Spiral Mountain is a world featured in every game in the Banjo-Kazooie series to date, that gets its name from the large spiral-shaped mountain at its center. The level is Banjo and Kazooie's homeland, and the former homeland of their nemesis Gruntilda Winkybunion.
Players start off here in all of the games, and the level generally functions as a tutorial for new players, teaching them basic controls and moves to help them through the game.
Banjo-Kazooie series[]
Banjo-Kazooie[]
"Spiral Mountain, the peaceful corner of the country that Banjo calls home, acts as a training ground where you can experiment in relative safety with the moves taught to you by Bottles the mole." (Game Instruction Booklet, p.16)[1]
Spiral Mountain is introduced in Banjo-Kazooie, where it is depicted as a grassy and pastoral world featuring many trees and yellow flowerbeds, tilled soil for growing vegetables, a quarry, a small lake with two waterfalls, and a central moat around the world's eponymous spiral mountain. Banjo's quaint cottage house is situated in one corner of Spiral Mountain. A gigantic rock sculpture of Gruntilda's face can be found hewn into the cliffside at the opposite end of the level, which serves as the entrance to Gruntilda's Lair.
Banjo lives in Spiral Mountain with his pal Kazooie, his sister Tooty, and their goldfish Roysten. After Gruntilda the witch kidnaps Tooty, Bottles, the short-sighted mole, helps train Banjo and Kazooie in learning some of the game's basic moves by finding him in his molehill, and after that, will eventually repair the bridge to Gruntilda's Lair. After the events of the game, Gruntilda ends up buried under a boulder in Spiral Mountain, beneath the entrance to her lair.
The game's manual implies that Spiral Mountain itself was one of several worlds Gruntilda conquered, and that she may have conquered it recently by the events of the game.[1]
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge[]
Two months after Banjo-Kazooie, Klungo rescues Grunty from her grave by building a mechanical suit for her ghost to possess. Her body still buried underground, Mecha-Grunty kidnaps present-day Kazooie and travels years into the past to prevent Banjo and Kazooie from ever meeting, thereby undoing her defeat at the end of Banjo-Kazooie. Hoping to prevent Grunty from altering history, Banjo is sent back in time with the help of Mumbo Jumbo's magic.
The Spiral Mountain of the past functions as the hub world of this game. This version of Spiral Mountain is divided into three sub-areas: Spiral Mountain (the vegetable patch/quarry area), Spiral Rise (the central mountain/moat/lair/tree-stumps area), and Spiral Mere (the lake/waterfall area). While the world's layout is roughly the same as in Banjo-Kazooie, its features are significantly different in this era: Banjo's house has yet to be built, but the cliffs above its site are sandy and feature an entrance to Breegull Beach. The vegetable patch area has an entrance to Cliff Farm, with Jiggywiggy's Temple located beside it. The area usually filled with tree stumps is now swampy, with a gnarled tree granting access to Bad Magic Bayou. The lake area is now surrounded with patches of lava and ice and has entrances to Spiller's Harbor and Freezing Furnace. A statue of the Jinjo Oracle stands near where Grunty would eventually be buried. Honey B.'s Hive is located just beside the bridge across Spiral Mountain's moat. Gruntilda's Lair (here referred to as Grunty's Castle) is still under construction at this point.
Interestingly, a gigantic rock bust of King Jingaling (or perhaps an ancestor of his) lies strewn beneath the entrance to Gruntilda's Lair, half-buried in the undergrowth. This suggests that the Jinjos once lived in Spiral Mountain, and Gruntilda appropriated their home. This may explain why Jinjos need to be rescued from within the levels of Grunty's Lair during Banjo-Kazooie.
