I'm in the midst of a successful co-op campaign with Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, after watching my girlfriend go through the single player game over the last week. I think it's safe to say I've heard the whole game at this point, and that's a good thing, because the music in Kingdom Battle is fantastic. It's colorful, bombastic, and catchy as hell.It also happens to recall Banjo-Kazooie a great deal—with good reason, because the soundtrack for both games was created by famed gaming composer Grant Kirkhope.
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That's not to say everything Kirkhope puts together sounds like Banjo-Kazooie. He's made the music for many games over the years, including GoldenEye 007, Civilization: Beyond Earth, and Viva Pinata. But Kingdom Battle really sounds like Banjo-Kazooie, with similar instrumentation and whimsical feel.Above: Listen to Kirkhope's tunes in this Luigi-focused trailer. (I'm still mad about the dab. -Ed.)Playing in the Sherbet Desert (the second world), there were several times I looked up at the game from the couch and asked if my gf had secretly switched over to Gobi's Desert in the Rare platformer. The same went for the ice world: it was Mario, yes, but it felt like Kazooie was about to sass her way onto the screen at some point.Patrick has already covered the bases on how the game plays (hint: very, very well), and I'll continue to make my way, step-by-step, through the co-op campaign. But I'd be lying if I said the tunes—and the warm memories they evoke—aren't a part of it.