Donkey Kong Bananza Review

It has been quite some time since we have seen the brutish simian star in a new game. In fact, if we discount the latest ports of Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze on the Switch, it has been eleven years since a new entry in the legendary gaming franchise was released.

For a character as well-revered as Donkey Kong, you would think that Nintendo would have had many more games released since Tropical Freeze's initial release on the Wii U all the way back in 2014. The original Nintendo Switch generation came and went without a new entry–until now, that is.

With the Nintendo Direct Switch showcase back in April, Nintendo would finally show the future of Donkey Kong in the form of Donkey Kong Bananza, and it was coming soon! The fervor for a brand new Donkey Kong came quicker than you can say, "Oh, Banana!". The most important question remains: was Donkey Kong Bananza worth the eleven-year wait? Let's find out!

It was obvious from the initial trailer that Nintendo's first major 3D Mario romp on Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Odyssey, was expertly woven into Donkey Kong Bananza's DNA. The latter reassurance that it was, in fact, developed by Mario Odyssey developers, Nintendo EPD, laid any, if at all, fears to rest of this being a platformer for the ages.

Nintendo's EPD team was only founded almost ten years ago in September 2015, and they already have a mountainous catalog of hit titles–including: The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild, Metroid Dread, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Donkey Kong Bananza looks to add itself to the behemoth titles previously mentioned. In fact, my time spent with Donkey Kong Bananza was love at first banana.

Donkey Kong Bananza begins entrenched in the mines of Ingot Isle, where Donkey Kong mines for crystallized bananas dubbed "Banandium Gems" alongside his monkey brethren. Trouble finds its way to Donkey Kong and company rather quickly, as the mining company VoidCo shows up to steal banadium gems to power their ship.

The resulting chaos from VoidCo's villainous actions kicks up a massive storm and presses the boulder-like planet they are on down, sending Donkey Kong and Ingot Isle to the depths. The story is nothing to write home about, but this is not why you are here. Heading into Donkey Kong Bananza, my chief concern was the gameplay.

From my first few moments spent in the mines of Ingot Isle, I was punching, crashing, and bashing my way through the mines–plundering all the gold I could possibly get. You know how certain people will grab hold of some bubble wrap and want to just compulsively pop all the bubbles?

This is what it is like to play Donkey Kong Bananza. Almost every part of the terrain is destructible, and I couldn't help but feel that temptation to destroy everything in my path. Nintendo definitely knew gamers would spend a good chunk of their time in Donkey Kong Bananza destroying the environment because there are tons of goodies to find.

Along your journey, Donkey Kong eventually finds Odd Rock, a strange creature that turns out to be the one and only Pauline, although a younger version of gaming's first major damsel in distress. Remember when I mentioned the story is light? While that may be true, the real meat and potatoes are the journey that Donkey Kong and Pauline go on together to defeat VoidCo. Kongs.

Just like her older self in Super Mario Odyssey, Pauline's musical prowess grows from her young self here in Donkey Kong Bananza. What Nintendo has done with her character in modern times is nothing short of wonderful, as she was once tucked away in the recesses of many old-school gamers' memories from Donkey Kong's humble beginnings in 1981.

In Donkey Kong Bananza, Pauline's singing will lead you to your main objective if you so choose to follow immediately. What is nice about Donkey Kong Bananza is that you have the freedom to choose how you want to play! Instead of traditional game worlds or kingdoms like in Mario Odyssey, you will be traveling through the many layers of the Underground World.

Each layer is packed to the brim with collectibles in true Donkey Kong fashion–harkening back to the Donkey Kong titles of yesteryear, such as Donkey Kong 64, which was known for its extensive amount of collectibles. Donkey Kong Bananza is the culmination of decades of learning from player feedback and the very best of Nintendo's extensive repertoire of excellent titles. As much as Mario remains integral to Bananza's DNA, elements of Zelda can surely be found here as well.

Much like Breath of the Wild before it, you have the utmost freedom to choose how you want to play. If you want to beeline it to the ending, ignoring most of the collectibles, you can certainly do so, but I feel the true magic lies in absorbing the beauty of the game world–basking in the incredible details and newfound fidelity that was not achievable on previous hardware.

