It feels like I’ve been waiting all my life for the next Donkey Kong game following Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. In reality, it may have very well been just over a decade, but that’s still an incredibly long time! Throughout the past decade, we’ve seen all-time great releases for many of Nintendo’s franchises. This includes the endlessly charming Super Mario Odyssey, the genre-defying game that is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and its sequel that was just as good, if not better), and one of the greatest collaborations the video game medium has seen: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
It’s safe to say that almost every major Nintendo series has gotten some love. However, one key series has been missing throughout all this: Donkey Kong. While the fan-favorite gorilla got two releases on Switch, both of these were remasters of the modern DKC games. As exciting as these were, it was far from a new Donkey Kong game. We wouldn’t have to wait long for news on a new entry, though. At long last, Nintendo has finally brought Kong himself back to the spotlight with Donkey Kong Bananza, one of the launch window games for Nintendo Switch 2.
Donkey Kong Bananza is significant for several reasons. For one, this marks the very first 3D entry in the series since Donkey Kong 64, which has remained the lone 3D game in the franchise for decades. Beyond that important milestone, this release was also developed by the team that crafted Super Mario Odyssey, one of the greatest games of all time. My expectations were through the roof and beyond, and leading up to release, I questioned whether or not I was expecting too much.
After dozens and dozens of hours munching away at bananas and smashing through as much terrain as possible, it’s safe to say that Donkey Kong Bananza is everything I ever wanted and more—a brilliant reinvention that very well may be one of Nintendo’s best 3D platformers ever. It’s not quite perfect, but Donkey Kong is finally back and getting the love he deserves.
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Donkey Kong Bananza kicks off with the discovery of delicious, golden bananas known as Banandium Gems in the mines of Ingot Isle. While Donkey Kong and the other miners are hard at work, the evil Void Company, led by Void Kong, swoops in, stealing all the Banandium Gems for themselves. Ingot Isle is decimated after the attack, and Donkey Kong wakes up to find a mysterious talking purple being named Odd Rock, who is later revealed to be a trapped young Pauline. As the two race to catch up to VoidCo, they must continue to dive deeper toward the planet’s core, which is rumored to grant visitors any wish.
While Donkey Kong and Super Mario games aren’t usually known to be story-focused games, Bananza places a bit more emphasis on the narrative, even more so than Super Mario Odyssey. Pauline drives most of this, as she wishes to get back to the surface of the planet, while Donkey Kong really just wants some bananas. Ironically enough, Bananza had numerous fans online debating timeline placement, and as we all know, that is crucial to why fans play Mario and Donkey Kong games. Needless to say, Bananza absolutely makes it clear where it’s placed in this universe, and that placement is one of my favorite aspects of the story.
Speaking of, the narrative is fabulously charming and exciting, even if it’s mostly straightforward. Pauline, for instance, is someone who starts out quite shy, afraid to sing in front of crowds, but she finds the courage to do so alongside Donkey Kong as the two continue their journey. There is a major twist in the game’s last few hours that ultimately culminated as one of my favorite endings to a video game ever. The finale is invigorating and flat-out bananas—there is no other way to describe it. Any longtime fan of Donkey Kong and the Donkey Kong Country series is in for what can only be described as the love letter of all love letters.
Bananza takes place across 17 main Layers, each offering a new environment that’s wildly different from the others. Most of these Layers have a few checkpoints throughout that lead to Sublayers, with a few dozen of them available to discover as you make your way to the planet’s core. While the Donkey Kong Country games at least kept up similar theming with levels, Donkey Kong Bananza goes full-on wacky and weird with each of its environments.
With members of the Super Mario Odyssey development team behind the game, I had no doubt the environments would be just as endearing as Mario’s journey across the different Kingdoms. That proved to be true, with Bananza offering an impressive selection of sandbox environments to discover and traverse through. The first Layer, called the Lagoon Layer, sets the creative tone immediately, featuring a lake with pieces of a cargo ship scattered throughout. As DK, you have to platform around and raise the water level to eventually access the Kong Elder at the back of the ship.
