Those hoping to scratch that classic 3D platforming itch during the Nintendo Switch 2 launch window will find exactly what they’re looking for with Donkey Kong Bananza.
The spiritual successor to 1999’s Donkey Kong 64 should make the absence of a dedicated 3D Mario platformer at the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch go down a lot easier.
While Mario Kart World will undeniably be the showcase launch title most players will pick up when Nintendo Switch 2 releases in June, there’s a certain novelty to Donkey Kong Bananza – purely because it’s the first time Mario’s oldest rival has starred in his own dedicated 3D platformer in over 20 years.
The question is, will the king of the jungle’s modern solo outing feel distinct enough from what’s come before? Well, after getting to play roughly 20 minutes of it myself at a recent hands-on event, I can comfortably say yes. The emphasis on environmental destruction suits the mighty ape’s inherent strength perfectly, which – when coupled with some neat Joy-Con 2 functionality and the ability to climb almost anything, helps to give Donkey Kong Bananza a delightfully bombastic edge.
For my demo I was thrust into an area that started off deep underground, where I was quickly encouraged to smash and bash my way out of a spiralling cave system in search of the next closest diamond banana bunch. You’d think the simple act of repeatedly smashing your way through walls would eventually get tiresome, yet actually there’s an incredible amount of satisfaction that comes from having locations function as your own personal breakable sandbox. It obviously helps that the Nintendo Switch 2’s new-and-improved HD rumble is a lot more nuanced in its execution, offering up more precise vibrations whenever I had Donkey Kong pummel whatever malleable obstacle lay ahead of me next.
Otherwise, Donkey Kong Bananza follows a traditional formula of most other 3D collect-a-thons for the most part, charging me with rampaging through a series of isolated hubs, hoovering up whatever treasures I can, while roaming around for secret areas. The difference here, however, is that environments being so destructible means such locations and items could be hidden pretty much anywhere.
In fact, as well as jumping being tied to the A button, and Y button letting Donkey Kong punch forward, Nintendo is so eager for you to literally get stuck into these vibrant worlds, that hitting the B button has been dedicated to having DK punch down… and down, and then down some more. There is a limit to how far you can go, of course, but it’s incredibly generous.
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Monkey see, monkey do
The result is a type of exploration that comes across as more forgiving and less precise in its execution than, say, Super Mario Odyssey, but it feels liberating and more unwieldy than what we’ve come to expect from Nintendo games of this ilk (in a good way!).
Eventually I gained the ability to clap Donkey Kong’s hands together, which in addition to revealing the location of buried items whenever I stood close to a tuning fork, also doubled up as a way to instantly pick up any nearby coins. It’s a smart solution that saves time I otherwise would have spent picking up items one by one – not too dissimilar to the manner in which Metroid Prime lets Samus soak in power-ups by charging her arm cannon.
While it probably would have been enough for Donkey Kong Bananza to drop you into these wildly destructible environments and call it a day, there’s one major way it impacts and influences gameplay. At anytime, holding down the necessary button will see DK grab a piece of the world out from under him, where he can then use it to aim at any pesky flying enemies to and fling it at them rather precisely using the Nintendo Switch 2’s gyro controls.
I played the entirety of my Donkey Kong Bananza demo in this way with one Joy-Con in each hand, every so often punching the air physically to reflect these actions in game, and even beating my own chest to have Donkey Kong do the same.
By the time proper climbing exploration and certain walls only able to be destroyed after being hit by certain thrown materials were introduced, it was made instantly clear to me that Donkey Kong Bananza boasts a tad more mechanical depth than I initially thought. Don’t get me wrong, it’s just as chaotic and surprisingly freeform as its debut reveal trailer made it seem, but there’s plenty of creative method to Nintendo’s apparent madness – most of which helps render Bananza surprisingly distinct compared to the recent barrage of 3D platformers released on Nintendo Switch.
What leaves me more excited than the inherent destruction, though, is the variety found within DK’s creative toolset. In one secret level, for instance, the emphasis was purely on overhead climbing, letting me bash enemies from above while dodging swirling platforms and obstacles.
It might not be the Nintendo 3D platformer most of us were expecting, but for now, Donkey Kong Bananza is a really nice surprise that plays rather uniquely and looks amazing. Granted, any Nintendo Switch 2 game is probably going to look good running at a closed-off event on a 4K screen, but even still, this spiritual successor to one of Nintendo’s more divisive takes on the format seems like a great way to usher in the new handheld’s era.
I already can’t wait to punch, bash, and slam my way through even more worlds in search of those coveted diamond banana bunches while discovering what different type of treats doing so will inevitably lead to.
Donkey Kong Bananza is set to launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17, 2025.