Banjo-Tooie[]
Two years after Banjo-Kazooie, Gruntilda is rescued from her boulder-capped grave thanks to the help of her sisters Blobbelda and Mingella. The now-skeletal Gruntilda incinerates Banjo's house with a powerful magic spell and flees to the Isle O' Hags through the massive tunnel her sisters bore through the cliffs of Spiral Mountain with their drill-equipped HAG 1 tank. Spiral Mountain is further damaged by the various minions the witches deployed, who gouge chunks out of the world's rock faces, uproot trees, and demolish the world's bridges. Gruntilda's own lair is badly scarred too; its entrance bust has crumbled and lost its left eye jewel, and cave-ins now block access to a majority of its interior.
A number of previously inaccessible areas within Spiral Mountain become available to Banjo and Kazooie in this game, for example a large cave at the top of one of the world's waterfalls, and a cave above the tree stump area.
Spiral Mountain's melody is reprised from the first game, but this time in a minor key and with a much more melancholy mood.
Banjo Pilot[]
Spiral Mountain appears as a racetrack in this game.
Spiral Mountain's theme is completely different in this game, since Banjo Pilot reused the soundtrack originally intended for the cancelled "Diddy Kong Pilot" game.
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts[]
Ten years after Banjo-Kazooie, Grunty - now reduced to just a skeletal head - finally manages to flail her way back to Spiral Mountain from the Isle O' Hags. Just as she confronts Banjo and Kazooie, the Lord of Games (creator of all videogames) suddenly appears and whisks the bear, bird, and witch away to Showdown Town, where they must complete various challenges as they compete for ownership of Spiral Mountain. Spiral Mountain appears again as the final level of the game.
Spiral Mountain is significantly expanded in this game, with a steep mountain range extending out and upwards beyond the world's cliffside perimeter in the previous games. The world has mostly recovered from the damage inflicted by Grunty and her minions during Banjo-Tooie, though it still shows signs of wear. Grunty's Lair and the tunnel to the Isle O' Hags have now caved in. Strangely, the bust of Grunty's Lair is missing the opposite eye jewel to the one that fell out in Banjo-Tooie. Banjo and Kazooie have repaired their house and settled into a lazy, adventure-free lifestyle there. A gravestone marks the spot where Bottles briefly died, and a rubbish skip is now located near Banjo's house possibly as part of the renovations the bear and bird carried out on their home. A newly accessible cave entrance can be found upstream of Spiral Mountain's second waterfall, but it is blocked off and cannot be entered.
A relaxing bluegrass arrangement of Spiral Mountain's theme is used for this version of the level.
Other Appearances[]
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Spiral Mountain is a downloadable stage in the game. The stage has the ability to spin the battlefield around showing different parts of the mountain. Bottles, Gruntilda, Mumbo Jumbo, Tooty, the Jinjos, and Buzzbomb appear in the background. The top of the mountain, as well as the entire stage itself, takes its design from Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.
The Buzzbomb appearing in the stage is illogical, since they were never seen in Spiral Mountain in any Banjo-Kazooie game. Ironically, all of the enemies that were in the original Spiral Mountain area in Banjo-Kazooie are fully absent in the stage. The garden area has an Extra Honeycomb Piece, even though the piece was only available after the Colliwobble the Cauliflower enemy was defeated. The rest of the Honeycomb Pieces are also shown from their original locations, including the area with the Quarrie enemies.
Additionally, the giant hole caused by HAG 1 leading to the Digger Tunnels from Banjo-Tooie is not present in the background.
The Spiral Mountain track from the original game has been remixed for the Smash Bros. stage, sounding more instrumental.
