# Lighthouse: a Banjo-Kazooie PC port built on the decompilation

> A native Windows, Linux and macOS port of Banjo-Kazooie that compiles game C sources, many tagged with their Banjo-Kazooie decompilation file paths, against libultraship, a reimplementation of the N64 SDK. Torch extracts the user’s ROM into an asset archive, and the port adds Anchor multiplayer, romhack and language-pack support and a randomizer. Unlike Banjo: Recompiled, it builds from decompiled source rather than statically recompiling the ROM’s code.

- Type: Case study
- Targets: Game
- Category: Independent reconstruction cases
- Relationship: Independent reconstruction project
- Sources reviewed: 2026-10-18
- Added to the catalog: 2026-10-18
- Original resource: <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Lighthouse>
- Primary source: <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Lighthouse/blob/4e8dfd23c64b143eb93ae9ee9fbae832cae2a2ef/README.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/lighthouse-banjo-kazooie-port-case/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/lighthouse-banjo-kazooie-port-case/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/lighthouse-banjo-kazooie-port-case/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- **Prerequisites:** Requires a supported retail ROM in .z64 form, identified by SHA-1 in the README: US 1.0, US 1.1, Japanese or PAL. It is extracted into a local bk.o2r archive; other regions can be added as language packs, and romhacks need the US 1.0 base. The repository includes no copyrighted game assets.
- **Prerequisites:** Source builds need the libultraship and Torch submodules and CMake, plus Visual Studio 2022 (MSVC v143), Python 3 and at least 8 GB RAM on Windows, GCC or Clang with Ninja and the listed SDL2, libzip, tinyxml2, spdlog, Boost and Vorbis packages on Linux, or Xcode and the listed packages on macOS. Build targets extract bk.o2r from the ROM and package port assets as lighthouse.o2r.
- **Scope:** Release 1.1.0 “Hatteras Alfa” (2026-08-17) ships Windows x64, Linux and macOS archives. Rendering backends are DirectX 11 (Windows default), OpenGL on all platforms and Metal (macOS default).
- **Testing evidence:** The README publishes no matching or fidelity checks. Most supported romhacks are not fully tested, and CI nightly builds are for playtesting and may crash.
- **License:** The repository is dedicated under CC0 1.0; submodules keep their own licenses, and the game is not covered. The README discloses AI assistance for information gathering and accepts AI-assisted pull requests under the HarbourMasters policy.

## Primary sources

1. <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Lighthouse/blob/4e8dfd23c64b143eb93ae9ee9fbae832cae2a2ef/README.md>
2. <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Lighthouse/blob/4e8dfd23c64b143eb93ae9ee9fbae832cae2a2ef/docs/BUILDING.md>
3. <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Lighthouse/blob/4e8dfd23c64b143eb93ae9ee9fbae832cae2a2ef/src/core2/ba/anim.c>
4. <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Lighthouse/blob/4e8dfd23c64b143eb93ae9ee9fbae832cae2a2ef/CMakeLists.txt>
5. <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Lighthouse/blob/4e8dfd23c64b143eb93ae9ee9fbae832cae2a2ef/.gitmodules>
6. <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Lighthouse/blob/4e8dfd23c64b143eb93ae9ee9fbae832cae2a2ef/LICENSE.md>
7. <https://github.com/Kenix3/libultraship/blob/62e973aeb4a53ad4d22bb91e2d9373ecdfcd246c/README.md>
8. <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Torch/blob/72960ca16f4723f96aaf4037b76072c230af8c11/README.md>
9. <https://github.com/HarbourMasters/Lighthouse/releases/tag/1.1.0>

## More in Games

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- [Metaforce: a Metroid Prime engine reimplementation rebuilt on the decompilation](https://awesomerea.org/resources/metaforce-metroid-prime-case/index.md) · Case study
- [Metroid Prime Port: an AI-assisted native port of the PrimeDecomp decompilation](https://awesomerea.org/resources/metroid-prime-port-case/index.md) · Case study
- [MikuPan: a native Fatal Frame PC port built on the Himuro decompilation](https://awesomerea.org/resources/mikupan-fatal-frame-port-case/index.md) · Case study
- [PaperBoat: a native Paper Mario port built on the decompilation](https://awesomerea.org/resources/paperboat-paper-mario-port-case/index.md) · Case study
- [Pokémon Platinum PC Port: a native port built on the pret decompilation](https://awesomerea.org/resources/pokemon-platinum-pc-port-case/index.md) · Case study

## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.