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Forbes
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Donkey Kong Bananza' Review: Have A Banana
This is easily one of the best platformers of recent years. The latest entry in the Donkey Kong series is a banana-fuelled blast, and may be one of the best platforming games in recent years. The main setup of the game has you control the titular Donkey Kong as he tackles the evil Void Company while venturing to the core of the planet to make things right. Developed by the team behind Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Bananza has a lot of functional and structural carry-overs from that game. Each new level, as you venture deeper into the planet, has distinct biomes and is effectively a mini-open-world layout. Now, in Super Mario Odyssey, you collected coins and moons to progress, whereas in Donkey Kong Bananza, it's more open-ended with additional currencies to choose from. The skill upgrades are as numerous as they are helpful. The currencies are also more functional here and are spread out over different areas of gameplay. The gold you mine goes into buying items, whereas fossils give you different clothes (which also afford differing attributes). The 'moons' in this instance are massive Banandium Gems, and these are used to upgrade a large and varied skill tree. This is because this game is as much about exploration as it is about destruction. The last game that nailed this kind of setup was the original Dragon Quest Builders, which still holds a fond place in my heart to this day. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Anyway, destroying an area in a fit of monkey rage is deeply satisfying and also gives you the currency for all the aforementioned upgrades. You also have fun challenges dotted around each area and tasks you have to complete in order to thwart the evil Void Company. Even as you tunnel underground, the camera keeps up fine. Boss fights are also ingenious and again help you satiate your banana-induced monkey rage. The game is also entirely massive and has a huge amount of replay value, as you go back and search for items and more Banandium Gems, so you definitely get your money's worth on this one. There's also a great musical component to the game, as Donkey Kong and Pauline sing songs, which makes for a lovely and characterful experience. As this is a new Switch 2 game, it does look lovely and runs very smoothly considering all the deformable terrain at work here. Controls are also very fluid, and the camera handles all the crazy bespoke tunnelling you do pretty well. Overall, Donkey Kong Bananza does what Super Mario Odyssey did before it: offer one of the best platforming games available on a new system. The fact that the bulk of the game is about wanton joyous destruction is also another big bonus. So, if you want to tunnel to the center of the planet and destroy most of it along the way, Donkey Kong Bananza is your kind of platformer. Donkey Kong Bananza Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 Developer: Nintendo EPD Publisher: Nintendo Released: 17th July 2025 Price: $69.99 Score: 9/10 Disclosure: Nintendo sent me a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
The Star
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
There's a lot to dig in Donkey Kong Bananza
A gorilla surfs on a slick disc of ice. A purple talking rock transforms into a 13-year-old girl. A giant blue eel reveals he's a music aficionado. There's a lot going on in Donkey Kong Bananza . In the 44 years since Nintendo introduced Donkey Kong to arcades as a barrel-rolling character with resting ape face, the wild beast has gone through quite the metamorphosis. In this lavishly animated extravaganza, he displays some human attributes and a penchant for mining gold. He listens. His eyes grow big and, sometimes, he appears to empathise. But mostly, he's the muscle that pounds, digs and slaps like the Incredible Hulk in fur, oversized necktie and ragged britches. Here, the battle is against three cliche corporate ape villains who want to get to the Earth's core, where a special wish will be granted. Donkey Kong wants to get there, too, if only for the bananas. Down, down, down he dives through miles-long pipes in an ominous Dante-like descent. Yet it's joyful, too, because he is accompanied by Pauline, a freckle-faced dreamer who wants to return to the world above. She's the constant optimist, urging Donkey Kong on when sharp thorns, burning lava or icy water sap his energy. Pauline, played by Kate Higgins, should be given her own abilities and agency. What she does have is the power of song, which helps Donkey Kong briefly transform into a brute with super strength. Her Broadway-style belting begins the process of vanquishing bosses like Abracajabya, a monstrous plant with thorn-tentacles that seek the simian like a homing