Bananas, Bashing, and Brilliance
Donkey Kong Bananza might be the freshest thing Nintendo’s dropped in years. A 3D platformer that’s loud, lovable, and mechanically groundbreaking! This is the Switch 2’s first must-own title, and you’d be bananas to miss out.
The setup is simple. A mining disaster launches Donkey Kong into the depths of the planet, where he meets a talking stone — actually a young Pauline, long before she became New Donk City’s superstar. Together, they journey to the planet’s core. DK dreams of bananas. Pauline dreams of getting home.
Every level in Bananza is designed to be smashed to bits. DK doesn’t tiptoe — he rolls, pounds, and body-slams his way through stunning underground biomes.
On the surface: beaches, jungles, snow-covered peaks. Underneath: hidden passages, collectible-rich puzzles, and clever terrain interactions.
Ice melts lava, sand neutralises slime, and gold explodes on impact. It’s messy in the best way. DK’s movement is as smooth as ever and traversing the layers, whether you’re pounding through them or rolling and jumping is pure buttery joy.
The real magic is how easy it is to get stuck — not stuck stuck, but drawn in. Each subterranean “layer” is so full of secrets, puzzles and character-driven flavour that you’ll happily spend hours trying to 100% it before even thinking about moving on.
There really is no pressure to sprint to the finish line, Bananza really does lets you soak it all in, and you will want to.
Banandium Gems, the game’s main collectible, double as upgrade currency. Find five, and DK gets stronger, faster, or upgrades his moveset. Fossils let you buy outfits with gameplay perks. Gold, meanwhile, is both currency and throwable explosive. You can literally rip it from walls and hurl it at stone. Somehow, it works.
Then there are the Bananza transformations. The wild, musical power-ups unlocked by reassembling old records for ancient elders — which can be activated either by the shoulder buttons or amusingly by banging the joy cons against your chest!
You’ll glide as an ostrich, dash as a zebra, and bash as a metal-breaking Kong. Each form adds new traversal options and Bananza-specific challenges. All of it is soundtracked by upbeat music, courtesy of Pauline, whose voice powers DK’s transformations.
Her singing sequences are adorable, Disney-level sweet, and bring genuine emotional depth to the chaos.
Whether you’re five or fifty-five, Donkey Kong Bananza is pure platforming joy: bold, bright, smashing, and impossible to put down.
Words by Zak Baker