Areas[]
Banjo-Kazooie[]
- Banjo's House (starting point)
- Veggie Garden
- Quarry (full of Quarries)
- Lake & Waterfalls
- Tree Stumps
- Central Moat
- Spiral Mountain (mountain)
- Grunty's Bridge
- Gruntilda's Lair
Banjo-Tooie[]
- Banjo's House (starting point; destroyed)
- Veggie Garden
- Quarry (full of crates)
- Lake & Waterfalls
- Behind the Waterfall
- Tree Stumps
- Tree Stump Cave
- Central Moat
- Spiral Mountain (mountain)
- Grunty's Bridge (broken)
- Gruntilda's Lair (entrance)
- Digger Tunnel 1
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge[]
- Jiggywiggy's Temple
- Honey B.'s Hive
- Spiral Mountain (Mountain)
- Spiral Rise
- Spiral Mere
- Grunty's Castle
Banjo-Pilot[]
- Spiral Mountain (Mountain)
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts[]
- Veggie Garden (Starting Point)
- Quarry (Full of Crates)
- Grunty's Grave
- Lake & Waterfalls
- Blocked Digger Tunnel
- Tree Stumps
- Tree Stump Cave
- Bottles' Grave
- Banjo's House (Closed, but the inside is visible, and can be accessed by the same glitch as with the storage room)
- Central Moat
- Spiral Mountain (Mountain)
- Gruntilda's Lair (Blocked)
- L.O.G.'s Factory Storage Room (underneath Spiral Mountain, not solid and can only be accessed through a glitch)
Abilities Learned[]
Banjo-Kazooie[]
- Basic Controls - In front of Banjo's House.
- Camera Control - A little further ahead of Banjo's house.
- Claw Swipe - In the veggie garden.
- Forward Roll - In the veggie garden.
- Rat-a-tat Rap - In the veggie garden.
- Feathery Flap - In the tree stumps area.
- Flap Flip - In the tree stumps area.
- Beak Barge - In the Quarry area.
- Dive - Near the fork in the road, between the Tree Stumps and the waterfall.
- Climb - In the road near the bridge to the Central Moat, between the Quarry and the waterfall.
Banjo-Tooie[]
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge[]
Collectibles[]
Jiggies[]
Banjo Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge[]
- Inside Jiggywiggy's Temple.
- In a Shrub near Honey B's Hive.
- Northeast of Spiral Mere, use the Golden Feathers.
- Southeast of Spiral Mere. Use Shock Pad.
- Near the Breegull Beach's entrance, use bill drill.
- Go northeast of Bad Magic Bayou right where the waterfall starts. There will be a Jiggy in the air. Use feathery flap move.
- Behind the entrance to Bad Magic Bayou.
- Find all 5 Jinjos.
- Win Delphinum's game in Spiral Mere
- Activate a switch on the top of Spiral Mountain
Jinjos[]
Banjo-Tooie[]
- Under waterfall on right (requires Talon Torpedo)
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge[]
A Spiral Mountain Jinjo.
The five Spiral Mountain Jinjos are Pink.
- On a platform, use the Flap Flip jump to reach.
- In the water behind the Spiral Mountain.
- You can find this Jinjo next to the place where you learned the Pack Whack.
- Surrounded by fire. Use Ice Eggs to put out the fires.
- Go to Spiral Mere. It is under one of the ledges.
Extra Honeycombs (Banjo-Kazooie)[]
- Defeat all the Quarries once you have learned the Beak Barge ability.
- Defeat all the enemies in the veggie garden or defeat the lone Colliwobble if the tutorial is skipped.
- On one of the tree stumps where the duo learns their jumping abilities.
- On top of the tree next to where you learn how to swim.
- On a ledge between waterfalls. The Feathery Flap is required.
- In a small cave underwater, underneath the bridge.
Cheato Pages (Banjo-Tooie)[]
- In an alcove next to Gruntilda's Lair (use the Shock Spring Jump).
Stop 'n' Swop II (Banjo-Tooie)[]
- Pink Stop 'N' Swop Egg in an alcove above the tree stumps
- Blue Stop 'N' Swop Egg behind the top of the waterfall in a cavern
Extra Lives (Banjo-Kazooie)[]
- Behind the large waterfall. The Feathery Flap is required.
- Hovering over Banjo's chimney. Either scale the house by jumping onto the trashcans and then the roof or simply Flap Flip onto the roof.
Characters[]
Spiral Mountain Jinjo Oracle[]
Location[]
- The Jinjo Oracle can be found on a ledge to the north of the Jiggy Temple.
