This was essentially my third time playing Donkey Kong Bananza, but without doubt, this was the one that sold me on how big of a moment this is for not only Donkey Kong, but also just open-world Nintendo games in general. My brief hands-on with the game previously had left me with more questions than answers, but after four hours with the game where I got to experience three of the worlds, it was very clear that Donkey Kong Bananza is set to be one Nintendo’s most ambitious and expansive games yet.
Whilst I can’t speak to the progression style of the game, because the one thing that was still locked down was how to get from world to world (or layers as they’re called in the game), the three layers that I did get to experience were extremely vast and full of different areas to explore, challenge levels to complete and more collectibles that I can remember in a Nintendo game.
As much as it feels like an obvious comparison to make, I actually feel like the game is a mix between Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The game has obvious ties to Super Mario Odyssey in its design (we’re assuming it’s the same team at this point), but I also feel like the team was heavily inspired by Breath of the Wild as well.
The challenge levels are all hidden in shrine-like doors (or tunnels) and feel much more separate to the world as they did in Breath of the Wild. Similarly, the game feels a lot more expansive with the ability to not only tackle the layers, but also each individual battle and challenge in a number of different ways, really allowing your imagination to come into play.
The three layers that I got to experience in this demo were the Lagoon Layer, which is the bright and vibrant water filled level that we’d already seen in other demos, the Canyon layer which is set far up in the sky focusing on mines as well as the Forest Layer which is extremely lush and vibrant. Whilst all three layers share the destructibility factor, they also have key differences in how they use elements in order to get around them.
For instance the Lagoon layer focuses on water, with Donkey Kong needing to use water levels in order to progress and reach different areas, the Canyon layer is all about using the iconic mine carts to get from section to section across the world and the Forest Layer allows you to throw seed at wood to grow plantation to reach new areas whilst trying to avoid poison. For those that really get obsessed with the destructibility factor, there’s also a lot of different stats you can look at for each of the elements in the game in terms of how much you’ve smashed up.
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In addition to different enemies, each layer also seems to have environmental factors that can hurt you, for instance, the Canyon layer has lasers that you need to dig under to get around, and the Forest layer has thorns that can only be smashed with objects. I was actually really surprised with how tough this was for a Nintendo game, but granted it also has a very extensive skill tree, both for DK himself, but also each Bananza power-up and there’s also costumes for both DK and Pauline that can also provide passive buffs and they can also be leveled up too, so there’s a good amount of depth there.
Another element that helps out is the ability to build little houses on each layer. These act as little safe houses with the ability to change costumes and sound tracks and each one that you build (on a specific layer) will add an extra heart to your line-up every time that you sleep at one of them.
Speaking of those new Bananza transformations, Kong Bananza allows you to become a giant, angry version of Donkey Kong that can smash through anything (and I have to say that his thick cheeks are extremely distracting), and I also got to experience Ostrich Bananza who can float through the air and also drop bomb eggs (an unlockable skill). I didn’t get to see how these are unlocked, but my suspicion is that they’re tied to unlocking layers, and as far as I can tell, you can use them on any layer and even go between them whilst active, so I suspect this will make for replayability and going back to older layers to reach new areas.
These are timed power-ups that last a short amount of time, but equally, it doesn’t take a lot of time to build it back up, which you do by collecting gold rock by defeating enemies or smashing objects. I am eager to see how these play-out long term and if you have to use them in sync to reach areas or defeat certain enemies, but if I left my other hands-on previews feeling like the smashing might get repetitive, the Banazas absolutely put this fear to rest.
The other element of the game is Pauline, who is able to guide you to your next mission by singing, but she really shines in co-op which will be available locally on Nintendo Switch 1/2 or online over GameShare on the Nintendo Switch 2 with one copy of the game. Using Pauline, you’re able to attack using your voice with words visually flying through the air at enemies. This is where the strength of the new Joy-Cons were shown off with your cursor being able to be controlled by analogue sticks, gyroscope or mouse controls, which I did on my lap and it worked very well. Pauline can also copy the elements from different materials, which you can time with DK’s throws to intensify the attack.
Given each mini-boss that I got to experience really used different levels of destructible structures as their defense, playing in co-op was a great way to tackle them, as it allowed one person to be focusing on taking down the defense, and then Donkey Kong could follow up his projectile attacks in order to take down the mini boss.
Whilst this is absolutely a different look Donkey Kong game, there’s loads of old-school references for long-time fans of the series. There’s 2D side-scrolling challenge levels that feel like classic Donkey Kong but also mix in the new destructibility really well, there’s classic items such as balloons that will save you when you fall off the edge, there’s barrels and the previously mentioned mine carts to get around, loads of OG characters in the likes of Cranky Kong and Rambi (and Diddy/Dixie as revealed by the Direct) and there’s also loads of musical throws backs as well.
I touched on it earlier, but in addition to the Banandium gems that you’re collecting (think Moons from Super Mario Odyssey), there’s also incredible fossils to find all over the place as well, which I think come together to build different animals and objects, so there’s good incentive to collect them.
The game has so much happening on-screen at any given time, but for the most part, the performance is incredibly solid. Without doubt this will be the showcase title for the Nintendo Switch 2 and it looked stunning at 4K with HDR on the Samsung OLED display. There were a few tiny drops here and there and I didn’t get to play the game on handheld at all, but I was really impressed with the performance.
Even after four hours with Donkey Kong Bananza, I feel like I was barely just scratching the surface (ha), and I’m really excited to see what other secrets the game hold. This is absolutely going to be Donkey Kong’s big moment, and I suspect it’ll equally be a big moment for both Nintendo and the Nintendo Switch 2 as well with them successfully taking a 45 year old gaming character and totally re-inventing what we thought was possible as they’ve done so many times before.
Donkey Kong Bananza is out on July 17th exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. Amazon has the cheapest price at $99 with free shipping HERE.
