10 Best Banjo Kazooie Bosses
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VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we're taking a look at the 10 Best “Banjo-Kazooie” Bosses! Though it hasn't seen as many entries as other gaming giants, the “Banjo-Kazooie” games have featured their own buffet of big and bad bosses. Whether it be their personality, challenge, or overall presentation, these are the ten that have stuck with us all these years later. Our list includes Mr. Patch from "Banjo-Tooie" (2000) and "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" (2008), Conga the Ape from "Banjo-Kazooie" (1998), Lord Woo Fak Fak from "Banjo-Tooie" (2000), Gruntilda & Piddles the Cat from "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" (2008), and more!
Script written by Ty Richardson
Not all video game monkeys are stupid, but when it comes to Conga, well, he reinforces the stereotype. In the first world of the first game, Mambo Mountain, you can find the big lummox perched atop a tree, protecting what are supposedly “his” oranges. Yes, this may not be a boss fight in the traditional sense, but he attacks you, you attack him, and he can be defeated. So, it counts. Plus, it’s hard to really forget Conga after having restarted “Banjo-Kazooie” as many times as we have. He’s certainly more memorable than other bosses like Nipper who barely made any effort to end our adventure.
Many young players were traumatized at the sight of old Clanker, but those big babies clearly haven’t met this possessed monstrosity. An anglerfish whose name might trigger YouTube’s Swear Word Alarm, Lord Woo Fak Fak was a frightening sight to discover in Davy Jones’ Locker. The sharp teeth, gross boils, and sheer size of him was enough to strike fear into us when we were kids. As for the fight itself, it’s a surprisingly enjoyable underwater boss fight as it forces you to refine your egg-shooting skills. Plus, that fantastic Grant Kirkhope score still holds up!
Another boss fight that primarily takes place in first-person, Targitzan is a blast from start to finish. In a segment that pays homage to Rare’s other FPS games, “GoldenEye” and “Perfect Dark”, the bear and bird find a room that houses the Mayan god of Target Shooting. From there, it’s your typical FPS fare - shoot the weak spots on the boss, take out his minions, rinse and repeat. And it all ends with an unexpected SACRED SELF-DESTRUCT to try and off you mid-victory. It may be one of the few boss fights in the series with an FPS angle (and a short one, at that), but for what it is, it’s still entertaining to revisit.
We’re lumping these two elemental dragons together because of how similar they are in format. Taking place on two separate volcanoes, Willy and Billi are both steamed at you for not being the pizza delivery boy. You know, reasons about as petty as every other boss who challenges you in the series. From there, you engage in ballistic warfare, firing fiery or frozen eggs through cannons and into their junk-food munching faces. They may not give much of a fight between the fireballs, ice balls, and tongue sliding, but come on - you’re fighting these guys on TWO VOLCANOES with cannons!! How cool is that!?
Before you ask, yes, we’re lumping all three Klungo fights into this one. Gruntilda’s dimwitted crony actually has some tricks up his sleeve throughout “Banjo-Tooie”. In addition to lobbing acidic flasks at you, he can teleport, turn invisible, project shields, enlarge himself, and even clone himself. What sticks out to us the most, though, is his growing disdain towards Grunty and eventual realization of his potential. Even the subtext below his name changes to reflect this with each fight. So, to see him finally join our side is kind of heartwarming and makes us feel bad for giving him the ol’ one-two.
“Nuts & Bolts” may not be a good “Banjo-Kazooie” game, but for what it is, it’s still pretty solid. Every boss fight against Grunty and Piddles is enjoyable (and sometimes, hilariously cheesable), yet the final battle against them is the greatest challenge. Here, you can only build ONE vehicle to use across a series of duels against Grunty, Piddles, and their machines. And it all ends with a mechanized recreation of the very first fight against Gruntilda, with her on her broomstick and you blasting her down.
