Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
Genre: 3D Platformer, Open World, Action, Destruction, Nintendo IP

I do give Nintendo a lot of flak when they’re either rereleasing games at full price for their current console, making new entries of games that just feel like the same ol’ bulls***, or charging us US$80 for a goddamn kart game with less features than the last one they made. They’re an easy target -big corporation that gets away with too much, obnoxious fanbase, and a good number of media glossing over their many, many faults just so they can give the same old Zelda title a distinctive score.

However, when they hit gold, I’ll bite and give them credit where it’s due. I guess what I’m saying is that Donkey Kong Bananza is sublime 3D platforming actioning. Even broken gold clocks can get the time right once in a while, right?

Banana Barrage

Made by the same team in charge of the awesome 2017 Switch launch year title Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Bananza puts you in the non-shoes of Donkey Kong whose quest is to help his new singer-in-training small friend Pauline get to the centre of the literal earth they’re on. Oh, and also amass as many gold bananas as possible to power up DK.

How do the duo accomplish their journey? By bashing his way through the terrain and stages ala Red Faction series and Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, digging his way through the ground to get to his destination. Part of the fun in DKB is that the first 30 minutes of the game lets you go hogwild with the destruction, carving new paths, and solving most of your problems with your fists in creative ways. This ethos carries on up until the end of the game, with a few boss battles that do require both brute force and brains to defeat. Stages in DKB are dished out in layers, with each of them having their own themes and environments, as well as new kinds of terrain to play around with (and smash). You have your ice stages, your forests, your lava-filled areas, and even areas that require you to go “super saiyan” via the Bananza powers.

You’ll eventually meet up with your first Elder who, after a short quest, will grant you these powers that amplify DK’s abilities and grant him new ones. One moment you’re in DK Bananza mode and your punches can deal with even the toughest of barriers, while in Zebra Bananza mode you can run superfast even on literal thin ice. Ostrich Bananza lets you fly and use updrafts to get higher and higher, while Snake Bananza is a nod to Rattly from the Donkey Kong Country series where you can double jump and charge jump (as well as punch stuff), as well as the added bonus of slowing down time temporarily via snake gaze. These powers are not only fun to use, but are also necessary in dealing with later challenges and platforming segments. Heck, some of the tougher parts require you to change forms on the fly.

Collecting gold bananas aren’t just for show: every five gold bananas grant DK with a skill point, which you have to use to gain new abilities and power up existing ones. These skill upgrades include (but not limited to) getting more life, powering up your punches to break through tougher terrain, give you a double jump (via ground toss), widen your “sonar” powers to detect hidden collectibles in the ground, and even surf on a chunk of terrain longer. Yes, DK can not only tear off a chunk of the earth to toss at foes, but also ride it like a surfboard onto hazards or just get to places faster. DKB’s many, many layers is your playground to sort out, and there’s no gatekeeping involved. No need to collect X amount of main currencies to progress; just complete one quest after the other just like any normal game. I appreciate the fact that the collectibles laid out here are optional, but do contribute a lot if you spend the time scouring the earth for them instead of making them mandatory; that is one Donkey Kong Country tradition I can do without.

What’s also optional are the extra stages you can check out, usually locked out by the game’s Void barriers that you can easily dismantle with Pauline’s singing. These stages are either enemy fights under a time limit to stages that test your platforming and understanding of DK’s abilities and Bananza powers. Half the time I’m going through the story mode and enjoying the new characters introduced like Grumpy and Poppy Kong (who will probably have more fan art on the internet due to her look). The other half is me just digging through the layers participating in killing enemies as fast as possible, or climbing through hazards while searching for extra golden bananas. There’s also a post-game to sort out once you’re done with the story, which will delight tons of completionists and 3D platform aficionados.

As someone who loved all the SNES DKC titles, DKB is a love letter to the series while also dishing out new challenges and fresh levels in 3D form. This is also very apparent in the last hour of the game, which is an epic set of stages and climactic fights that herald the return of a certain iconic character in the DK lore. Heck, I’m done with the game after 10 hours, and I’m still on it just to power DK more, breaking stuff just to get more golden bananas and fossils to buy extra clothes and drip for DK and Pauline. Yes, even the clothing lets you mix and match buffs, be it making your transformations longer or just take less damage from certain hazards.

Simian Segue

My only nitpick here is that the camera sometimes cannot keep up to your speed of destruction you wrought; there’s this one stage that takes place wholly underground that accentuates this issue. Thankfully, it’s only this one stage among the plethora of other areas that just impresses, and even then it’s still fun to tunnel through the literal trash you’re in.

I’m really trying my damndest to find fault in this platformer, and so far it’s all in vain. That’s all well and good, because Donkey Kong Bananza is clearly a must-have 3D platformer to add to your barren (for now) Nintendo Switch 2 library. The controls are peak, the level designs and layout are god-tier Nintendo design & ingenuity, the destructibility options are plentiful and never get old, the setpieces and boss fights are fun (especially the aforementioned climax), and there’s a post-game bunch of challenges to keep you further entertained. What’s not to love?

While I’m happy to take the Big N down a peg when they’re complacent and being greedy little s***s as a corporation, I’m just as happy giving them praise when they do right for its audience. Donkey Kong Bananza is that rare case where credit is definitely due. Feel free to go bananas with this long-awaited return of DK being the star of his own adventure; I know I did.

Pros

• Gorgeous-looking graphics & lovely soundtrack.
• Fun levels with open-ended solutions.
• Spot-on controls.
• Bananza Powers are just great to use.
• Simple-yet-lovely story with big payoff.
• The last hour of the story, coupled with an amazing climactic boss fight.

Cons

• You have to buy a Switch 2, which is kinda pricey right now.

Final Score: 100/100