Banjo-Kazooie for Smash?! This game really does have everybody. Today during the Nintendo Direct for E3 2019, Nintendo showed off what’s incoming for the ultra-popular, ultra-stacked Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with little bit of funny bait-and-switch to mess with people who anticipated the announcement after leaks and rumors circulated in advance of the Direct.
The titular Banjo and Kazooie enter the fight, going the other 70 or so characters in Smash including the first DLC fighter Joker from Persona 5, representing the Nintendo 64 and the classic game Banjo-Kazooie developed by Rare, Ltd. and released in 1998. That was before Rare was purchased by Microsoft, makers of the Xbox console series and Nintendo competitor, in 2002.
With this addition of the Banjo-Kazooie duo to the roster, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate now has playable fighters from Sony, Microsoft, and Sega on the roster, which is a pretty impressive feat. While there hasn’t been much of a showing for Banjo-Kazooie on Nintendo platforms for some time, the idea of having these classic characters make an appearance in a Smash title has been batted around for a good while now, with a lot of amity between Rare, Microsoft and Xbox, and Nintendo. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer even personally endorsed the relationship on Twitter years ago.
Nintendo also announced another DLC fighter, Dragon Quest “Hero” from Dragon Quest XI. “The Hero” is designed by the legendary Akira Toriyama and pairs well with the announced release of new version of Dragon Quest XI on the Nintendo Switch on Spetember 27, 2019 that features a very cool-looking optional 8-bit gameplay mode.
The trailer below from Nintendo’s E3 Direct shows off “The Hero” and some of his unique abilities.
The Hero from Dragon Quest DLC will release this summer, and Banjo-Kazooie will release a little later in fall. Nintendo didn’t share any specific pricing details, but each “Challenger’s Pack” costs $5.99 and include a new fighter, stage, and music. The Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Fighter’s Pass is also available for $24.99, and owners of the pass receive DLC fighters as they release.