This is just the beginning of the fun, with one Layer built around a group of zebras who make ice cream, and another centered around creating a burger piece by piece. As the game continued, I found myself excitedly looking forward to what the next Layer would look like. Of course, there are some Layers that I wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of, but that had to do with the objectives. The world design and creativity are off the charts for the entirety of the game.
Personally, I felt the openness of the Layers resembled something much closer to Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild than it did to Super Mario Odyssey. It is seriously ambitious, and the result is a game that forces players to explore and go about their own personal path throughout the world without any direct push needed. I love exploring environments, but sometimes, that can be limited to one area or jump-started from a scene that wows me. Here, the general nature of Bananza was enough to make me want to tear down every single Layer from top to bottom. It’s a really impressive design philosophy that works tremendously well in a 3D platformer.
While world design is cool and all, it’s how you can interact differently with each Layer that really sold it for me. A great example of this is the Resort Layer, which has many new terrains available upon reaching it for the first time. There is a rainbow terrain you can tear off that allows you to fly completely into the sky, something that is unique to that terrain specifically. In doing so, Bananza opens up a new style of movement, challenging you to explore the environment in a new way you hadn’t previously. Once again, that Zelda-like design shines through here.
Each Layer also has a plethora of collectibles. These include Banandium Gems, Banandium Chips, Fossils, and Gold. One area that Super Mario Odyssey fell short in for some was the requirement to obtain a certain number of Moons to power up the Odyssey and move to the next Kingdom. Donkey Kong Bananza has done away with that, offering Banandium Gems in place of Moons, but these are not required to progress the story. You can actually beat the entire game without eating a single Banandium Gem! I really love this change for many reasons, especially because it puts the process of seeking out Banandium Gems into your hands without any expectations. This can be a huge driver to explore and find every Banandium Gem out there, and there are 777 to find.
As for Fossils, these are scattered throughout environments and can be put toward brand-new outfits for Donkey Kong and Pauline. Once again, outfits have seen a major upgrade in Bananza as each item actually gives a bonus of some kind. That may be increased Bananergy, longer Bananza transformations, or immunity to certain hazards. You can create some wild combinations, especially with Donkey Kong, who has over 35 different fur colors. I wish there were an option to equip outfit buffs while keeping a certain fur color, similar to Xenoblade Chronicles. Still, it’s a great system that adds some strategy to your adventure
Outside of traditional collectibles, you can also encounter hidden levels called Challenge Ruins that require you to complete a wide variety of tasks. Each Layer has these, and you just need to run up to it and sing with Pauline to break away the VoidCo tape. All Challenge Ruins are different, and you might have to take down enemies, complete a time trial, or even play a 2D level similar to something from DKC. Each room has three Banandium Gems you can collect, but you’ll need to complete all three objectives in order to munch on the trio. It’s possible to walk away with just one or two gems.
Finally, Bananza also has 110 different Music Discs scattered across the different Layers. When resting inside a Getaway, you can change between the Music Discs and put on many of DK’s most iconic tracks, like the DK Rap. Each Music Disc is located in an area of each Layer, but drops are randomly tied to enemies; be prepared to spend some time grinding. If you’d rather just spend some Banandium Chips, you can purchase a random Music Disc for 100 at the Chip Exchange, though. To obtain three stars on your save file, you have to find all Discs, in addition to all 777 Banandium Gems.
All of these elements come together to create a world that made me want to interact with it as much as possible. There’s a reason I spent well over 35 hours in the game exploring areas and hunting down Banandium Gems. The design in each area rewards creativity, constantly surprising me with new challenges, abilities, and secrets that make exploration always feel like a great use of my time. However, while the world is a treat, Donkey Kong’s abilities and moveset are what make this 3D platformer truly excel in the genre.
Drop That Beat
In short, Donkey Kong Bananza is a game about breaking, smashing, and throwing the terrain around you. It’s up to you on how to utilize the terrain around you, whether to use it to build a climbing post, a slab of rock to surf on, or even to hit enemies mid-air. This is a complete reinvention of what Donkey Kong has been known for in the past, but Nintendo did such an incredible job making it feel like an effortless transition. In many ways, I feel new players might guess this has been DK’s moveset all along.