missile. (The unusual enemy names seem like nods to T.S. Eliot.) Before they depart a level, Donkey Kong proudly pounds his chest like a drum, and Pauline sings, enthralling the area's denizens. A standout was Zebra Bananza , a conga-inspired tune by Pauline that sounded like a mix of Idina Menzel and Gloria Estefan. There are more than 100 songs to collect and play back. In the shop, clothes you can purchase for Pauline give the beast – not her – even more power. Playing co-op with another person allows Pauline to throw large stone exclamations like 'Wow!' They're quite destructive. But solo players who want more from Pauline are out of luck. It's easy (and generally a delight) to get lost in these worlds, especially in the Forest Layer, which houses a hotel in a tree, the trunk holding a garden and pool. In another area, exploration is rewarded with a dusty Donkey Kong arcade machine. Although the levels are limited in scope, Bananza has open-world-style terrain. You can dig almost wherever you want for fossils, which can be exchanged for upgrades or gold to be used as exploding bombs. All the burrowing, however, can lead to terrible disorientation. The camera becomes wonky, and it's difficult to find a way out of the mazelike hole you've dug. Because of this, I often avoided tunneling for items, sticking with those visible aboveground. In each town's centre, I met giant, wise beings on thrones who are also sometimes DJs. A pink headphone-wearing ostrich elder with a mane of bananas asks for help finding two halves of a vinyl album. Place them both on a massive turntable, and the ostrich offers you the power of flight. Yes, in this fantasy, flightless birds can fly. Aloft, Donkey Kong looked somewhat like the winged monkeys from The Wizard of Oz . He's more tentative, but the wings still get the pair over pink lava and closer to the planet's core. For me, the most exciting method of travel was a simple mine cart on a rail that puffed rainbow-colored smoke. As it cranked along, I could grab and pitch golden nuggets at a huge Tyrannosaurus rex head. I didn't want to stop because the game's inventiveness rarely did. While Bananza 's plot was awfully thin, Donkey Kong and Pauline always beckoned me back to this amusement park of earthly delights. – ©2025 The New York Times Company (Donkey Kong Bananza is available on the Nintendo Switch 2.) This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The Verge
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Nintendo adds new 8-bit bops.
Posted Jul 22, 2025 at 8:53 AM UTC Nintendo adds new 8-bit bops. Switch Online subscribers can now access more than 200 new tracks from NES and Famicom games via the Nintendo Music app, including Mario Bros ., Duck Hunt , Wrecking Crew , and a handful of Donkey Kong titles. That gives you some retro tunes to listen to while playing Donkey Kong Bananza .
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
I thought I was bored with the Nintendo Switch 2 — but then I played Donkey Kong Bananza
I've played platforming video games most of my life, but I've never played one quite like Donkey Kong Bananza. In fact, it's easily one of the most unique games of any genre. Going in, I expected an experience similar to Super Mario Odyssey since that core team developed the latest Donkey Kong adventure. However, while there are certainly elements of that title and other games, Donkey Kong Bananza does its own thing to a masterful degree. For an old-timer like me, it's a welcome breath of fresh air. If you own a Nintendo Switch 2, I don't have to sell you on this game since you probably already own it. That said, if you've been keeping up with our Nintendo Switch 2 restock live blog and want another reason to get excited about Nintendo's latest console/handheld hybrid, then you should read on to see why you're in for a treat with Donkey Kong Bananza. It's truly something special. Donkey Kong Bananza is available now! This game allows DK to smash his way through (and down into) the surrounding terrain. He can punch his way through mountains or head underground in search of collectibles. It's hands-down one of the Switch 2's biggest titles. Additional retailers: Amazon | GameStop| Walmart We've had games with destructible environments before, but Donkey Kong Bananza takes things to a whole new level—literally and figuratively. With some exceptions, such as steel structures, you're able to destroy just about anything you come across. That's not only technically impressive, but it opens up gameplay possibilities you don't have in other platformers. Donkey Kong Bananza has a slew of collectibles hidden across its worlds just like with other platformers. However, the difference here is that items are often hidden within the terrain. Instead of looking for items with your naked eye, you have to consider that what you're looking for could be right underneath