Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie on the Evercade Nexus use the original Rare source code, which included ‘a load of stuff’ that the studio didn’t even know about, Blaze Entertainment says Demi Williams | usagoldmines.com

• Blaze Entertainment says it found hidden features in Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie‘s source code when developing the Evercade Nexus ports
• Head of communications Sean Cleaver says Blaze worked closely with Rare, which handed over the game’s original code
• The team uncovered “loads” of unreleased features, including unreleased tracks and a level editor

Blaze Entertainment has revealed that it uncovered hidden features in the source code for Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie while developing the Evercade Nexus ports.

Earlier this year, the hardware company, which works to revive retro gaming, announced it was expanding its physical ecosystem with a new handheld console that handles physical game cartridges, the Evercade Nexus.

The new iteration is expected to launch on October 30 and comes with the new Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack, which includes both Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie, and has been customized for the Evercade Nexus with “all the authenticity and playability of the originally released titles, as well as performance and graphical improvements.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom, head of communications Sean Cleaver also discussed the Evercade Nexus – Doom Edition, also releasing on October 30, and said that Blaze worked closely with iD Software to give the game new life on the handheld.

Cleaver said there were no barriers between the companies and “They were really, really passionate about their product and their history,” and “working with them has been great.”

Blaze also worked closely with Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie original creators, Rare, and shared more about their working relationship, revealing the studio handed over the original code for the N64 versions of both games, which had hidden features the team implemented in the Evercade Nexus ports.

“Working with Rare has been awesome,” Cleaver said. “They shared the source code. We found a load of stuff that they didn’t even know was in the source code, like old unreleased tracks, there’s a level editor, and we put it all in. [Plus some] little unlockable bonuses, so it gives something new to people as well.”

He elaborated, saying Blaze worked internally and with a few contracted people who are familiar with the nature of the work, and discovered “really, really cool things” in the code.

“So there’s a lot of public knowledge about what is in the games, but that’s decompiling against what’s been released, not the source code,” Cleaver explained. “So when you actually get the source code, the whole thing’s open. You just go through it and find the little strands and the little nuggets.”

The Evercade Nexus and the bundled Banjo-Kazooie Double Pack is priced at £169.99 / $199.99 / €199.99.