DONKEY KONG BANANZA | REVIEW | NINTENDO SWITCH 2

''ITS ON LIKE...UH... DONKEY KONG''

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Developed: 1-UP Studio

Published: Nintendo

Genre: 3D Platformer

Release Date: July 17th, 2025

Platforms: Switch 2

*GAME PROVIDED TO ME BY NINTENDO

Donkey Kong is back in what could be his greatest adventure yet in a 3D adventure that is developed by 1-UP Studio and published by Nintendo. With Donkey Kong not really having a 3D Platformer since the days of Nintendo 64, Nintendo decided the time was right to give our banana loving friend more time in the spotlight after his successful box office run in the Super Mario Bros movie. However, was this game the correct route to go with instead of a launch window 3D Mario game? or did they choose the wrong mascot in this selection process? Only one way to find out, so lets go ape!

''WERE MONKEYING AROUND''

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GAMEPLAY:

Our boy Donkey Kong has been through a ton since the 1980's, from making his gaming debut in the arcades back in 1981, which at the time was a big deal due to it not only being one of the more complex titles at the time, but also being one of the few and rare arcade titles to feature multiple stages, only being pre-dated by titles like Phoenix in the early 80's, alongside another game releasing in the same year as DK arcade called Gorf. But our tie wearing friend wasn't done there, cause with success under his belt, he decided, you know what? I'm just going to go and sell 8 million copies on Game and Watch, get licensed to play on the Atari 2600, which at that current time was the longest running console of all time, having a lifespan that lasted from 1977 all the way to 1992, then finally landing on the iconic NES. Those successful and humble beginnings then moved their way onto the SNES with some of the best platformers not only on the SNES, but in general of all time with the Donkey Kong Country series, which blended platforming, level design and music to near perfection levels. Following their success, we then got his first true 3D platformer in the form of DK 64, which depending on who you talk to, will either love or hate it. I personally don't mind it, but what the heck Nintendo, the banana situation was definitely an annoyance. Sure its awesome to have multiple playable characters, but why do I gotta go all the way back to switch to a character to pick one up based off a designated color? let me swap characters on the fly and immediately, other N64 games did it, what were you thinking!?. Gripes aside, little did we know, that was the last time for the next 26 years that we would be receiving a 3D platformer from the DK franchise. Yikes, that's like me waiting for another season of Hajime No Ippo, just paint my face now and call me a clown. I mean we got some awesome 2D platformers in its place like Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze, but still, time passed by with other franchise like Kirby even getting his own pure 3D platformer over our ape friend, which our little Poyo deserved it, but still, wheres the love for good ol Donkey Kong. Its not like hes not beloved too, like, come on Nintendo, dont do this to us, the fanbase loves DK, like seriously, Our Love Is Stronger Than A Golden Banana. Uh oh, ok were not referencing the animated series, that's low barrel. All I'm saying is we just want to go home and home is where DK is, so come on, Eddie let me go back to my home, let me put things back to where they belong.

But enough of history, now arriving in 2025, we finally have the long awaited 3D adventure that has alluded us for so long. Mixing several different titles together with the open area exploration of titles like Breath Of The Wild with a ''if you see it, go to it'' scenario, creativity and level design of games like Super Mario Odyssey, which set the standard for 3D platformers, the music level of catchiness of Splatoon, the cuteness of Kirby, and blending all those in with the complete and utter powerful destruction nature of Marvel character The Hulk, set the stage for either a complete mess of a game, or one of the more unique games of this generation. So which side does it land on? Well that depends on you. If you love collectathons and mile a minute gameplay with new ideas constantly being thrown at you, then it easily falls in line with it being one of the more unique games this generation and giving a brand new fresh outlook on the legacy Nintendo constantly leaves behind in its wake with 3D platformers, which usually only happens with Mario, but now, Its DK's time to shine. Following up a juggernaut like Mario Odyssey is no easy task, thats for sure, but honestly, placing Donkey Kong in the lead role spot instead of Mario and giving him a destruction mechanic actually works really well and not only gives DK a fresh feeling that hasn't been felt since his Super Nintendo days, but also puts him on the same level as brand mascot Mario himself, due to the games creativity and charm that it brings in this Planet Core journey alongside Young Pauline. Hold up, its on the same levels of Super Mario Odyssey? you ask yourself and to that I say, yes, yes it is and it might actually be BETTER than Odyssey was in specifics regarding music, level design and power ups, which we will get into very soon, trust me, cause I have some things to say, unlike these random NPC's in the game who just mutter jibberish like they're straight out of a RARE game, which makes me just have to stand there and awkwardly smile like I'm Jackie Chan in Rush Hour. Adding Pauline to the mix also extends this titles cuteness level by combining both Donkey Kong's new level of expressiveness alongside her sassy attitude and spunky personality and mixing them together sorta of reminds you of Sully and Boo from Monsters Inc, only with A LOT more singing and catchy tunes. By using Pauline's power of her singing and voice to open secret passages for mini games, obstacles, and activate Bananza powers, she blends well with the gameplay mechanics of DK that allows him to smash and roll through each environment and leaving nothing but destruction in his way due to EVERY environment literally being your playground to destroy and smash to bits. ''If you build it, they will come'', oh the heck with that Field Of Dreams, more like if they build it WE DESTROY EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE, LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED, literally. Say... that's a nice shop. WELL IT WAS.... BAM! SMASH! POW!.