I cannot say enough great things about the terrain system overall. It’s brilliant and continuously made me rethink my approach to each Layer. Every single punch from DK feels weighty and accurate, tearing away at some of the terrain in the process. The numerous types of terrain give you new ways to traverse and solve puzzles, and it ultimately sits at the very heart of this experience.
Almost everything in every Layer is able to be smashed by Donkey Kong in one way or another. You can smash and break all terrain in a Layer to leave absolutely nothing but the non-breakables. The in-game map actually reflects this, and this in particular is one of the most impressive aspects of the entire game. Your destruction is replicated in real-time, and you can rotate around the map completely and zoom in or out as you please. Seemingly, this is actually the entire level just zoomed completely out, which I honestly found fascinating.
Bananza makes the most out of this system by introducing Skill Points, which allow you to unlock new abilities, upgrade existing ones, and boost stats like health. Each Skill Point is obtained by grabbing five Banandium Gems, so you can see why exploring and punching through as many as you can is a good idea. Most Skills have different levels, so you can continue to upgrade your abilities as you progress through the game. A great example of this is Punch Power, which allows Donkey Kong to punch through harder terrain with fewer punches.
The leveling system once again provides a great incentive to explore, in case the world design was not enough. Combined with the new outfit system that grants buffs, selecting which Skills to prioritize and upgrade becomes a crucial part of your strategy for success. While Donkey Kong can punch terrain as much as you want, the real star of the show is the power fueled by Bananergy: Bananzas.
Donkey Kong isn’t just sticking to the gorilla form we all know and love. This time, you’ll unlock five different Bananza transformations after encountering each of the five Elders (who are, for some reason, DJs now), and dancing along to Pauline’s singing. Each transformation is wildly different from the other, offering DK a chance to turn into a completely different animal entirely.
The Kong Bananza allows you to smash through even the toughest of terrain, dealing massive damage to anything around you in the process. It’s great for even the toughest of enemies, and a short cut for bashing through any boss in a matter of seconds. Another Bananza transformation is the Ostrich, which allows you to fly for a few seconds and then glide to anywhere in the Layer. There’s even an Elephant that lets you suck up terrain and shoot it out at enemies.
This is the big focus of the game, and the development team’s creativity really shines once again. Mastering each Bananza power is a critical part of being successful, so it’s imperative to understand the limits and abilities of each. All transformations have their own Skill line, so you can upgrade and unlock brand-new abilties to use against foes. Some Bananza transformations are definitely better than others, but I enjoyed unlocking and learning the complexities of each.
Out of everything in Bananza, my biggest critique lies with its bosses. Unfortunately, the game does not even give you a chance to enjoy the boss design, as Donkey Kong is simply just too powerful. The different Bananza power-ups, especially Kong Bananza, make it so that you can smash away at all of the game’s bosses like no tomorrow. This turns bosses into almost 30-second encounters often, and I wish this weren’t the case. There are a lot of unique boss designs here, but you are not able to appreciate the fights at all as a result of the quick, almost mindless encounters.
This sort of took me aback, as Donkey Kong Country in particular is known for its challenging yet satisfying platforming. Don’t get me wrong—making games more accessible for everyone is great, but I feel that the difficulty of the bosses makes beating them not feel rewarding whatsoever. The rush of satisfaction I used to get from completing each stage in Tropical Freeze, for instance, is missing here, and I think that’s a shame.
The easy bosses only become more apparent after getting to the end of the game, which ups the difficulty like crazy. I appreciated this challenge, but it did not feel natural or earned. In the end, the challenge with the Bananza power-ups is that players can attack bosses in any way they choose. While some players may have been like me and smashed through bosses in under a minute, I guarantee some players may have chosen not to use Banaza powers, creating a wildly different perspective.
Overall, Donkey Kong Bananza is a triumphant showing from Nintendo. It’s exceedingly innovative and an endless joy to experience at all times. Each layer of the planet has something new to offer, and Donkey Kong’s continually evolving moveset is absolutely perfect. I can’t stress enough how enjoyable this journey is from beginning to end, and so much of that is thanks to the gameplay decisions Nintendo implemented. However, what might just be the most impressive aspect of Bananza is its gorgeous visuals.