your feet. This forces you to explore the land much differently than you would even in other 3D platformers. The verticality involved is a game-changer. The destructible terrain is also a major component for traversal. You can tear a chunk off the ground and use that piece to surf around, which can be useful if the floor is covered in thorns or poison. Likewise, some platforms only manifest when you throw specific pieces at them. I won't spoil it all here, but some of the traversal options this game offers are quite clever. Naturally, you'll face enemies and bosses that also use the terrain for offense and defense. This keeps you on your toes, since you can't just simply punch some enemies to defeat them. If you've seen the trailers, then you know Donkey Kong can turn into other animals. Some of these can use the terrain in different ways, such as being able to turn mud into gold. Discovering an enemy's weakness and using the right countermeasure never stops being fun. This last point isn't just for platformers, but video games in general. With the exception of perhaps the God of War-inspired Dante's Inferno (yes, that was a video game), I can't think of many games where the narrative has you going deeper and deeper into a planet. I'm sure others exist, but few come to mind. Working your way down to the planet's center creates a fantastic sense of progression and adventure that few games I've played can match. Given its pedigree and iconic protagonist, I knew I'd have a blast with Donkey Kong Bananza. That said, I wasn't expecting to have such a distinctive gaming experience. I've been disappointed by games that claimed to have brand-new gameplay mechanics too many times, so it's nice to see a title far exceed what I expected. Playing this game reminds me of how limitless gaming felt during the golden era of the '90s. It's a great feeling to have again, even at my age. Though I've completed Donkey Kong Bananza's main quest, I plan to dig deep (pun intended) into the post-game content. This is a game that rewards exploration, so I fully expect to be as amazed by all the things I've yet to discover. And even if it's more of the same, that's fine by me, because I'm sure it will still be a unique experience.
Metro
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Donkey Kong Bananza timeline explained: is it a prequel to Super Mario Odyssey?
The storyline of Donkey Kong Bananza has sparked numerous fan theories but what is the truth of the DK timeline and is Pauline the same one from Super Mario Odyssey? Nintendo has always played fast and loose when it comes to story connections between games, but that hasn't stopped fans from trying to apply logic to the increasingly nonsensical. The most notorious example is the The Legend Of Zelda, which encompasses multiple timelines and obscure multiplayer spin-offs. Nintendo has admitted it only considers this timeline 'to an extent' during development, as it doesn't want to restrain creativity based on whether or not a version of Link triumphed over Ganon in 1998. Donkey Kong first appeared in the 1981 arcade game of the same name, alongside Pauline (no, it wasn't Princess Peach) and 'Jumpman' (later renamed as Mario). You might think an ape who throws barrels at a plumber doesn't have much complex lore to stew over, and you'd be very correct, but the latest entry Donkey Kong Bananza has thrown up some curveballs for anyone who loses sleep over the origins of Cranky Kong. Before we dive in, here's a warning that there will be significant spoilers for the ending of Donkey Kong Bananza below. Very significant spoilers, in fact, so please don't ruin the (excellent) ending for yourself by mistake. While Donkey Kong Bananza isn't heavy on narrative, there's one major twist towards the end of the game. Void Kong may have been sold as the game's big baddie, but King K. Rool is the true final boss. The classic DK nemesis, who was last featured in 2007's Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber on the Nintendo DS, is found trapped underground, before inevitably escaping. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. King K. Rool steals the Banandium Root and after Donkey Kong and Pauline defeat him, he steals it once again and uses it to corrupt a human city on the surface (aka New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey). When you beat him again, he is sent flying away. After completing the post-game content, Donkey Kong and Pauline use the Banandium Root to ascend to the surface, as the latter wishes to sing onstage at City Hall. 