Donkey Kong finally makes his triumphant return with Donkey Kong Bananza for the Nintendo Switch 2. This is the great apes' first return to 3D platforming since 1999's Donkey Kong 64. We've recently seen DK in Mario Kart World and the Mario movie, and now we finally have a brand-new, open-world, destructive adventure game to let the big man take his time in the spotlight he so rightfully deserves.
As a massive fan of DK64 (don't listen to what is said online), I was more than ready for a brand-new game. A 26-year wait is way too long; we've seen Luigi get a whole trilogy, several Yoshi titles, and Toad even got his own game in the time since. Sure, we got a couple of new 2D DK games (Returns and Tropical Freeze), but none of them ever stood up to the N64 classic for me.
So, is Donkey Kong Bananza the Super Mario Odyssey successor we have waited for all these years, or is it a rotten banana? Let's find out.
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+ 4Donkey Kong Bananza is the headliner of the Switch 2's second wave of games. Mario had to ship on day one, being the golden boy, and karting is fine, but this is the real meaty launch game you've been looking to sink your teeth into. While all attempts were made to keep this review spoiler-free, if you prefer to go in blind, you can skip to the score and return here later.
First off, Donkey Kong Bananza is a gorgeous-looking title. If MKW didn't impress your friends as a showpiece for your new Switch 2, this is the one to make them 'ooh' and 'ahh.' Oozing with Nintendo, and dare I say it, Rare charm throughout, the aesthetics in each level (layer) are quite the spectacle. The characters are delightfully cartoony and reminiscent of Rare-era Nintendo, while remaining in line with the newer design for DK from Mario Kart World.
Every new area you dive down into brings something new: candy-colored terrain, new enemy types, and many, many collectibles. Yes, Donkey Kong Bananza is a collectathon, and unashamedly so. After years of fans bemoaning the insane amount to collect in DK64, Nintendo clearly went "hold my family-friendly beverage," as they have doubled down on its collectathon identity here.
Sure, DK64 had 201 golden bananas, 3,500 colored bananas, 40 banana medals, 20 banana fairies, 40 blueprints, 8 boss keys, 10 battle crowns, 1 Nintendo coin, and 1 Rareware coin, which is indeed a lot, but Donkey Kong Bananza continues this legacy in a good way.
click to enlarge+ 4Each thing you need to collect has a purpose here; sure, it may feel a tad like MMORPG's trademark micro currencies, but the difference here is that they are all free and fun to collect—banandium gems, banana chips, fossils, treasure maps, and much more. The various currencies can be used in the villages found across the layers to purchase items such as new clothes, which grant DK perks like poison resistance or enhanced swim speed. Thanks to the destruction mechanic in the game, digging these up is a blast.
In Donkey Kong Bananza, the gimmick here is that you can destroy most of the terrain in the different layers along the way to the core. Assigning B, Y, and X to directional punches solidifies Nintendo's intent: smash it all up! Digging through levels provides a whole new element to platforming-based collecting. No longer are you restricted to carefully timed jumps (although there are some of those, too); you can smash your way through the terrain to find hidden caves and more depth to the level than you initially see on the surface. You can also tear out chunks to launch at enemies, create new platforms, turf surf (jump on top of a piece and surf along), and more.
Now, while there have been reports on Bananza's slowdown when lots of terrain is being destroyed, on a regular playthrough, you likely won't notice it. I didn't until I tried to get it to happen. There is, without a doubt, slight frame dips, and occasional odd camera moments that make you feel like you have fallen through the map, but all in all, these times can be overlooked as they don't ruin the game in any way whatsoever. It's really satisfying to destroy things, and often I found myself just smashing up the dirt below me or the walls nearby on the way to my next objective. Best of all? You can reset all the terrain in the layer at any time to do it all again.
click to enlarge+ 4The main objective of the game, while remaining as spoiler-free as possible, is to reach the planet's core. I won't go into the 'why' as that would ruin the story, speaking of which, there is an element of the story I wish Nintendo had left out of the trailers: Pauline. Revealing this in the run-up was a mistake and could have been a huge surprise for those playing, but as they showed her in the trailers, I can talk about her briefly.
Pauline accompanies DK on his journey to the planet's core. She can use her singing to destroy void seals, allowing you to progress further and access secret areas. Sitting on DK's back most of the game, she doesn't add too much to the general gameplay besides being tied to the all-new Bananza transformations (this could have been added without the need for Pauline, but I'm not complaining, as I love her inclusion).
The transformations you are given allow DK to take all new animal forms, like an ostrich which lets you fly and glide for a limited time, a zebra that lets you run over fragile surfaces DK would usually break, or a massive ape that looks like a super sayan form and makes DK more powerful, allowing you to break tougher terrain. These transformations are unlocked through story progress and can be used by collecting enough gold pieces to activate them. After a short while, if the gold runs out, DK will revert to his standard form.
What I found great about the new forms is that, while they initially seem overpowered and can be used anytime you have a full meter, I never once just ran around in an alt form over standard DK - the balance is superb, and they never feel overused at all. In addition, DK has a skill tree, yep, RPG style, that allows you to upgrade his skills by collecting Banadium gems. You also have the option to upgrade his alt forms in the skill tree that boosts their power and adds new skills like the terrific egg bomb ability for the ostrich.
click to enlarge+ 4Outside of collecting, terrain destruction, alternate forms, and singing at locked seals, you have boss battles. Now, while some of these may be daunting to the younger player, you can, for the most part, cheese them by spamming punch once you get close enough. After a few hits (often with a form change midway), the boss will go down, drop a key, and let you progress to the next area. Not the most challenging DK game out there, but that makes it more accessible to players who were perhaps deterred by the tricky nature of the 2D games in the series. There are 2D homages throughout, found by opening sealed areas that award you extra bananas. While not as tricky as the original games, these levels make you want to seek them out just because of how well done they are, and of course, the chance to grab another banana or two.
There is a lot to see and do in Donkey Kong Bananza; there are side missions to play for extra Banadium gems, multiple hideaways to be built in each area, puzzle pieces to round up, villagers to help out, and more. While you may not see everything in your first playthrough, completionists will rejoice when they find the fast travel eels. These eels transport you through previously visited layers, allowing you to reach areas that were previously inaccessible due to the lack of a certain power. There is also DK Artist mode that lets you sculpt objects reminiscent of the Mario 64 title screen, where you can prod and pull Mario's face, a nice addition to a package already bursting at the seams.
While the game may not sell the platform genre to non-fans, as it is still a platformer at heart, it will likely sell people on the Switch 2. The music, graphics, gameplay, and the happy little dance DK and Pauline do after finishing a level will be sweet music to the ears of those yearning for a successor to Mario Odyssey. Donkey Kong Bananza is the best Switch 2 exclusive so far and makes me excited for the future of the platform, especially if we're getting titles of this standard in the first month since launch.
Plenty more surprises await you in the game that I did not want to spoil. Needless to say, fans of DK and 3D Mario platformers will love this one. The key thing here is that not only is it a ton of fun, but Donkey Kong Bananza is a must-buy showcase game that will become the system seller Nintendo needs right now. I'll be playing this one for weeks, despite rolling the credits to track down every last banana. This is my new favorite Switch 2 game and my Game of the Year pick for 2025 so far.
Sorry, Mario Odyssey; DK has just knocked you off your spot as king of Switch platformers.
