Available on: Switch 2
Played on: Switch 2
Donkey Kong Bananza just missed the train (or more appropriately, mine cart) on being a launch title for the Switch 2 by a scant few months. But this innovative platformer is easily a system-seller, and every bit as clever and engaging as Super Mario Odyssey was for the original Switch — with the added benefit of a unique cooperative mode perfect for families with younger gamers.
Read on for our co-op review of Donkey Kong Bananza!
As Above, So Below
Calling Donkey Kong Bananza a 3D platformer is a bit of a misnomer. Sure, there’s jumping, but DK is all about the punching and smashing.
From the very beginning of the story, we’re introduced to an almost completely smashable world, organized into just-right size layers. Kong’s goal is to reach the wish-granting Banandium Root at the planet core with his new charge, a young Pauline, with each layer acting as a level or boss battle arena.
Real-time terrain deformation isn’t exactly a new concept — just ask Minecraft, one of the most popular games in the world! But to have a hand-crafted, brightly colorful game engage with the joy of destruction, is more than just novel.
Tearing through the ground, punching stones, and quickly scaling cliffs triggers a playful euphoria in kids and adults alike. Every sublayer becomes a playground, and that’s before you factor in the actual playful stuff: bouncing gels, blasting barrels, gravity-defying stones, and more.
Have Monkey, Will Sing
Pauline (whose existence is technically a surprise reveal, but also all over the trailers) is DK’s constant companion, dutifully riding on the big ape’s shoulders. Her burgeoning singing voice is used to unlock certain barriers with the touch of a button. More importantly, her singing also transforms Donkey Kong into his titular Bananzas – super-powered animal forms that are unlocked as you progress through the story.
One of my few complaints is how underused these super-forms ended up becoming. The base game is easy enough, and DK’s smashing effective enough, that the forms are only needed in very specific situations, such as having to dash over dissolving terrain with the Zebra form, or vacuum up lava with the Elephant.
In co-op play, the second character controls Pauline — though “controls” may be a bit too strong. Pauline remains mounted on Kong, leaving the second player aiming a new reticle on the screen — where they can freely blast her super-sonic, super-destructive voice.
You’ve been holding out on me, Pauline!
Her aimed shouts are just as strong as DK’s punches, and can be done in rapid succession, and at range — meaning the Pauline player can absolutely demolish enemies and obstacles before DK even gets close. When battling enemies, and especially during boss battles, co-op Pauline is a huge asset and makes the easy game even more trivial.
But there’s a flip side.
That same rain of destruction could easily be aimed at your own feet, or the cliff you’re climbing, or the platform you’re trying to jump to. Especially if you have a sadistic little gamer who giggles at your misfortune as you stumble around. Just like that, your helpful ally has become your worst nightmare.
Oh, Banana!
The goal may be to reach the planet core, but players will spend the majority of their play time seeking, earning, and unlocking bananas. Those coveted giant glowing fruits hold the key to powering up DK’s abilities, whether its increasing his health and powerups, granting new moves, or upgrading the many unlockable Bananza forms.
Every five collected bananas grants a skill point, and most abilities require multiple skill points to advance. That’s a lot of bananas!
Thankfully there are lots of bananas to find, whether hidden in the ground or sky, rewarded from boss battles, or found in challenge rooms.
Donkey Kong Bananza takes a cue from the recent Zelda open world games with mini-challenge rooms littered throughout each sublayer. These rooms utilize whatever recent puzzles or enemies that layer has thrown at you, such as turf-surfing over thorny ground, scaling walls with moving enemies, or diverting ice cubes into trays. I got a big kick out of the retro rooms, replicating the old Donkey Kong Country 2D levels in all their nostalgic glory.
The challenge rooms are entirely optional, but a great way to earn more bananas, and sometimes even finding the room itself can be a challenge.
DK can also find and collect fossils hidden and buried around the sublayers. Fossils can be traded in for new clothes that provide minor stat boosts or enhancements. Plus, cute outfits for Pauline, and palette swaps for DK!
Bananas and fossils drive exploration throughout each sublayer, while giving Donkey Kong an almost RPG-like experience of growing stronger that not even Link can boast. Pauline is great, but the bananas are the real secret sauce to Bananza’s success.
The Rating
Donkey Kong Bananza is rated E10+ with Fantasy Violence, by the ESRB. DK is a bit more violent than Mario with his constant punching and rock-throwing, and he can also punch and blast the many NPCs he comes across — but it’s entirely played for laughs (and the cute rock guys instantly rebuild themselves). See our full Game Picker entry for further details!
The Takeaway
Donkey Kong Bananza stumbles a bit at the end, with a finale that just keeps going and going and going. And though I never came close to grabbing every banana or fossil in my 25-hour playthrough, we had an absolute blast. Whether playing solo or with a co-op partner, Bananza is a breath of fresh dirt in the genre, and a must-play for Switch 2 owners, and especially for families. Just be prepared for a bit of patience and grace when playing co-op with zealous younger players!
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