Donkey Kong Bananza Review for Nintendo Switch 2

More Than Just a Bunch of Bananas

Donkey Kong Bananza is a genre-bending adventure that redefines the franchise, blending explosive action, deep exploration, and a surprisingly heartfelt story. It’s a must-play title that feels both fresh and familiar.

At its core, Bananza is about exploration with a unique twist: fully destructible terrain. The islands are dynamic sandboxes where you can smash through cliffsides to reveal caves or topple pillars to create bridges. This mechanic encourages constant creativity, making you feel the raw power of the king of the jungle with every impactful punch.

The game-changer is the introduction of Bananza Forms, five powerful animal transformations unlocked with gold. Each form, along with DK himself, has a dedicated skill tree for deep customization. These forms are essential for solving the world’s intricate puzzles:

Kong Bananza: A supercharged version of DK with amplified strength.
Zebra Bananza: Grants incredible speed for dashing up cliffs and breaking barriers.
Ostrich Bananza: Focuses on aerial mobility with powerful gliding and jumping.
Elephant Bananza: An unstoppable force that absorbs terrain to create throwable platforms.
Snake Bananza: Offers a higher double jump and the ability to slow time for precision platforming.

The story begins with a technological blight corrupting the islands, caused by a new threat: the Void Company. Led by Void Kong, Grumpy Kong, and Poppy Kong, they seek the wish-granting Banandium Roots at the planet’s core. A younger Pauline plays a key supporting role, helping DK channel his powers. The game is full of twists, including a showdown with a blighted King K. Rool, only for the true Kremling king to emerge for a surprise final battle in the game’s deepest layer.

Getting around the massive world is easy thanks to a fast travel system, but the real magic is in the journey. Smashing the environment unearths treasure chests containing gold, consumables, and map fragments leading to greater treasures. The main collectibles are Ancient Fossils, used to unlock cosmetic outfits for DK and Pauline, and rare Banadium Gems, though most of them are optional but unlock extensive post-story content, making exploration an addictive and constantly rewarding loop.

During the exploration, after you go down a few different layers of the planet, you will kind of get used to the game loop and will know exactly what to do, but different terrain and challenges keep the player entertained throughout the game.

Donkey Kong Bananza is a triumph, respecting the franchise’s legacy while boldly innovating. It’s a grand adventure filled with satisfying discovery and a story that will stick with you long after the credits roll. I would give Donkey Kong Bananza 9 stars.

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Related: Reviews by Hemal Patel

Hemal Patel

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A gamer turned into a game developer. A huge batman fan and follower of Arkham Series, generally I like to play mostly Action and RPG genre of Games. Into the Abyss!!! PSN: AbyssRyder

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