Donkey Kong Bananza Review

Every review of Donkey Kong Bananza is going to mention how it’s been a very long time between new instalments — and it has — but the more interesting thing this time is that Donkey Kong is now truly back in Nintendo’s hands. Revealing that it’s the Super Mario Odyssey team behind it, with a completely different and younger director at the helm, makes it clear that it was time to bring DK back home. Not just with a new look, but a new life — and Nintendo’s certainly done that. Donkey Kong Bananza might be a little bit Odyssey, a little bit modern open world, but it’s entirely its own thing — a true 3D platformer in every sense of the dimensions.

Donkey Kong Bananza has a story — and unlike most Nintendo games, where I’ll say the story is there but not super important because it’s just a thing that happens, that isn’t the case here. This time, DK teams up (eventually) with a 13-year-old Pauline to traverse and dig through the Underground World after a rival group of primates, VoidCo, steal all of Donkey Kong’s Banandium Gems, causing Ingot Isle to sink into the planet. DK and Pauline take off after them, hoping to reach the planet’s core and make a wish to return to the surface.

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Any other Nintendo game might leave it at that and reveal a bit more at the end, but here, DK and Pauline’s relationship and abilities evolve throughout the game — not just in terms of gameplay, but also through the stories they share and the bond that grows between them. It’s actually really heartwarming stuff. It’s not some deep, cinematic, exposition-heavy thing either, but it does show a more ambitious side of Nintendo.

We’ve had 3D Donkey Kong platformers before — well, just once — and that was a very long time ago. Almost nothing from that game, or the excess it brought to the genre in the late ’90s, is present here. Donkey Kong Bananzamoves at a much brisker pace than his larger stature would suggest, and it’s a fun game of traversal, not just across the world, but through it.

Above ground, Donkey Kong moves through levels that twist and turn in all directions, like a hopped-up version of Link from Breath of the Wild. He can climb, slide down rocks, roll, and generally move just about anywhere. But the real action isn’t up above — it’s down in the ground. Bananza is a true 3D platformer, with DK able to move freely through Layers, smashing through almost anything in his path. The core of each Layer is preserved, and some surfaces DK can’t climb or break through, but most of it is up for destruction.

Hidden throughout these Layers are Banandium Gems, crystal-like bananas stolen by VoidCo that DK is desperate to get back. They’re the main collectible in Bananza, and gathering them unlocks new abilities on DK’s skill tree to make your journey easier. But unlike Mario Odyssey, progress in the game isn’t strictly tied to how many you’ve collected. The story can play out whenever you choose to follow it. You don’t need a set number of items to move forward (at least not until much later). You can simply play through the story and return later to collect the rest.

It’s not just the big-ticket Gems either. There are fossils to collect that unlock different outfits for DK and Pauline, as well as dyes to recolour DK’s look. Fossils are tracked per level, and outfits offer small buffs, mostly useful in the level where they’re found. You won’t need to dig through every inch of a stage either — treasure chests scattered around often contain maps, items, and tools to help with your search.

Then there’s gold, probably the most important resource in the game. Gold is scattered throughout stages and buried underground. You’ll spend the first few hours of the game just smashing everything in sight, uncovering all sorts of things while collecting gold. It can be spent in shops, but also used to unlock features within levels. Architectones accept gold to create Getaways, which act as rest points where you can recharge, warp to, change outfits, and buy supplies. Pauline also shares more about herself and their journey at these spots, and it’s genuinely charming.

Constructones are another helpful service. They build bridges, place barrels, and remove obstacles for a fee. Gold can even be used offensively — nearly any surface can be picked up and thrown. Mud isn’t much use, but a chunk of concrete or a rock makes for a handy projectile.

Scattered throughout the levels are Breath of the Wild-style shrine challenges, where DK is transported out of the Layers and into time-based trials or platforming segments that feel a lot like Sunshine‘s secret levels.

Not that DK needs it — he’s as powerful as ever, now enhanced with multiple different Bananzas. These skills, passed on by the elders of the Underground and boosted by Pauline’s singing, transform DK into a kind of Super Saiyan version of himself, an ostrich that helps with flying, and a zebra that not only moves faster but also lets DK walk on water and zip across crumbling surfaces.

