Donkey Kong Bananza marks a major return for Nintendo’s iconic gorilla. It’s Donkey Kong’s first full 3D adventure in decades, and this time, he’s doing more than jumping across vines. You’re diving underground, smashing terrain, and collecting golden bananas with Pauline along for the ride. It’s a fresh direction that feels overdue.
Developed by the Super Mario Odyssey team, this Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive trades moons for Banandium and hats for fists. The result is a platformer that blends exploration, destruction, and light RPG systems. You’re digging through levels, unlocking new skills, and punching through just about anything in your way. I’ve played plenty of 3D platformers over the years, but Donkey Kong Bananza stood out. The movement is quick and satisfying, and tearing through mud, rock, or metal never gets old. The levels are full of secrets, and each upgrade you unlock gives you more ways to experiment.
Donkey Kong Bananza is a smart evolution of a classic series. It plays differently, but that’s part of what makes it work.
Donkey Kong Bananza details
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch 2
Developer(s): Nintendo
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Genre: Platform, action-adventure
Modes: Single-player, multiplayer
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
A journey into the core
Donkey Kong Bananza kicks off on Ingot Isle, where golden bananas are being mined. Things go sideways fast. A mysterious meteor crashes into the island and traps Donkey Kong underground. He’s not alone for long. That strange rock from the intro? It’s Pauline. After transforming back into human form, she joins DK on his descent into the planet’s core.
Their goal is simple. DK wants more bananas. Pauline wants to get home. But standing in the way is Void Company, a shady mining group that stole the bananas and sent DK underground. Each new layer reveals more about the company and its strange obsession with the Planet Core. The story never gets too serious, but it has more charm than expected. Pauline chats with DK during downtime at Getaways, which are small shelter areas found in each layer. These quiet moments help build their friendship and give the game a bit more personality.
After one boss fight, Pauline joked about DK’s banana obsession, and I actually laughed out loud. It’s those little lines that make their back-and-forth feel natural. Nothing dramatic, but it works. You’ll also meet a mix of strange characters along the way. Some characters help you out, others put up a fight, but most just say a few lines before you move on. While the story remains light throughout, it works as a reason to keep going deeper.
There’s just enough here to stay interesting. It doesn’t try to do too much. The focus stays on Donkey Kong, Pauline, and their descent, which gives the game a clear direction from start to finish.
Smash and dig
Donkey Kong Bananza focuses on exploration and destruction. Every area is packed with breakable terrain, secret rooms, and hidden bananas to uncover. DK can punch through rock, sand, dirt, and even metal once you unlock certain upgrades. Movement feels fast and punchy, with smooth transitions between rolling, jumping, climbing, and smashing.
You’ll spend most of your time digging through layers, clearing challenges, and picking up Banandium Gems. These are used to upgrade DK’s skills, giving you new moves like double jumps, faster charge punches, and stronger attacks. Each skill has a clear use, and I ended up switching my approach depending on what I unlocked next. There are also transformation forms like Ostrich and Zebra Bananza, which give you new movement options and help solve layer-specific puzzles. Speed challenges, flying sections, and strength-based objectives all come into play depending on the form you’re using.
There’s also a Smashin’ Stats menu that tracks how much terrain you’ve destroyed. It’s a fun way to see how much chaos you’ve caused in each area, and it ties into milestone rewards for extra gold. Assist Mode is available too. It highlights your next objective and helps guide you through tougher sections. You can turn it on or off whenever you want, and it never gets in the way.
One of my favourite moments was when I stumbled across a challenge that recreated a 2D Donkey Kong Country level. It caught me off guard, and I ended up replaying it three times just to grab everything. Stages aren’t just large. They’re layered with sublevels that often connect back in clever ways. Some even hide fossils or upgrade shops off the main path. Boss fights are simple but satisfying, especially once you power up.
There’s always something new around the corner. Whether it’s a challenge room, a hidden area, or just more stuff to smash, Donkey Kong Bananza keeps things moving.
