Considering the Switch 2 has already posted absurd sales, it didn’t need another system seller after Mario Kart World, but that’s exactly what Donkey Kong Bananza is.
The team behind 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey returns to deliver a love letter to the burly primate, making the genius decision to transform Nintendo’s hairiest mascot into its version of the Incredible Hulk.
Unlike Bruce Banner’s alter ego, though, there’s nothing clumsy about Bananza. After 20 hours of pulverizing every perceivable object in my path and harmonizing with Bananza’s incredible fluidity, I’m convinced Nintendo has constructed one of the best, most replayable platformers of the modern era.
It’s one massive, multi-layered (literally) playground that prioritizes perpetuating the power fantasy of piloting a lovable ape and his newfound friend to the depths of a planet, fist-first.
Donkey Kong Bananza screenshots
What is Donkey Kong Bananza about?
On the hunt for all things bananular, Bananza opens with DK and pals mining for the (apparently?) subterranean fruit. Disaster strikes shortly after, and a trio of Team Rocket-like thugs, the Void Company, arrive to interrupt daily life.
Intent on reaching the planet’s core to steal a wish from the all-powerful Bananadium Root (get used to the puns), DK teams up with a liberated Pauline, formerly captured by Void, to chase after the miscreants.
During their travels, the duo discover numerous biomes and tribes that call the planet’s lower layers home. From the Fractones (immortal, living crystals that regenerate when you inevitably decide to give them a wallop) to anthropomorphic birds, zebras, and monkeys, it’s a zoo down here.
Unsurprisingly, Bananza’s structure is reminiscent of Odyssey. Each layer of the planet is its own stage and biome, often divided further into sublayers. All are gigantic theme parks littered with collectibles, secrets, and distractions.
Stay a while, do some exploring, and then, when you’ve had your fill, head to the main objective to unlock the next layer.
I’m going deeper underground
You wouldn’t know that the majority of Bananza takes place below a planet’s crust. The deeper DK and Pauline go, the more outlandish the set dressing gets. From jungles and holiday resorts to industrial theme parks and disco halls, Bananza’s environmental eye candy is a sight to behold.
My chief concern before starting the dive was that Nintendo would sacrifice tight level design for the sake of playing up to the game’s central gimmick of being able to destroy almost (there are limits) any object or terrain.
There’s a lot of dead space beneath DK’s feet. To encourage mindless descent, you can find currency and maps signposting collectibles, but the system works best when it allows players to forge their own path through a stage.
All of the destruction wrought by your hands is reflected in the map. It’s an unnecessary but welcome detail that documents your path in real time, and I found myself flicking to it often just to get a sense of the mayhem left in my wake.
As varied as each biome is, though, it’s Donkey Kong himself, or rather, how precision-perfect he feels to control, that’s Bananza’s biggest triumph.
Monkey business
I like to think it’s no coincidence that Bananza’s second layer, the Hilltop, is a vast, open plain. I lost countless hours here, not as a result of collecting bananas or progressing, but simply learning the way of Kong.
With plenty of room for him to flex his potassium-packed muscles, I started stringing together various traversal options and attacks, learning how our primate protagonist could leverage those to his advantage.
Oddly, Devil May Cry came to mind numerous times during training. That’s not to say you need to remember exhaustive combo inputs synonymous with Capcom’s series, but the fluidity is comparable. I’d repeatedly come back to Hilltop after unlocking new skills and transformations just to test how I could incorporate them into my play.
Ripping a chunk of stone from the ground, mounting it like a spinning top to skim across water, and then dismounting by throwing it in an enemy’s gob is an example that, written down, just doesn’t do the satisfaction justice.
I can absolutely envision speedrunners coming up with mind-boggling level skips or strategies within weeks of release. The room for emergent gameplay is huge.
Verdict
From start to finish, Donkey Kong Bonanza is a riot. I wrapped up my journey to Bananza’s credits in a little over 20 hours. Your mileage will vary wildly depending on how much optional content you decide to invest time in, but that’s the beauty of it.
If you’re not big on collectathons, there’s still plenty of game here for platforming purists to enjoy. I can’t recommend enough taking on the various trials – think Shrines from Breath of the Wild – littered throughout the world, though, especially if you’re a fan of 2D Donkey Kong.
While performance issues were largely nonexistent in handheld mode, quite severe frame rate drops were commonplace when docked, especially during certain boss battles. This doesn’t take into account any day one patches that may or may not arrive on release, and not egregious enough that your enjoyment will be hampered.
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