'Grandmother will be so proud,' she remarks. The final shot shows artwork of Pauline performing onstage in New Donk City. While the game features a 13-year-old Pauline, it's not clear if it's the same Pauline who is the mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey. In fact, there's some evidence (albeit, tenuous) to suggest Donkey Kong Bananza is actually a sequel to Mario's adventure, and not an origin story for the singing mayor, as many originally assumed. Throughout Donkey Kong Bananza, teenage Pauline makes various references to her grandmother, who we never see. In one key scene, where the pair encounter Diddy and Dixie Kong in the Racing Layer, Pauline tells DK, 'I'm glad you got to see your friends again! But if I don't get home, Grandma will worry.' The identity of Pauline's grandma is never confirmed but there are several convincing theories. However, to understand the madness, some context is required on the history of Cranky Kong, aka Donkey Kong's alleged grandfather. While there has been conflicting details over the years, the prevailing theory is that the Donkey Kong who kidnapped Pauline in the original arcade game is actually Cranky Kong. In Donkey Kong Bananza, there's even some evidence to support this, as the elder ape makes a reference to an old rival who wore overalls. 'In my day, rivals had charisma… even in overalls!' he remarks. This is a reference to Mario, or Jumpman as he was known in the arcade version of Donkey Kong. The sequel was 1982's Donkey Kong Jr., which (if we're following the Cranky theory) features Cranky and Wrinkly Kong's son, as he tries to save his kidnapped father from Mario – in a reverse spin on the original premise. A bone of contention is whether the Donkey Kong depicted in 1994's Donkey Kong Country is actually Donkey Kong Jr. or Donkey Kong Jr.'s son. However, according to the Donkey Kong Country manual, Donkey Kong is referred to as Cranky's grandson. Essentially, this means the Donkey Kong depicted in Rare's Donkey Kong Country and onwards is actually the third generation of Donkey Kong, aka the son of Donkey Kong Jr. and another unknown Kong. With this context in mind, it's easier to imagine that there are also multiple generations of Pauline at play. In the arcade game, Pauline is only referred to as 'the Lady' or 'Beautiful Girl' and is seen with blonde hair. This is a different look from the mayor Pauline in Super Mario Odyssey, who has brown hair. While this might be a simple character redesign, or a flight of fancy with some hair dye, references to the original blonde Pauline can be seen on billboards within New Donk City. Again, it might be a nod disconnected from any narrative cohesion, but the New Donk City Festival in Super Mario Odyssey – where Mario replicates the arcade Donkey Kong game under spectacular fireworks – is referred to as the 'story of our city's beginnings'. As such, this implies New Donk City was established after the original arcade game. By extension it's possible Mayor Pauline is a descendant of the blonde Pauline, i.e. Pauline in Bananza is the daughter of Mayor Pauline and the granddaughter of the original arcade Pauline. The evidence for this is super thin but it could mean both Bananza protagonists are third generation offspring of parents with very limited imagination when it comes to naming their children. This is certainly the most satisfying theory, but there's also a strong chance the teenage Pauline is a younger version of the mayor in Super Mario Odyssey, which would place Donkey Kong Bananza as a prequel. That would mean Pauline in Super Mario Odyssey is possibly the granddaughter of Arcade Pauline, and Nintendo just skipped a generation for some reason. More Trending A question in Super Mario Odyssey supports this theory somewhat. During a quiz for a power moon, Pauline asks Mario 'which of these things did I actually do a long time ago?' where the correct answer is 'captured by ape'. While many assumed this was a reference to the events of the original arcade game and Cranky Kong, it's possible this refers to Void Kong and Donkey Kong Bananza's events – which is a nice bit of recontexualisation. Perhaps the most disturbing ramification of all this is, if you buy into the theory of multiple generations, is where does this leave Mario? Is Jumpman the grandfather of the Mario seen in Super Mario Odyssey? Is he an immortal being untethered to time itself? Perhaps thankfully, these are not questions which Bananza concerns itself with. Based on the inclusion of King K. Rool, Donkey Kong Bananza is set after the events of all three Donkey Kong Country games, and 1999's Donkey Kong 64. Redditor Espurreyes, who subscribes to the theory that Donkey Kong Bananza is a prequel to Super Mario Odyssey, has laid out a convenient timeline of the main Donkey Kong games above. Of course, there's not enough evidence from Nintendo to roll out a definitive chronology of Donkey Kong's lineage, or exactly when all the games are set, but if you enjoy pondering the family tree of a fictional ape dressed in a tie, consider your needs served. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. 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