My only disappointment regarding the recent launch of the  Nintendo Switch 2 didn’t have anything to do with the lack of an OLED screen or the Joy-Con 2 construction or even the battery life. Indeed, it wasn’t hardware-related in the slightest. My one knock against the system was that Donkey Kong Bananza, a game that I’ve been lauding since I first picked up a Switch 2 controller, wasn’t available on day one.

Fast-forward a month and some change, though, and Bananza is soon to hit store shelves, at last righting that singular great injustice.

I’ve been fortunate enough to spend the last couple of weeks digging deep (both literally and figuratively) into this groundbreaking title, and I’m happy to say that the initial little piece of gameplay I sampled at the Nintendo Switch 2 press event scarcely scratched the proverbial surface.

Bananza sees DK partnered with a sentient rock creature that is quickly revealed to be none other than a younger version of the songstress Pauline. Abducted by VoidCo, a capitalist cabal of sinister simians, for her powerful voice, Pauline joins Donkey Kong as he delves ever deeper into the underground world in an attempt to recover the stolen Banandium Gems and undo VoidCo’s cruel, exploitative plans—a mission accomplished through careful deliberation and peaceful compromise.

I’m kidding; it’s actually solved by a potent blend of physical violence and wanton devastation. 

Though I initially described Bananza as an updated take on The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, it’s really more of a mix between Nintendo Switch standouts Super Mario Odyssey and the Splatoon series. From the former, it draws its expansive worldbuilding and the concept of an almost seamless partnership between combat and platforming. DK’s movement is both additive, in that it drives him ever forward/up/down, and degressive, in that it blasts through enemies and the very earth itself. It’s a beautiful economy of action that makes the game instantly addictive.

Its more Splatoon-y elements include its over-the-top character design and a reliance on music as an element of storytelling. In Donkey Kong Bananza, the soundtrack does more than simply provide an audio backdrop for your continuing adventure; Pauline’s soulful melodies are tied directly to the power-ups and puzzle-solving needed to protect this deceptively fragile planet.

Controls in Bananza are wonderfully intuitive, with A and B used to jump and pound, Y to punch, and X to uppercut (which is especially useful when tunneling underground). The L trigger activates Pauline’s song, while ZL sends DK rolling. Similarly, R employs Donkey Kong’s hand slap, and ZR is used to tear up chunks of the environment to toss at enemies or surf on across hazardous materials.

With movement and camera ably handled by the left and right thumbsticks, the D-pad is reserved for supplementary actions. Use left and right to scroll through your available Bananazas, up to check your skills and character status, and down to enter photo mode. The + button takes the player to a pause screen complete with options and amiibo functionality, while – quickly switches to a nicely detailed map.

Even as you dive ever deeper into the unknown, Bananza rewards your curiosity. Challenge rooms abound, and the tests within run the gamut. Timed enemy battles, Donkey Kong Country-style side-scrolling and minecart runs, inspired environmental puzzlers, and destruction-based challenges all await, each rewarding the player with precious gold and/or hard-fought Banandium Gems.

As our dynamic duo continues ever lower, new and more fantastical environments are encountered, complete with crystalline and animal inhabitants that add a fun narrative flavor to each stratum. This helps make otherwise run-of-the-mill sublayer themes—ice and snow, verdant jungles, fiery lava pools, slimy ooze—feel unique and inviting. Plus, the further DK and Pauline dig, the hardier these destructible environments (and their sinister interlopers) become. Thankfully, Bananza has no shortage of specialized currencies to help you out.

Fossils can be exchanged for clothing that allows for customization of DK and Pauline and can add helpful buffs. Gold, available in abundance from the game’s earliest sublayers, helps build up Bananergy for the titular Bananza transformations, lets players continue after an untimely death, is employed to craft Banandium Chips into a proper Banandium Gem, and can even be used to purchase Getaways where your team can rest up to restore health.

Those prized Banandium Gems are important for leveling up DK’s skills. Collect five Banandium Gems to unlock a skill point, which can then be used to boost stats, increase the range of the DK’s item-detecting sonar, or further power up your already impressive Bananza forms.

Earned by reuniting animal Elders with their prized records, each Bananza offers a massive new form that not only increases DK’s already considerable brawn but can similarly supplement his speed and allow for things like limited flight.

The closer you draw to the planet’s core, the more gold and Banandium you acquire, the more Bananza forms you unlock, and the more mini-bosses you best, making for a wonderfully smooth learning curve as you perfect your own personal approach to combat and exploration. Backtracking is encouraged but seldom required, and Donkey Kong Bananza’s logically layered map and eel-based fast travel system make transportation a snap.

Assist and co-op modes go even further to make Bananza accessible, allowing for quicker progression and giving Pauline’s voice its own destructive powers, respectively. There’s also a DK Artist feature where future Michelangelos can try their hand at virtual sculpture… with a Donkey Kong twist. In a title already perfectly polished and packed with content, all these little extras feel positively decadent.

While long denied top billing in favor of company mascot Mario, Donkey Kong is truly a character who has stood the test of time. By the same token, Donkey Kong as a property has encompassed everything from simple arcade action to challenging platformers to puzzle and rhythm games, all without ever losing sight of how innately magical this big, buffoonish gorilla is.

Bananza manages to channel the very best elements of every Donkey Kong title that’s come before into a remarkable adventure that surprises and delights, rewarding innovation and encouraging experimentation while never failing to let fun be its true focus. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this means that Donkey Kong Bananza holds the honor of being the Switch 2’s first must-play release.

As much as I enjoy Mario Kart World, Mario Kart is an iterative affair, and while World gets so much right, it stops short of redefining the property. The Cyberpunk and Bravely Default launch titles that I’ve likewise put so much time into showcase the flexibility of the Switch 2 as a platform, but both games were also well served on other systems as well.

Donkey Kong Bananza, though? This is the system seller Nintendo’s been looking for. Maybe it doesn’t have Mario or Luigi, but it features plenty of returning classic characters and a host of exciting new gameplay opportunities that make this the most enticing Donkey Kong title to date.

Even if our primate protagonist does, at times, tend to go a little bananas.

Review and promotional materials provided by Nintendo of America. This post contains affiliate links. Kid Pauline > Baby Peach.

Source: geekdad.com