The Nintendo Switch 2 was released back in June, and while it sparked some controversy due to the high price tag, it turned out to be one of the fastest-selling video game consoles in history. During this early time in a console’s lifespan, Nintendo usually releases a traditional big triple-A game; However, instead of another Mario or Legend of Zelda game, they released their first Donkey Kong game since 2014.

The plot of “Donkey Kong Bananza” is pretty simple: Donkey Kong is mining for bananas until a mining company named the Void Company steals all the bananas and pushes the mining town, Ingot Isle, below ground. Underground, Donkey Kong meets a young singer named Pauline, and the two must travel to the center of the plant to ask for a wish to help Pauline return home. 

While the plot is simple, I liked how the game had time for good character development for both Pauline and Kong. For example, Pauline starts out suffering from stage fright, but overcomes it to become more confident in herself towards the end of the story. Also of note, is the ending of the game, that I won’t spoil, but is one of the greatest surprises I have seen in a video game, because of the comeback of a certain character.

The core gameplay is great, with Donkey Kong having very smooth controls that are satisfying to play. I also like how satisfying and natural breaking the terrain around you feels, especially using the different forms called Bananzas. The Bananzas are a great mechanic in this game, where you can change from different animals using Pauline’s singing, with each of the five forms having their own unique set of skills and abilities that work well. 

The Bananza forms are Kong, Ostrich, Snake, Zebra and Elephant. Each form has unique powers. For example, with the Elephant Bonanza you can suck up any of the nearby terrain with your trunk, including hot molten lava, which does make breaking things around easier. I do like how integrated each form is and how they can help you in a situation, either fighting, exploring the vast world or solving puzzles. 

I enjoyed some forms more than others–the Elephant, Kong and Ostrich–because they feel a lot stronger. I didn’t really like the Snake form, mostly because of how bouncy and hard to control it can be. It reminds me of the spring power up from “Super Mario Galaxy,” though not as bad. 

Another major part of this game is the skill tree, where you can improve your skills by gathering bananas in every world called ‘layers’ and using them to help Donkey Kong become stronger, along with gathering fossils to buy new clothing that helps Donkey Kong in defense, recover health and much more. Because of this, the game encourages you to go exploring, as you can find more bananas and fossils to improve during your adventure. 

The soundtrack of this game is really good. It includes both original songs and remakes of old classic Donkey Kong songs. The songs Pauline sings when transforming into different forms that are surprisingly fun. I liked how some songs set the mood of the layer, like tropical music for a tropical theme level, or very eerie music for the snow level.

I do have a few minor complaints of the game, such as its difficulty. Some of the bosses were too easy and simple, by just either throwing things or dodging very simple attacks. Then again, this game seems like it’s meant to be kid-friendly, so maybe the intention was to be simple enough that young kids can learn how to play without difficulty. 

Another complaint I have is some performance issues towards the end. The game was running pretty smoothly throughout my playthrough, until I got to the final boss. There were some moments where there was so much stuff spawning on the screen that my frame rate got messed up on my TV screen, that made it harder to avoid the attacks of the boss and the game itself was very slowed down making it feel a little awkward to control.

Overall, “Donkey Kong Bananza” is a great game I would recommend to anyone with a Switch 2 because of its large sandbox worlds, great music, good gameplay and a pretty good plot. You get to explore new worlds in one of Donkey Kong’s biggest adventures yet after being missing for a decade. Nintendo absolutely delivered with this game, and I hope they will have new ideas for Donkey Kong in the future. 

5/5