Review: Donkey Kong Bananza Is a Smashing Good Time

Newsweek

a day ago

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Donkey Kong is finally back to kick some tail.
Nintendo's king of swing has a new game after 11 long years, the ape's first since 2014's Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. In the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Donkey Kong Bananza, a redesigned DK is joined by a younger version of Pauline (whom DK famously kidnapped in the original 1981 arcade game) to stop the VoidCo.
Development of Donkey Kong Bananza was handled by the same team that crafted 2017's widely acclaimed Super Mario Odyssey, and it's evident in the game's DNA. Bananza marks the first Nintendo-developed Donkey Kong game since 2004's Donkey Kong Jungle Beat on the Nintendo GameCube. It's also DK's return to 3D platforming for the first time since Donkey Kong 64 in 1999.
Donkey Kong smashing into the ground next to a purple rock with eyes in Donkey Kong Bananza.
Donkey Kong smashing into the ground next to a purple rock with eyes in Donkey Kong Bananza.
Nintendo
Getting Into the Gameplay
The core of Bananza's gameplay revolves around open-world exploration and destruction. Bananza uses DK's massive strength to his advantage, allowing him to punch, slam and throw pieces of the terrain to find new Banandium Gems (banana-shaped diamonds used to upgrade DK's stats) or create new paths through the levels.
Donkey Kong puts the smash in Smash Bros. with buttons tied specifically to punching upward and downward. It's a blast to go ape and tear a layer to pieces in search of those precious gems, with each heavy thud of the gorilla's fists landing with a satisfying rumble in handheld mode and on the Switch 2 Pro Controller.
It wouldn't be a Donkey Kong game without collectibles, and there is no shortage of things to grab in Bananza like discs of music, fossils you can trade for clothing, balloons to rescue DK from bottomless pits, and you'll have a fun time just tearing through the game's opening section before even approaching the first Banandium Gem glowing just feet ahead. It feels like you're rewarded for every blow with bits of gold and Banandium Chips spouting up as you rampage through the layers.
Donkey Kong's ability to tear through stages also allows a level of freedom of approach similar to Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, while also expanding the Super Mario Odyssey foundation. DK has a sprawling list of traversal options. He automatically clings to walls to begin climbing and can smash through floors with ease, leap and roll midair, and surf on pieces of terrain.
Donkey's multitude of skills can even be expanded upon through a skill tree that enhances the dapper ape's various abilities and attributes, like the range of DK's secret-sensing clap or the number of hearts held by the protagonist.
And all of that comes into play when you consider the pillars of the game: Combat and exploration.
The former really shines in Bananza with a plethora of ways to take down enemies. The game takes care to ensure you're not simply plowing through these foes with overpowering force. Some enemies require you to destroy a hard outer layer of armor with explosives before attacking a weak inside; for others, a quick downward punch will do the trick.
Bosses, however, can understandably be a different story. They do require a level of puzzle solving to beat but some can be quickly overpowered by the game's Bananza modes.
But there's more to your time than just beating down baddies.
Much like Odyssey, exploring or creating nooks and crannies across levels can lead to secret Banandium Gems or hidden challenges. Exploration isn't completely uniform, though. Not only can DK tear up pieces of the environment, but each piece of terrain has a hardness level that can impact gameplay. Softer materials may be less durable and break quickly when swung, for example.
Bananza's stages are separated into areas called layers. The layers are composed of various biomes and offer different materials to use in each level. The layers are all connected by end-stage boss battles and then layers can be easily accessed through elevators that can tunnel between them.
Beyond that, the world around DK isn't the only game-changing feature, as his new companion, Pauline, adds a few twists of her own. Initially introduced as a sentient purple gem called Odd Rock with a tuneful whistle that can guide Donkey Kong to the next goal, Pauline's singing ability unlocks several things in the game, including blocked pathways and Donkey Kong's new transformations, the titular Bananza forms.
The various Bananza forms offer enhanced skills like strength, speed and flight. They're tied to a gauge that depletes over time but can be upgraded with Banandium Gems. Those abilities add an extra layer of exploration and variation to the game's massive levels, even if they may feel overpowered at points, particularly during boss encounters.
Donkey Kong in his Kong Bananza form in Donkey Kong Bananza.
Donkey Kong in his Kong Bananza form in Donkey Kong Bananza.
Nintendo
Addressing the
Elephant Ape In the Room
There have been mixed opinions about Donkey Kong's redesign, but the resulting refresh makes for a much more expressive character as the game's silent protagonist. DK's emotiveness makes one of gaming's oldest mascots more endearing than ever. How can you not love that banana-eating grin?
Not only is DK full of character, but he's also one of the sharpest-dressed simians in video games. No longer limited to just a tie, you can exchange the items you've collected for new clothing for Donkey Kong that not only adds aura points but additional stat boosts and abilities as well.
With all that said, Donkey Kong Bananza is the perfect successor to Super Mario Odyssey. Bananza takes the structure of the mustachioed plumber's adventure and expands it with a vast open sandbox to explore, dynamic combat and a wildly impressive level of destruction. Bananza takes elements from Mario's and Link's Switch adventures and forges a gem that Donkey Kong himself would drool over.