 |
|
|---|---|
| Title | Donkey Kong Bananza |
| Developer | Nintendo EPD |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Release Date | July 17th, 2025 |
| Genre | Action Adventure, Platformer |
| Platform | Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Age Rating | ESRB – E10+ for Everyone 10+ |
| Official Website | |
I must admit, I have very little experience playing games in the Donkey Kong series. But, I did know of the titular hero and other characters from playing games from other series such as Super Smash Bros., Mario Party, and Mario Kart. And I also watched some of the Donkey Kong Country animated series when I was younger. But, when it comes to games from the actual series, I’m definitely a newbie. The most I’ve played of any Donkey Kong game was some of the beginning of Donkey Kong 64 when I was a child. I didn’t really understand what I was doing at the time, so I never beat it. When the Nintendo Switch 2 released, I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one of the systems. And what do you know, one of the titles released early in the console’s lifecycle was a new title in the Donkey Kong series, Donkey Kong Bananza. I’ve been wanting to actually play one of these titles till the ending credits hit, so of course, I jumped at the chance to review this one. Now that I’m older and a more experienced gamer, was I able to get through Donkey Kong Bananza? Was DK’s new adventure an excellent start for Nintendo’s new console, or was this first party title a rotten banana?
Donkey Kong Bananza starts off on Ingot Isle. Donkey Kong (DK) is mining for Banandium Gems (bananas) when suddenly, a dastardly villain known as Void Kong appears with his cronies. Void makes off with the many bananas on Ingot Isle, and in the process, hurls DK and the other miners underground. As DK explores this underground world, he runs into a young girl named Pauline. In order to get back to the surface, DK and Pauline must make their way further underground and reach the Planet Core. Not only that, the pair must also stop whatever Void Kong is planning, and, of course, find more bananas for DK!
The story is straightforward and easy to follow, and I enjoyed my time playing through it, mainly because of our heroes: DK and Pauline. Their relationship was really the highlight of this story. Pauline is a great singer, but at first, she’s timid and afraid to showcase her talent in front of others. But, DK always gives her a push in the right direction, helping Pauline break out of her shell and gain more confidence as they continue their adventure. Seeing her go from hesitant to sing to eagerly belting out a song was a joy to see. On DK’s end, seeing him care for another individual as much as his beloved bananas was very sweet. There’s just something about guardian relationships like this one that really warm my heart, and Donkey Kong Bananza really showcased this excellently.
Donkey Kong Bananza is an action adventure. DK can punch in multiple directions, climb up almost anything, tear off chunks of terrain, and even use those chunks of terrain to surf. Whatever terrain you see in front of you, DK can most likely smash through it with ease. As you progress in the game, DK unlocks five different Bananza forms: Kong, Zebra, Ostrich, Elephant, and Snake. In order to use Bananza, the Bananergy meter must be full. This meter can normally be recharged by gathering gold and using a Melon Juice. Each of these forms has their own unique quirk, which helps DK progress through Layers and challenges. Kong is basically normal DK with his power level turned up to 11. He’s able to bust through certain terrain that normal DK can’t. Zebra is DK’s speed form, allowing him to run across crumbling terrain with ease. Ostrich allows DK to fly and glide across the map. Elephant lets DK suck up almost any terrain he can see, including damaging ones like lava. The terrain he sucks up can be stored and used as projectiles. With Snake Bananza, DK can slow down time for a limited time and jump and reach places otherwise unreachable via climbing. DK isn’t locked to a Bananza form after transforming, he can freely switch between all five forms with the press of the directional pad, but only if there’s still time remaining for the Bananza.
Each level of this underground world is known as a Layer, and each floor within that Layer is a Sublayer. In each Layer, you usually have to take out the big boss that Void Kong has left for you and then take the big sinkhole to the next Layer. Along the way, you can find bananas scattered throughout the Layer and hidden in challenge levels. Gathering five bananas grants DK a skill point. These can be used to upgrade DK’s abilities and also strengthen his Bananza forms. Throughout each Layer, you can find checkpoints that look like tuning forks, and hitting these will auto save the game. These checkpoints are where you restart when you load the game, or in case your health runs out. In addition to checkpoints, there are places known as Getaways. Like checkpoints, these are scattered throughout Layers, but you pay gold to unlock them. Once you unlock them, you can rest in them to restore health, and depending on how many you’ve unlocked in a certain Layer, you can temporarily increase your max health. When you sleep in a Getaway for the first time, you are treated to a short talk between DK and Pauline. The topics pertain to unique aspects of the Layer or current events, and I enjoyed listening to each of them. Fast travel (known as Teeleport) is also available in this game, and you can Teeleport to any checkpoint and Getaway that you’ve already visited. In addition, you can also revisit past Layers through the use of Warp Gongs, so there’s no worry of missing any bananas or any challenges.
I had a blast with Donkey Kong Bananza’s gameplay. Using DK’s overwhelming strength to punch my way through areas was a ton of fun, and also very therapeutic after a long day at work. You could use the regular beaten path to get to your destination, or just bulldoze your way through this hill and make a nice little shortcut for yourself. Whatever you can see in the Layer, DK can most likely bulldoze his way through it. I loved how much freedom you had to traverse each Layer. And your options just open up even more after unlocking the Bananza forms. The game perfectly captured what it was like to be DK. I also appreciated how each Bananza form had a use throughout the game. Sure, there were some forms I used more than others, but none were completely abandoned after unlocking them. Enemies had no chance against DK’s power, and if DK’s fists weren’t enough, you could use certain terrain as weapons to take down the foe or one of the Bananza forms. If I had an issue with the gameplay, it’s that the majority of the boss fights in the game were too easy. All that was needed was overwhelming force to overcome those baddies. Seriously, just had to wail on ‘em until they lost all their health. Sure, I did love beating the bosses senseless and it does fit with DK’s nature, but I think adding just a little more required strategy would’ve been nice. There were really only three bosses that gave me some trouble, and one of those was the final boss. The majority of the bosses were a piece of cake, or should I say, a piece of banana cake. Despite that complaint, I had a ton of fun playing as DK and having the power to mow my way through enemies and even the land itself!
Punch your way through to the next part on page 2! ->
