Dreams is a game-creation platform that allows talented developers to create any experience they can imagine, from small dioramas to entire levels of video games. While the heyday of the platform has been and gone, it continues to surprise, thanks to the work of creators like William Butkevicius, who has released a Dreams-created Banjo-Kazooie homage that’s even achieved the approval of the original game’s developers.
Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbomania in Dreams – quick links
Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbomania is a single-level homage to the franchise
As announced, Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbomania, now available on Dreams, is a single-level experience that pays homage the original Banjo-Kazooie games. It features a wide open space reminiscent of Banjo-Kazooie‘s Treasure Trove Cove, complete with explorable islands, treasure chests, puzzles, and a variety of new NPCs.
Players can wander Mumbomania and collect various musical notes and Jiggies (jigsaw pieces), while completing environmental puzzles, interacting with new characters, and discovering new transformations. They can also vibe with some lush tunes developed by Duckenomics, and the Game Brass ensemble.
Per Butkevicius (via X), Mumbomania was a labour of love that will remain just ‘one level’ with ‘no plans’ to add more in future. The project reportedly took around 14 months of work in spare time (Butkevicius currently works as a level designer at Moon Studios, known for Ori and the Blind Forest), and over 800 hours of tinkering in Dreams.
While it was inspired by Banjo-Kazooie, Butkevicius has explained that The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was also a key inspiration, for its echo-collecting mechanics. Inspired by this game, and the original Banjo-Kazooie franchise, Butkevicius has developed an experience that’s clearly resonated – although he has confirmed this is a one-and-done deal.
‘I’d like to move away from big Dreams projects now, so unless I get the opportunity to work on an official Banjo-Threeie (which I would be thrilled to), this is it for now,’ Butkevicius confirmed.
Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbomania gets Rare approval
Since launch, Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbomania has gathered a dedicated following, with over 5,587 players popping in to experience the level, as of 8 December. It’s even caught the attention of the franchise’s original developer, which has shared the Dreams creation on its social media pages.
‘Put our fanciest hat on just so we could tip it to this. Incredible work!’ the studio account posted. Individual developers including director Gregg Mayles and composer Grant Kirkhope have also shared the trailer for Mumbomania, praising the effort that’s gone into the level.
The enthusiasm is a clear sign of the continued appreciation for Banjo-Kazooie, despite the franchise being relatively dormant over the last two decades. While an official sequel still seems out of reach, the support for Mumbomania is yet another loud demonstration of how well-received an official new adventure would be – and it’s sparked hope that current rights holder Microsoft might be listening.
Those keen to play through Banjo-Kazooie: Mumbomania can find this experience within Dreams on console, or via its Dreams homepage.
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