Donkey Kong Bananza

Donkey Kong Bananza came out under a lot of pressure. Not only is it the first 3D Donkey Kong game in over 25 years, but it's also the first major single player experience to launch exclusively on the Switch 2. Right from the start DK Bananza delivers, and continues to deliver throughout it's (rather long) runtime. The game is a collectathon at it's core, complimenting that with snappy platforming and the central destruction mechanic. While it's no surprise that Nintendo delivered a great 3D platformer, what is surprising is the quality of storytelling present. What begins as a simple journey to the planet's core turns into a wild goose chase with some twists and turns that I was absolutely not prepared for - in the best way possible. Like Astro Bot and other great collectathons, DK Bananza offers a range of different collectables that vary in difficulty to attain. The bananas in particular were so fun to seek out and attain that I found myself scouring each level in search of more. Each level offers it's own theme and characters; it was fun to wonder what level might be waiting underground next. The music is another slam-dunk, with a broad range of songs across several genres - my favorite were the sneaky club bangers in the challenge courses. As you travel the world, you will also come across randomly dropped vinyl records which unlock songs to be played at your houses. DK Bananza blew my expectations away, and sits firmly as a quintessential 3D platforming experience. If games like this are the standard on the Switch 2, then we'll be eating good.

Play it for the:

• Destructive environments
• Surprisingly engaging plot
• 3D Donkey Kong magnificence

Reviewed on 2025-7-24

The boss battles are super high-octane! Muckety Muck here was my favorite.