Mr. Patch is easily one of the most fun boss fights in the entire franchise. For starters, you’re fighting a giant balloon animal in a circus tent. You can’t NOT crack a smile at the mere concept of that. Secondly, the fight itself is like the all-range battles in “Star Fox 64”, albeit with limited flight resources. The tricky part about Mr. Patch is that as you pop his patches, he shrinks in size, making him a bit tougher to hit. This boss fight would prove to be such a favorite that Mr. Patch was put in not one, but TWO missions in “Nuts & Bolts”, and both are just as thrilling as the original battle.
Now, if you want a “Banjo” boss that’s going to be a huge challenge compared to the others, Weldar will give you a beating. The visually-impaired welding torch will do whatever it takes to roast your furry behind, whether it’s by launching fireballs, summoning nuts and bolts with eyeballs, or electrocuting the floor. He even manages to do all this at an impressive speed! Well, a speed much faster than most “Banjo” bosses, and it’s fast enough to potentially catch you off guard. Just make sure you bring enough grenade eggs with you and pay attention to his movements.
Cloud Cuckooland was certainly a world of oddities, and one such oddity was the existence of two Mumbo huts. Was this to compensate for the world’s expansive size? Well, visiting one will tell you this was not the case. One Mumbo hut houses an imposter, Mingy Jongo. The phony robo-shaman will teleport around the room and launch magical orbs that hone in on your position. All you have to do is dodge the first shot, then go for the hit. Once Mingy Jongo is defeated, you’ll witness what might be the most grizzly death of all the “Banjo-Kazooie” bosses. “Banjo-Kazooie”, rated E for Everyone!
It was really tough deciding on which final boss fight against the witchy hag we should put on the list. As fun as it was dueling with her in the Hag 1, we still find ourselves coming back to that epic brawl atop her labyrinthian lair. This was a testament to the maneuvers and abilities you picked up throughout your adventure. It all chalks up to a thrilling conclusion with Jinjos assisting you and summoning the Jinjonator, bringing Gruntilda to her climactic end. There just wasn’t a better way to cap off a fantastical quest the way “Banjo-Kazooie” did.
Conga the Ape
“Banjo-Kazooie” (1998)Not all video game monkeys are stupid, but when it comes to Conga, well, he reinforces the stereotype. In the first world of the first game, Mambo Mountain, you can find the big lummox perched atop a tree, protecting what are supposedly “his” oranges. Yes, this may not be a boss fight in the traditional sense, but he attacks you, you attack him, and he can be defeated. So, it counts. Plus, it’s hard to really forget Conga after having restarted “Banjo-Kazooie” as many times as we have. He’s certainly more memorable than other bosses like Nipper who barely made any effort to end our adventure.
Lord Woo Fak Fak
“Banjo-Tooie” (2001)Many young players were traumatized at the sight of old Clanker, but those big babies clearly haven’t met this possessed monstrosity. An anglerfish whose name might trigger YouTube’s Swear Word Alarm, Lord Woo Fak Fak was a frightening sight to discover in Davy Jones’ Locker. The sharp teeth, gross boils, and sheer size of him was enough to strike fear into us when we were kids. As for the fight itself, it’s a surprisingly enjoyable underwater boss fight as it forces you to refine your egg-shooting skills. Plus, that fantastic Grant Kirkhope score still holds up!
Targitzan
“Banjo-Tooie” (2001)Another boss fight that primarily takes place in first-person, Targitzan is a blast from start to finish. In a segment that pays homage to Rare’s other FPS games, “GoldenEye” and “Perfect Dark”, the bear and bird find a room that houses the Mayan god of Target Shooting. From there, it’s your typical FPS fare - shoot the weak spots on the boss, take out his minions, rinse and repeat. And it all ends with an unexpected SACRED SELF-DESTRUCT to try and off you mid-victory. It may be one of the few boss fights in the series with an FPS angle (and a short one, at that), but for what it is, it’s still entertaining to revisit.