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''RUN ZEBRA RUNNNN''

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Donkey Kong Bananza as stated earlier is a game like Breath Of The Wild in the sense that the game WANTS you to explore and does not want you to ever go in a linear path due to the amount of collectibles and treasures there is to find in each sand box styled Layer you encounter as you move further down into the Planet's Core. No matter which direction you decide to take, whether it be spending 10 min digging and smashing through the ground, smashing into walls in front of you, climbing up structures to get a higher view advantage, you will find and obtain rewards like Gold nuggets that act as both currency to buy items from the Stuff shop to buy Balloons that give you a helping hand by floating you back to the surface should you fall off a ledge, Apple Juice that replenishes your hearts should you die, etc etc, and alongside the Gold nuggets, you will also find tons and tons of bananas, appropriately named, Banandium Gems. These gems are key in expanding the game even further when collecting 5 total, you will then gain a skill point which is used to further grow your skill tree. Yes, you heard that correct, a Donkey Kong game... has a skill tree, which is pretty awesome. Collecting these dang Banandium Gems are pretty addicting because you can literally find them anywhere, even when not even looking for them. You can just be walking around, smashing stuff just to farm some Gold nuggets and one is just sitting there like ''oh? sup yo''. While some may just be out in the open ready to be grabbed, others may take a fair bit of thought on how to get to as they float on moving platforms over an ocean, hover in the air, or stationed in hard to reach places that make you think of how you approach getting to them in the first place. But they're all worth it because by collecting these gems and upgrading your skill tree, you're able to raise DK's destruction power to destroy terrain easier, raise your heart meter, gain new skills like better sonar level that makes it easier to detect items hidden, jump and spin attack, better surfing with terrain for faster movement speed, upgrades for each Bananza power up that allows for longer Bananza time, stronger attack, longer flying ability with Ostrich, faster charger speed with Zebra, etc. There's an absolute ton and even with over 400 Banandium Gems collected, my skill tree is barely only half completed. The more you play and explore, you realize more and more that ''yeah, this definitely made by the Mario Odyssey team'' because the hits, the secrets, the unlockables, the fun, just keeps on coming and exploration just feels so varied and rewarding that you'll start playing and before you realize it, you've played for 5 hours straight. Speaking of Banandium Gems and Gold nuggets, you remember how your parents always told you ''Money doesnt grow on trees'' when you were growing up? well ya, jokes on them because look, LITERALLY MONEY IS GROWING ON TREES! put that in your pipe and smoke it!. Moving on....

Your adventure on Donkey Kong Bananza begins in Ingot isle where Pauline, who originally starts off as a rock named Odd Rock, before she is rescued and set free by Donkey Kong's enthusiastic chest pounding and then breaks out into a huge song and dance number. Once she's free, you now plunge into the planets depths in order to reach the planets core so that you may make a wish before the evil Void Company does. But something confuses both DK and Pauline because Void Kong keeps wanting to kidnap Pauline back in order to use her ''powers'', which is her singing power. Honestly, while Pauline's singing is awesome, I'm more intrigued by DK's whistling when you are standing idling singing, I don't know why, but when I see him whistle, I just imagine the Andy Griffith song. Once youve gotten your objective from The Elder Kong and start heading the planets core, as stated earlier, you will now move freely through each destructible environment that lets you pummel through rock, sand, mud, stone, ice, steel and more as you hunt for treasures like the previously mentioned Banandium Gems, as well as Banandium Chips that let you purchase Banandium Gems from item shops, much like you could buy moons in Mario Odyssey, and even find Fossils hidden around each map that allow you to purchase new clothes for both DK and Pauline, all of which pertain to the main game by offering their own unique set of stats such as swimming faster, longer Bananza time, longer sonar range, resistance to damage and so on. Due to the compact levels and the intricate way each level layer are designed, there's always something to seek out, whether you're looking for gems, fossils or just experimenting with the levels to see how far you can reach in the depths by destroying the world, there's enough content to be found that can make a 6 hour play session fly by like its only been one hour. Trust me, it happened to me my first night of playing when I received the game, I literally started up the game at like 11pm and I was like I'll just play till like 1am or so, keep it conservative, then by the time I was done for the night, the sun was up and I was like WHAT YEAR IS IT!? because I had no clue I was playing for that long at all, like what the heck?. Again I want to hammer home how purposeful exploration in this game feels, it never feels like traveling around just to do it like so many other ''open world'' or sandbox style games use to artificially extend their games playtime, instead it ensures that no single player will have the same experience or skill tree as another person as you unlock his skillset. Pauline is also useful as well, definitely way more than Baby Mario was in Yoshi's Island because here, especially in the larger map layers, such as the main first oceanic one you come across, which feels like the size of Bowsers Fury map, but given 3 separate layers, all of which are just as opened and filled with secrets as the other - she is pivotal to getting around as her singing is key to unlocking doors to reveal challenge modes to find 3 bananas, one banana or even destroy purple voids off objects so you may destroy the target its hiding so you can clean the area of all the purple void chaos. However her biggest skill allows her to sing and trigger a Donkey Kong transformation into a Bananza Power Up. Enraged Kong form, Zebra, Elephant and even an Ostrich form that can fly and poop out exploding eggs. Wait? an Ostrich can fly? They fly now?.... they fly now.