Donkey Kong Bananza truly takes full advantage of the power of the Nintendo Switch 2. The amount of elements on screen is truly baffling for Nintendo fans such as myself, who are not accustomed to Nintendo utilizing powerful hardware technology. Bashing my way through wooded material shows wood chips careening towards Donkey Kong in great detail and quantity.

It is nothing short of stellar. This is exactly how I envisioned a modern 3D platformer from Nintendo to look. It is everything a Nintendo fan could ever hope for in a modern release. Initially, the game feels simplistic, mechanically speaking, of course, until you delve deeper and deeper into each layer, where you unlock new ways to play in the form of Bananza powers.

Eventually, you will stumble upon Elders who will grant Donkey Kong new transformations in the form of Bananza powers. Each power comes with exciting new ways to play that greatly enhance how you traverse the world. Kong Bananza enhances Donkey Kong's punching power, allowing him to break terrain much quicker with heightened ferocity. There are more Bananza abilities to find, so have fun exploring and experimenting!

The amount of movement options is staggering! Donkey Kong can also tear off chunks of the terrain and ride them until they disintegrate into nothingness. Donkey Kong Bananza features a stacked soundtrack that envelops your ears in blissful ambience, perfectly capturing the rhythm and wonder of the surrounding world. Sprinkled across each layer are records for you to collect, and there is plenty!

In fact, Donkey Kong Bananza features over one hundred songs in total–including new arrangements of fan favorite tunes like "Jungle Hijinx" and the ever-soothing classic "Stickerbrush Symphony". There are special challenge levels that feature those iconic tunes, so make sure to keep an eye out for them, as they are surely "aPEELing".

Donkey Kong Bananza's original score fits each layer of the Underground with precise detail. The canyon layer, for instance, features a western movie type of score that makes you feel like a cowboy(cowape?). Much like Super Mario Odyssey, you are able to change into different outfits, including a fitting cowgirl getup for Pauline in the canyon layer and giraffe spotted pants for Donkey Kong, for example!

I love that each layer is so vastly different from the previous one that nothing ever feels tired. Each moment spent in each distinct layer always felt fresh, filled with unique NPCs that are extremely charming to interact with. The "Eelevators" can transport you to various checkpoints throughout the map and feature adorable designs. The rock people known as "Fractones" come in all shapes and sizes and feel like they came out of your favorite Rareware titles like Banjo-Kazooie or Conker's Bad Fur Day.

Certain Fractones are designed accordingly based on different tasks that they can help Donkey Kong with. For instance, Architectones can create getaways for Donkey Kong and Pauline to rest in, refilling your hearts and adding bonus yellow hearts akin to Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom's stables.

Donkey Kong Bananza has no immediate flaws I can even think of. The one and only issue I have is that boss fights are extremely easy, but again, this is a game that was certainly developed with children in mind. The co-op feels like it was designed for this purpose as well, as novice gamers are able to join in on the fun as Pauline as she physically shoots words from her mouth, destroying the terrain or harming some baddies.

Every facet of Donkey Kong Bananza's existence screams game of the year contender, from the rooftops. I would not be shocked if Donkey Kong Bananza takes home the gold. Nintendo took the best elements of some of their most storied franchises, such as Mario, Zelda, Splatoon, and much more, to create a 3D platformer for the ages. The gameplay mechanics open up the more you play, with skill points gained from Banandium Gems unlocking new abilities.

The graphics will have you drooling, much like Donkey Kong does his precious bananas–harnessing the power of the Switch 2 to deliver mind-melting 4K visuals. There are hundreds of collectibles that will leave you with hours upon hours of gameplay leftover well after the credits roll. A stunning soundtrack that greatly accompanies you on your journey through the depths of the Underground–including aforementioned fan favorites and soon-to-be-recognized classics to come.

Donkey Kong Bananza is a master class in game development and design, and is the perfect showcase for the Switch 2. Nintendo always finds a way to outdo themselves. When it feels like they peaked, you get games like Donkey Kong Bananza–a title well worth its weight in crystallized golden bananas.