Chilly Willy & Chilli Billi
“Banjo-Tooie” (2001)We’re lumping these two elemental dragons together because of how similar they are in format. Taking place on two separate volcanoes, Willy and Billi are both steamed at you for not being the pizza delivery boy. You know, reasons about as petty as every other boss who challenges you in the series. From there, you engage in ballistic warfare, firing fiery or frozen eggs through cannons and into their junk-food munching faces. They may not give much of a fight between the fireballs, ice balls, and tongue sliding, but come on - you’re fighting these guys on TWO VOLCANOES with cannons!! How cool is that!?
Klungo
“Banjo-Tooie” (2001)Before you ask, yes, we’re lumping all three Klungo fights into this one. Gruntilda’s dimwitted crony actually has some tricks up his sleeve throughout “Banjo-Tooie”. In addition to lobbing acidic flasks at you, he can teleport, turn invisible, project shields, enlarge himself, and even clone himself. What sticks out to us the most, though, is his growing disdain towards Grunty and eventual realization of his potential. Even the subtext below his name changes to reflect this with each fight. So, to see him finally join our side is kind of heartwarming and makes us feel bad for giving him the ol’ one-two.
Gruntilda & Piddles the Cat
“Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” (2008)“Nuts & Bolts” may not be a good “Banjo-Kazooie” game, but for what it is, it’s still pretty solid. Every boss fight against Grunty and Piddles is enjoyable (and sometimes, hilariously cheesable), yet the final battle against them is the greatest challenge. Here, you can only build ONE vehicle to use across a series of duels against Grunty, Piddles, and their machines. And it all ends with a mechanized recreation of the very first fight against Gruntilda, with her on her broomstick and you blasting her down.
Mr. Patch
“Banjo-Tooie” (2001) & “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” (2008)Mr. Patch is easily one of the most fun boss fights in the entire franchise. For starters, you’re fighting a giant balloon animal in a circus tent. You can’t NOT crack a smile at the mere concept of that. Secondly, the fight itself is like the all-range battles in “Star Fox 64”, albeit with limited flight resources. The tricky part about Mr. Patch is that as you pop his patches, he shrinks in size, making him a bit tougher to hit. This boss fight would prove to be such a favorite that Mr. Patch was put in not one, but TWO missions in “Nuts & Bolts”, and both are just as thrilling as the original battle.
Weldar
“Banjo-Tooie” (2001)Now, if you want a “Banjo” boss that’s going to be a huge challenge compared to the others, Weldar will give you a beating. The visually-impaired welding torch will do whatever it takes to roast your furry behind, whether it’s by launching fireballs, summoning nuts and bolts with eyeballs, or electrocuting the floor. He even manages to do all this at an impressive speed! Well, a speed much faster than most “Banjo” bosses, and it’s fast enough to potentially catch you off guard. Just make sure you bring enough grenade eggs with you and pay attention to his movements.
Mingy Jongo
“Banjo-Tooie” (2001)Cloud Cuckooland was certainly a world of oddities, and one such oddity was the existence of two Mumbo huts. Was this to compensate for the world’s expansive size? Well, visiting one will tell you this was not the case. One Mumbo hut houses an imposter, Mingy Jongo. The phony robo-shaman will teleport around the room and launch magical orbs that hone in on your position. All you have to do is dodge the first shot, then go for the hit. Once Mingy Jongo is defeated, you’ll witness what might be the most grizzly death of all the “Banjo-Kazooie” bosses. “Banjo-Kazooie”, rated E for Everyone!
Gruntilda
“Banjo-Kazooie” (1998)It was really tough deciding on which final boss fight against the witchy hag we should put on the list. As fun as it was dueling with her in the Hag 1, we still find ourselves coming back to that epic brawl atop her labyrinthian lair. This was a testament to the maneuvers and abilities you picked up throughout your adventure. It all chalks up to a thrilling conclusion with Jinjos assisting you and summoning the Jinjonator, bringing Gruntilda to her climactic end. There just wasn’t a better way to cap off a fantastical quest the way “Banjo-Kazooie” did.