Loud, colourful, and packed with detail
Donkey Kong Bananza is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, and it makes good use of the extra power. The visuals are bold and saturated, with chunky, destructible terrain that breaks apart cleanly. From bright jungle floors to rocky underground layers, each area has a clear theme and plenty of detail. Donkey Kong’s new look is more expressive than ever. His facial animations are exaggerated, goofy, and often hilarious. Pauline looks great too, and her expressions add a lot of personality. Whether they’re chatting at a Getaway or reacting to something ridiculous, the expressions always land and make the moment better.
The UI is clean and easy to follow. You always know what to do and where to head next. Load times between layers are short, and transitions into side areas are nearly seamless. One moment made me stop and just watch DK punch through a wall of crystal. The way the shards scattered and caught the light was surprisingly satisfying. It didn’t need to look that good, but it did.
Performance is solid most of the time, though there are dips. When you’re tearing up large chunks of terrain, the frame rate can drop. It’s not constant, but it’s noticeable during bigger action sections. Camera movement mostly keeps up, but it sometimes struggles when you’re rolling quickly or smashing through tight spaces. It only takes a quick flick to reset it, though, so it never caused real issues.
The sound is just as fun as the visuals. Each area has its own music that fits perfectly, and I caught myself stopping more than once just to listen. Smashing through walls or landing a charge punch always sounds great. Pauline’s voice work adds a lot, and her singing gives certain moments a nice boost. It all fits the tone and keeps things feeling lively. The overall look and feel of Donkey Kong Bananza is sharp and playful. It never aims for realism, but the destruction effects, expressive animation, and quick load times all add up to a smooth ride.
Team up in local or shared play
Donkey Kong Bananza supports local co-op, and it’s more than just a bonus mode. A second person can control Pauline using a shared Joy-Con 2 controller setup. Her role focuses on support, using her singing ability to open paths and solve puzzles. The setup is simple. You split the Joy-Con 2 controller and explore together, with DK doing the smashing and Pauline helping along the way. It works best when you’re playing side by side.
There’s also a GameShare option that lets you share your copy and play co-op remotely. It’s a smart way to bring someone else in without needing two copies of the game. Co-op doesn’t change the level design or add puzzles that require two people, but it’s still fun having someone along for the ride. The game plays just fine on your own, but if you hand off a second controller, both players stay involved and have something to do.
It’s not a huge part of the experience, but it’s a fun way to break things up. Sharing the adventure with someone else adds just enough variety without overcomplicating things.
Donkey Kong Bananza turns destruction into pure fun
Donkey Kong Bananza surprised me. I didn’t expect it to be this good or this fun to stick with. From the moment DK got dropped into the mines, I was hooked on smashing everything I could reach. Movement feels great, the destruction is satisfying, and every layer has something new to mess around with. Even after hours of digging and collecting, I kept finding reasons to go back into each sublevel.
There were nights I said I’d stop after one more banana. Then I’d unlock a new form or find a side path. Suddenly it was an hour later. That kind of pace only works when the game feels good the whole way through. And it does. The skill upgrades, transformation abilities, and challenge variety all work together without ever slowing things down. There’s always a reward for exploring, and even the smaller surprises kept me curious.
Not everything is perfect. The camera slips up sometimes, and the framerate dips during larger destruction moments. But neither one pulled me out of the experience for long. Donkey Kong Bananza isn’t your typical platformer, and that’s what makes it work. It’s smart, creative, and consistently fun. It knows exactly what kind of game it wants to be and sticks with it from start to finish.
Here’s a snapshot of the pros and cons:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| DK’s movement feels smooth, fast, and fun to control. | Frame rate dips during large-scale destruction. |
| Levels are layered with secrets, subareas, and creative challenges. | The camera can struggle in tight or fast-moving areas. |
| The terrain destruction is satisfying and central to exploration. | |
| Skill upgrades and transformations keep gameplay fresh. |
Overall assessment of Donkey Kong Bananza
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Graphics: 4.5/5
Sound: 5/5
Lasting appeal/Replayability: 4.5/5
Overall rating: 4.6/5 (92%)
Donkey Kong Bananza is not just a great Donkey Kong game. It’s a great platformer, period. As a launch window title, it sets a high bar for what’s next on the Nintendo Switch 2.
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