Banandium Grade Visuals
Donkey Kong Bananza is one of the most beautiful games that Nintendo has ever released. Nintendo Switch, in particular, blew me away with countless games, from Tears of the Kingdom to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but Bananza is on another level entirely. The use of Nintendo Switch 2 hardware has allowed for a perpetually beautiful game, no matter how many times I boot it up. Regardless of whether you plan to play on handheld or docked, you are guaranteed a crisp, lively image.
Each Layer is gorgeous, character models are supremely detailed, and the destruction tech feels earnestly realistic. The latter in particular blew me away more times than I can count, as each action to the terrain left a substantial yet realistic amount of damage with bits flying and reacting as you’d expect. This changes, too, depending on which terrain you interact with, only adding to the impressive feel and look of the voxel technology.
Donkey Kong and Pauline are also both so expressive, each having animations that feel more vivid than anything we’ve ever seen from the two. At times, cutscenes felt like something out of anything but a 3D platformer. There was clear care placed into making these both engaging and visually impressive.
Unfortunately, while the gameplay itself is such a blast, there are some considerable performance issues that pop up throughout. Each time Donkey Kong claps to perform a sonar scan on the environment, the gold and terrain that pops out can drop the frame rate noticeably. This isn’t a game-changer by any means, but it does become more noticeable in more complex areas.
However, while these slight dips are tolerable, the final stretch of the game sees significant performance dips that are incredibly off-putting. There are multiple segments where the slowdowns felt like they impeded my ability to platform around obstacles and deal damage to the final boss. It’s much less noticeable in handheld mode, which has the benefit of VRR, but the dips can be ugly while docked on a big 4K TV.
This is an unfortunate reality for what is essentially a launch game for Nintendo Switch 2, but I can appreciate and respect the approach Nintendo opted for. Instead of sacrificing gameplay elements, the compromise was these situational frame rate dips. Considering how impressive the technology itself is, I feel this is acceptable, though some players may be quickly frustrated by it.
Beyond performance, audio is a clear winner for Bananza. Pauline is actually voiced in English, speaking numerous lines throughout the game and communicating with DK as he enthusiastically grunts and smiles. I found Jenny Kidd to offer an endearing performance for Pauline, so much so that it sort of made me wish the rest of the cast were voice-acted as well. Kouji Takeda did a wonderful job as Donkey Kong, but Pauline made me ponder this throughout my time with Bananza.
Sound effects also shine in each Layer. Even with numerous terrains to walk across and interact with, Bananza never fails to impress with unique sound effects for each. It’s the little things like this that make this package so memorable and polished.
I was also satisfied with the soundtrack (for a game centered around singing, I’d sure hope so!). The Bananza transformations are by far the most popular tracks from the game, but I feel the extremely lengthy OST has plenty to offer. It’s a different direction than the Donkey Kong Country series, but it fits what Bananza is going for quite well. Each Layer can offer different genres, yet they all come together in unison in a harmonious way. Some tracks can get lost in the shuffle because of the Bananza transformation themes coming in and out, but the tracks themselves are a fun listen. There are numerous references to the older games interwoven in here, once again embodying the idea that this game is a love letter to the series as a whole.
A Destructive Triumph
Donkey Kong Bananza is the best return I could have ever asked for from Nintendo. It’s brilliantly innovative, endlessly endearing, and just a joy to play at all times. The Donkey Kong Country games are some of the best 2D platformers ever created, and Bananza follows right in their footsteps to deliver a 3D platformer that stands toe-to-toe with any of Mario’s biggest games. While the almost mindless boss battles and slight performance hiccups prevent Bananza from being a best-in-class game, it is a dream come true for all fans of Donkey Kong.
With the Donkey Kong expansion at Universal Studios and the rumored Donkey Kong film from Universal, it feels like Nintendo is finally embracing Donkey Kong in a way the company should have for decades. Donkey Kong Bananza absolutely should be the start of a brand-new era—one that hopefully won’t have us waiting 25 years for another 3D Donkey Kong game. I can only hope that the team behind this game will be established as a permanent one for the Kong.
Disclaimer: Donkey Kong Bananza was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2 and purchased by the reviewer.