Hints[]
- Jinjos are magical creatures that look like me, but smaller. There's a pink one far to my left. Listen out for their distinctive call.
- Gruntilda has cast a spell on the Jiggy Priest. He needs your help in his temple to the South.
- Spiral Mountain sits to the North. On your way there, why not stop by and visit Honey B.'s Hive?
- Gruntilda's magic is strongest here, around her lair. Mumbo Jumbo has done well to keep away.
- Poor little Jinjos. Gruntilda's scattered them in all sorts of awkward places.
- Well done, you've freed all of Spiral Mountain's Jinjos! Maybe the Jinjos will be able to settle down when Grunty has been defeated.
Enemies[]
Banjo-Kazooie[]
Banjo-Tooie[]
Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge[]
Trivia[]
- Spiral Mountain is the only world in the Banjo-Kazooie series to appear in all of the games.
- There is a Spiral Mountain Music Glitch in Banjo-Tooie.
- Though the final level, there are acts in the games' different worlds that require more Jiggies to enter.
- In the first game, assuming that Banjo and Kazooie decide that they are ready enough and Bottles gives them all the basic abilities on the first molehill, if Banjo talks to Bottles on his molehill again, he will first tell Banjo that he didn't need his help at first and that he is on his own until inside; speaking a second time, Bottles will insist that he will not help him; in the third time, Bottles will say that it is not fun and will ask him to stop calling him; in the fourth time, Bottles will say that it is his last chance to not do it again; and the fifth time, Bottles decides that enough is enough and will comically start a countdown to delete his Game Pak, Banjo will intervene and apologize and that he won't do it again, Bottles will accept and tell them to go rescue Tooty.
Names in Other Languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | クルクルやまのふもと (Kurukuru Yama no Fumoto) |
Base of Spiral Mountain |
| Spanish | Montaña Espiral | Spiral Mountain |
| French | Montagne Perchée | Perched Mountain |
| Italian | Monte Spirale (BT, BP) Monte Spira (BKNB) |
Spiral Mountain |
Gallery[]
Worlds from Banjo-Kazooie 
| Worlds | Mumbo's Mountain · Treasure Trove Cove · Clanker's Cavern · Bubblegloop Swamp · Freezeezy Peak · Gobi's Valley · Mad Monster Mansion · Rusty Bucket Bay · Click Clock Wood |
|---|---|
| Overworld | Spiral Mountain · Gruntilda's Lair · Grunty's Furnace Fun · Top of the Tower |
| Cut Worlds | Fungus Forest · Mount Fire Eyes · Temple Test Level |
Worlds from Banjo-Tooie | Worlds | Mayahem Temple · Glitter Gulch Mine · Witchyworld · Jolly Roger's Lagoon · Terrydactyland · Grunty Industries · Hailfire Peaks · Cloud Cuckooland · Cauldron Keep |
|---|---|
| Overworld | Spiral Mountain · Isle O' Hags (Jinjo Village · Wooded Hollow · Plateau · Pine Grove · Cliff Top · Wasteland · Quagmire) |
| Cut Worlds | Castle World |
Worlds from Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge | Main Worlds: | Cliff Farm · Breegull Beach · Bad Magic Bayou · Spiller's Harbor · Freezing Furnace |
|---|---|
| Other Worlds: | Spiral Mountain · Grunty's Castle |
Worlds from Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts | Main Worlds: | Nutty Acres · LOGBOX 720 · Banjoland · Jiggoseum · Terrarium of Terror · Spiral Mountain |
|---|---|
| Other Worlds: | Showdown Town · Test-o-Track (L.O.G.'s Lost Challenges) |
| Beta Worlds: | Weird West |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.gamesdatabase.org/Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_N64/manual/Formated/Banjo-Kazooie_-_1998_-_Nintendo.pdf
"At last, the dirty green and blue smog was beginning to clear. Gruntilda stood at the topmost window of her Lair, grinning wickedly down on her latest world."