The Nintendo Switch 2 is about to get its second must-own title in as many months. Following the new console's launch with Mario Kart World, another fan-favorite Nintendo mascot is set to shake things up.
I had the privilege of playing the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza at a preview event on June 24, and after just a handful of hours and different gameplay scenarios, I can confidently say that we have a contender for a whole new standard and high bar for when it comes to 3D platformer games.
To start off the event, Nintendo representatives confirmed to those of us on hand that Bananza was developed in-house at the company by the same team that made Super Mario Odyssey. This was assumed by most after the Nintendo Direct that detailed DK's latest open-world romp, but to have it set in stone was a big deal for everyone in attendance.
Super Mario Odyssey is one of the most beloved games of all time, boasting a 97 average score on Metacritic, so that team's next adventure has been long awaited. And so Nintendo gave Donkey Kong's reins to those same devs, and from what I played, they nailed it yet again.
Donkey Kong Bananza is all about smashing, punching, destroying, discovering, and exploring a giant open world, moving downwards towards the core of the game's location, Ingot Isle, which is built to be terraformed. Three of the Switch 2's face buttons are dedicated to punching (B punches down, Y punches straight, and X punches up), giving Donkey Kong the ability to level most anything in his path.
Punching through rocks, grass, dirt, and everything else you can imagine (different kinds of terrain material has different strength or 'HP'), DK can discover all sorts of hidden treasures, collectibles, and Banandium Gems that he can use to acquire skill points and unlock upgrades like increased health and improved abilities.
Running around and spamming the punch buttons to absolutely level the playable area is cathartic as hell, and will serve as a good replacement for those places where people pay to smash things in a closed room. DK can also slap his hands together to create a sonar-like effect to see special items within the terrain in his vicinity, and you can upgrade its range to make it even more effective.
When not punching, jumping, or rolling, DK is also able to pick up chunks of the environment and throw them, either to destroy walls or terrain in his way or to take out enemies from a distance. This felt like a crucial part of the gameplay, especially when dealing with flying foes.
In this new adventure, DK is joined by a young version of Odyssey's Pauline (fully voiced this time around), who forms a "fun and endearing duo" with the big monkey, and Nintendo told us that Bananza is "as much about her as it is about him." This is felt through the gameplay, where Pauline functions as partner, narrative driver, and key part of the gameplay.
Pauline's singing voice can be used to unlock objectives and side missions, and she has her dedicated button on the controller (L). If you get lost, you can hold the button and she will sing you towards the nearest objective, but the real fun is had when she sings a song while DK beats his chest and can transform into different animals via Bananza powers.
At the event, we got to play as the Kong Bananza and Ostrich Bananza, both of which have their own upgrade trees within the menus, but there are more that have yet to be revealed. With Kong Bananza, DK gets bigger and stronger and can charge up his punches to take down heavy obstacles in his way, while Ostrich Bananza allows DK to glide over long distances and drop egg bombs on unsuspecting enemies beneath him. A Zebra Bananza was also shown at the recent Nintendo Direct, so there appears to be a good amount of variety that can be unlocked through story progression.
Pauline can also be utilized in local co-op, as a second player can use the JoyCon mouse to use an on-screen cursor that picks up any material on the screen to then sing/scream words at enemies in what can only be described as feeling pretty overpowered. I experienced a boss fight against Grumpy Kong, which was doable in solo play, but when I picked up the JoyCon mouse to play as Pauline while a Nintendo rep played as DK, we absolutely nuked him.
Donkey Kong Bananza is destined for countless hours of smashing through terrain to discover unlockables and upgrades, including treasure maps that show special items on a 3D overview of the area, new clothes that offer different abilities, and several different currencies that can be used within the world at different merchants.
There's also quite a varied amount of different time limit challenge levels that can be found within each area, such as combat missions where you must defeat a set amount of enemies in a period of time, destruction missions where you have to completely level a building, and even side-scrolling levels similar to Donkey Kong Country. And of course, there are mine cart sections, too.
Before I knew it, my time with Donkey Kong Bananza came to an end, and I was fiending for more. Even in a public setting and on a strict time limit, I found myself relaxed as I got into the cadence of running around as a lovable ape, smashing everything in my vicinity. I will be doing all of that and more in the comfort of my own room when the game launches on July 17.
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