Donkey Kong Bananza was a game I was not super interested in when it was first announced earlier this year. But I can confidently say that after buying the game on the day of release, Donkey Kong Bananza is hands down one of the best Nintendo 3D platformer games of all time.

To provide some context, Donkey Kong Bananza is made by the same team that made Super Mario Odyssey, my favorite platformer game of all time.

Super Mario Odyssey was released in 2017, and still has not received either a prequel or a sequel, but Donkey Kong Bananza is a prequel to Mario Odyssey in disguise.

With Donkey Kong Bananza being an early launch title for their new system, The Nintendo Switch 2, this game fully takes advantage of what the system is capable of. Graphically, the game looks amazing, runs at 60 frames per second and has HDR support, and has a fully destructible environment in all the worlds you visit.

My favorite gameplay element of this game was absolutely the Bananza Transformations. These are obtained throughout the game, and can change Donkey Kong into a snake, zebra, ostrich, elephant and a larger, enraged version of himself.

The Bananza transformations all have unique gameplay mechanics that are used to not only progress the game, but also connect to secret areas in some of the earlier worlds in the game. For example, the snake transformation is the last one you get, but in the very first world, “Ingot Isle” one of the bananas requires you to take advantage of the snake’s ability to double jump.

With bananas being the main collectible in the game, each time you collect five of them you get a skill point. These can be used to increase Donkey Kong’s punch strength, his overall health, or even give you the ability to hold more equipment, such as the apple juice. Along with that, the skill points can also be used to upgrade abilities within the bananza transformations as well.

Similar to Super Mario Odyssey, there are different accessories that you can unlock by collecting fossils. These accessories range from overalls, different types of ties, fur colors for Donkey Kong and even outfits for the young sidekick, Pauline. Not only do these outfits just add more personalization to the game, but they also each have their own effects that can help you throughout the game.

With everything mentioned above, not only does it keep the gameplay loop fresh, it also adds an immense amount of replay value to the game upon beating the main story.

Where Donkey Kong Bananza shines very bright is its story. Donkey Kong and Pauline both journey into the core of the earth in search of the “Banandium Root” a magical item that is able to grant wishes upon its retrieval.

While Donkey Kong uses it to get his wish of unlimited bananas, Pauline’s wish is to get back to the surface so she can pursue her dreams of singing. Upon reaching the core, you accidentally free the notorious villain in the Donkey Kong series, King K. Rool.

This plot twist was perfect, with this being the first ever 3D Donkey Kong game, and the newest Donkey Kong game in over a decade, seeing him return, and how they managed to bring him back, was astounding.

And to wrap it all up, the final boss battle with K. Rool was a great callback to Super Mario Odyssey. One of the most memorable worlds from that game, New Donk City, is the stage for the final battle.

Donkey Kong Bananza was a game I was not expecting to enjoy anywhere near as much as I did. If you have a Switch 2, this game is an absolute must-have. And along with that, it just recently received a paid DLC pack for even more content to enjoy post-game.

Final Rating: 9/10

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