Unreal Engine 5 remakes offer a kind of enhanced nostalgia allowing fans of classic games to relive memories through the lens of contemporary high-fidelity 3D graphics. We've seen fan-made takes on Super Mario World, Sonic Adventure 2 and several Zelda projects, which may be what spurred Nintendo on Nintendo to announce the official Ocarina of Time remake.
It was about time someone turned their hand to Banjo-Kazooie, and sure enough one dedicated fan is one it. They're working on a vibrant take on Rare's 1998 platformer featuring a remarkably hench Banjole (speaking of Rare, check out the rare Conker's Quest footage that's turned up in the Video Game History Foundation's E3 archives).
Made for the Nintendo 64, Banjo-Kazooie saw a male honey bear and a female red-crested breegull bird forged together into a single gameplay unit on a mission to save Banjo's kidnapped sister Tooty from the witch Gruntilda
François Montagud, a professional 3D artist from France, has shared on YouTube seven minutes of gameplay from an unofficial remake he's working on. The environment gets a big upgrade, with some fans even suggesting that it's too realistic, while Banjole himself has also come info for enhancements, now looking much more muscular.
François says his aim was to maintain the original game's identity and unique while bringing the visuals up to date with dynamic lighting, lusher vegetation and more detail. The attention to the original details extends to the sound design in underwater sequences.
Other fans are commenting that the Witch’s Lair in particular benefits from the enhanced shadows created in Epic's game engine (see our guide to the best game development software).
Alas, there are no plans for an official Banjo-Kazooie remake as far as I'm aware, and François's project is only for his own portfolio.
