Lead designer Thomas Coles cited the gameplay mechanics of Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64 as inspiration for the game during its development.

The game was originally going to be titled "Clip & Mischief," with the main character being "Clip" (a creature with rodent-like features) & "Mischief" (Clip's reptilian sidekick). This idea was scrapped because it sounded too similar to Sony's Jax and Daxter.