Bananzas are activated by pressing L and R, which kicks Pauline into a song. The power lasts for a limited time, and you refill the transformation gauge by smashing things and collecting gold, which is almost everywhere — so there’s no real need to worry. You can also carry some Juice to trigger a transformation in a pinch.

Aside from puzzles and character-specific platforming sections in the Layers, these abilities are needed for boss fights, later levels that require different tactics, or even just shortcutting your way around. Once you’ve transformed, you can switch forms on the fly using the D-Pad — though I recommend mapping them to the GL and GR buttons if you’re using a Pro Controller.

However, there’s one thing about the transformations — and even my three-year-old pointed it out like a character asking where Poochie went — where’s DK? Aside from the Kong Bananza, which is great fun and lets DK cut loose with even more power, some other transformations, while entertaining at first, start to feel a bit shallow. The ones you unlock later, when the game leans on them more heavily, are especially underwhelming (aside from one). Donkey Kong is fun enough on his own, and after waiting so long for a new DK game, being forced to play whole sections with the weaker transformations made the late-mid to early-end part, especially when repeated boss encounters appeared, a little flat.

Also, as hinted at in the trailer, there’s some racing in this game. But aside from Mario Kart, Donkey Kong’s history with racing is either cancelled or painfully average, and Bananza doesn’t really change that. It’s some middling racing action against some returning characters, who feel like they’re there more for nostalgia than anything – but if they’re coming back why not everyone else? But hey, we haven’t seen them for ages either – so I’m not going to complain.

Speaking of, the game is littered with throwbacks and reminders of Donkey Kong’s past. Nothing as in-your-face as Super Mario Odyssey with its 2D Mario sprites appearing in the game world, but there are plenty of nods and hints to the Rareware-era Donkey Kong — including a remake of the first level of Donkey Kong Country, which you’ll have seen in the game’s trailer, and it’s spectacular. Explore a little and see what you find. It’s great to see Bananza lean into the nostalgia without overwhelming you with it. It’s much more subtle, and I’m sure I’ve missed some references myself.

The game’s nostalgia also carries through into its amazing soundtrack — but it’s not stuck in the past, with more than enough new material to become future classics. Pauline’s songs while DK is in Bananza mode are almost all bangers, and you’ll need to like them because they play every time you transform (though you can turn them off if you want, since they sometimes override other great tracks). Classic tunes from all eras of Donkey Kong are here, remixed in the slick new style Nintendo’s been leaning into lately. There are even some hints of Odyssey’s music and sound design as well.

Donkey Kong Bananza looks as good as it sounds. Mario Kart World, while a looker and technically impressive, had a free-roam world that felt a little sparse outside the manicured tracks due to its speed. That’s not the case here in the Underground. Bananza’s multiple rich biomes feel lived-in, authentic, and full of atmosphere — especially the ones with more extreme weather.

Nintendo has said the game originally started development on the original Switch before moving to this new console once it became clear the previous hardware couldn’t handle it. But it’s not just the scale of the world or the action that would’ve held it back. There’s so much going on with the environment, from large-scale destruction to real-time construction during boss fights, that simply wouldn’t be possible without the extra grunt.

There are also enemies galore, including multiple little balls rolling around that react to the environment — all of it tracked persistently across the game. It’s just nice to play something that looks crisp and runs well, whether handheld or docked — at least most of the time.

There are moments, particularly in boss fights or during other intense sequences, where the game drops to 30fps or even lower. These drops happen during some spectacular scenes, and in the moment, you might not notice because there’s so much going on — but they are there. All this is just little niggles in an otherwise amazing experience. Like Odyssey, once the credits roll, it’s not actually over. It took me around 25 hours to get through the story, and I’d barely scratched the surface (pun intended) of most of the Layers.

It’s not flawless, but what they’ve done here is take a character who’s been out in the wild and bring Donkey Kong back home, with Nintendo putting its own stamp on DK in a fresh new way. Like Breath of the Wild and Odyssey, Nintendo has taken a cornerstone character, thrown out most of the rulebook, but kept the soul. Donkey Kong Bananza feels like a blueprint for DK’s future, and a reminder of how ambitious and richly designed Nintendo’s games can be. Bananza is here now, though—and it’s really something special.

Rating: 4.5/5