These forms are also more than just cosmetics and cool power ups as well and they also help you get around the vast maps by using Kong Bananza to smash through heavier barriers that normal Kong cant make it through, Zebra allows you to dash over thin ice and snow bridges before they crumble to the ground and do a dash speed that sends your foes flying, Ostrich allows you to hit wind gusts to fly into the air and then glide over a short distance to reach high areas in the sky or make a long leap that you normally wouldn't be able to do with any other versions of Kong, alongside being able to poop egg bombs down to enemies or objects below after upgrading your skill tree for the power up, because yes, even Bananza power ups have their own skill trees. These forms, also are used to their fullest potential by being used for specific banana challenges littered across the world that requires you to master how they play and even must be used in major boss battles as well, specific case being one of the fights against Void Kong where you must use your Elephant Bananza to suck up material with your trunk and form into a solid object in order to use it as a projectile. This makes each Bananza powerup feel more strategic and in depth than if they were just there to look cool or offer minor additions to the game. But alright alright, we get it, Banandium Gems to raise skill points, Banandium chips to purchase gems, Fossils to acquire awesome fashion clothes with individual stats for DK and Pauline, powerful singing voice of pauline to unlock new paths, amazing ways to maneuver around the world with Turf Surfing on pieces of the ground and overwater, skillsets to detect nearby secrets, maps to collect in order to see where an object is hidden should they be super hard to get for you and...wait a minute, let me stop myself right there, a map that shows you which items to collect, where to find them, keeps track of them for YOU...AND gives you rewards for actually doing so? What the heck? where was THAT in Mario Kart World? WHY NINTENDO, WHY!?. As I was saying, even with all that, you still have tons of challenges to take on with some solo based with regular DK that has you beat a specific amount of enemies in a time limit, racing to the end of the level in a Minecart or smashing down an entire building a city layer by layer. Then they get even more challenging by offering a 3 banana stage where you must go through a challenge and find 3 separate Banandium Gems, and what may seem easy on paper is actually pretty dang hard because some are hidden to point where you have to think outside the box just to be able to locate one or some are just overly obvious that it makes you feel stupid for thinking too hard, just like me. One example of overthinking was playing a challenge mode that recreates the first level from Donkey Kong Country and your objective is to find 3 bananas, simple enough, however after 30 minutes of looking, I couldn't find the dang 3rd one, until I remembered ''wait...this is based of the SNES level...it cant be...'' I said in my head as I got a lightbulb moment in my brain and went back to the beginning of the stage and did a rock double jump, only to find Donkey Kong's hut house with the missing 3rd banana. Are you freaking kidding me? you know what? Eddie, you dont have to let me come back to my home. ''What are you going to do?'' go out for snow cones?.

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''CLASSIC REBORN''

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Overall:

At the end of the day, Donkey Kong Bananza ended up amazing time and one of the best platformer games I have played in recent memory and if I had to rank it, Id say its even better than Mario Odyssey, if I put my Mario fangirl bias aside. While its not perfect, since it does have some wonky camera issues when you dig too far underground, making it hard to see where you're going, as well as a couple massive framerate drops, mainly on the Void Kong fight where we get a dip to what feels like 15fps - still, even with those, there are more positives going for it by a long a shot. Large open worlds where the only limits on how to get around it is your own imagination that gives you deja vu of your first time in Breath Of The Wild, tons of collectibles that gives you actual incentives to WANT to collect them do to their rewards, great skill tree that will be unique to every player and how they build up their Kong, hundreds of Banandium Gems and Fossils to find keep you playing for hours on end to get more skill points and cosmetics, extremely fun challenge modes, all of which have a different mechanic than the last one and no one challenge repeats itself which always allows for fresh and new ideas, amazing boss fights like the Minecart riding fight where you throw bombs as you dodge hazards, incredible level design that is tailor made towards Donkey Kong's abilities and skill set to where no power up or way of transportation ever feels outdated, funny, charming and energetic Pauline and her singing that becomes the heart of this narrative with her being fully voice acted, giving it a bit of an emotional depth that majority of Nintendo games lack, Co-Op mode with Joy-Cons that allow a second player to control Pauline to yell out words to destroy stuff with - its just all so amazing and blends together at a masterful level. If people weren't satisfied with Mario Kart World as a launch title, then I sincerely doubt you'll be disappointed here with Donkey Kong Bananza because with a 20 hour story mode and over 50 hours of gameplay for completionists who want to collect everything in the game, there's really no reason NOT to pick this game up, especially if you want to play one of the most creative platformers to ever come out of the house of Nintendo. So with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW.

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