerie clouds around it that scrolls across the skybox, and when you pay attention it becomes very obvious that it is in fact a big scrolling "sheet" of a texture which gives it this really weird vibe. Would definitely recommend checking that out.
Really appreciate the thought and reflection that goes into conveying your feelings about skyboxes
I make it all up on the spot
@@any_austin Extemporaneous thoughts are the way to go, keep it up egg boss
the hub for Click Clock Wood, of course. I loved hanging out on the tree branches as a bee under the gray clouds
I may be a tiny, chilly particle of irrelevance underneath the Freezeezy Peak snowman underneath the uncaring endless expanse of stars, but I know one thing that keeps me going despite this...Banjo is visiting Rusty Bucket Bay
The opening line is exactly how I felt about that same skybox.
I need to find me a man who appreciates me as much as Austin appreciates skyboxes
Thank you for this gem of a video you glorious human being.
Great video! Banjo's skyboxes (or lack thereof, as you mention) are some of my favorites. Looking forward to a possible skybox appreciation on the Sonic Adventure games. They're probably my favorite skyboxes, when I hear skybox I think Sonic Adventure. stuff like Station Square at sunset, Mystic Ruins at dawn, and Speed Highway's skybox lend so much to that game's atmosphere.
Then for 2, City Escape and Radical Highway (and the Tails one) are so good. I love that era of games with shitty res city skyboxes with beautiful skies. Both games have the prettiest cloudy skyboxes I've ever seen. Pumpkin Hill + Sky Rail are iconic. Actually this game does a really good job retooling the same locations for different skyboxes now that I think about it. And don't think I forgot the legendary space skyboxes. Seriously, those skyboxes' interpretations of Earth, the way too blue coloring, the detailing and the light blue glow, god it's so good. Genuinely my favorite depiction of Earth's orbit and I'm not ashamed to say that.
Talk about Castlevania 64, the whole game feels like an accidental interliminal space.
interliminal is such a crazy word to make up I love it
@@any_austin the word liminal comes from Latin, the word that means "threshold." But that's not quite what it is, it reminds me of a feeling you've described in another video about some places (like the weird little land nub at the mouth of the river in Hyrule Field for OoT) only existing in games as a function of other places existing, like an emergent space. Castlevania 64 feels like that pretty much start to finish.
never seen a dude have an existential crisis over a banjo kazooie snowy skybox
the queen of england and banjo canonically exist in the same universe
I cannot tell you how much I felt the whole thing about the Freezeezy skybox. For me I think it would have to be one of the hub worlds in Spyro 2. Summer forest, autumn plains, and winter tundra gave me such intense feelings for some reason
I grew up in a swamp, and bubblegloop does feel outdoors to me. When you're deep in a swamp or forest, you can't really see the sky, just trees in all directions but down. I think if they were to break up the wood wall texture more so you can see more trees it would've been more effective perhaps
You know it’s very rare that I find a TH-camr where I enjoy all there content they make, and he’s even gotten better since I’ve started watching
Just finished the previous ones. Glad to see some more!
That is really interesting about the sun in Jolly Roger Bay. However, I gotta dock it some points because they forgot to put a pair of sunglasses and a little smirk on it. I'm sure it was just a matter of time limitations, but those are the kind of details that really give a game its polish.
The part about bubblegloop swamp feeling like a warehouse makes me really want you to cover kingdom hearts bc I get similar vibes from that
"mumbo's mountain doesn't have a sun. I don't have a son. Stop calling me."
Your videos relax me, pinch of nostalgia with ethereal energy
Feels like you're calling out Mario Odyssey for it's first world's spooky moon theme