‘Donkey Kong Bananza’ review: Mario’s old rival comes out swinging

Donkey Kong is Nintendo’s original superstar but it’s Mario that gets all the best adventures. From 1985’s side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. to 2017’s 3D wonderland Odyssey, every Nintendo console has featured at least one innovative addition to the plucky plumber’s legacy of platformer perfection. Meanwhile Donkey Kong has had to make do with a supporting role in various multiplayer party games, how own serviceable 2D titles and the naff ‘DK Rap’.

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Bananza changes all that though with the big ape stealing the spotlight in Nintendo’s first major Switch 2 release since launch day. It’s a game that finally puts some respect on Donkey Kong’s name.

On the surface, Donkey Kong Bananza is the spiritual successor to the galaxy-sized romp of Super Mario Odyssey. It’s made by a lot of the same team and like Odyssey, our hero spends his time travelling to different environments, each with their own unique set of challenges and locals, to save the day. There’s even a helpful companion that offers advice and encouragement.

Here, everybody’s favourite chimp gets caught up in a quest to stop the greedy VoidCo gorillas from destroying different underground sanctuaries that exist beneath the tropical Ingot Isle. See, the planet is rich in gold and the cackling Grumpy, Poppy and Void Kong want it all for themselves. All the action may take place underground but each new subterranean layer showcases a colourful paradise of quirky characters and highly enjoyable gameplay.

To assist him on his heroic mission, DK teams up with teenage popstar-in-the-making Pauline, who needs to reach the planet’s core so she can return home after her own run in with VoidCo. Along the way there are plenty of shiny objects to collect – ‘Fossils’ can be used to customise outfits that also provide a range of different perks, ‘Gold’ can be used to unlock new areas and ‘Banandium Gems’ improve DK’s health, skills and strength. A bounty of challenges are buried across the land that pay homage to the character’s long history. The action always feels fresh, even if it’s familiar territory for anyone who’s played a 3D Mario game before.

Bananza never feels like Mario in a gorilla suit though. While the plumber solves almost all of his problems by jumping over or on top of them, Donkey Kong simply batters through them. Each of the themed sunken worlds provides an entirely destructible environment for you to rampage across. Pummelling through mountains with Kong’s massive fists is heaps of fun but it also adds a new dimension to puzzle-solving. Clods of earth can be ripped from the ground and tossed at circling enemies or used to build new paths. A wall of lasers standing in your way? Simply dig your way underneath them.

As you delve deeper, new powers become available. Harnessing Pauline’s singing voice, DK temporarily transforms into an even more unstoppable brute. He can take flight via ‘Ostrich Bananza’ and dash about the place using ‘Zebra Bananza’ – with plenty more safari-themed hijinks to be discovered as the game goes on. You’re free to unleash these beasts whenever you like as well.

There are occasional issues with the camera that make it feel like you’ve been buried alive as you frantically dig for buried treasure, while a co-op mode offers a simple way to distract an annoying younger sibling rather than anything more meaningful. You can’t accuse developers of laziness though thanks to DK Artist – a separate, highly-addictive mini-game that lets you paint and craft rocky sculptures. It’s a better showcase of the Switch 2’s new mouse controls than anything we’ve seen so far.

Mario is often the strait-laced, focused man caught up in an increasingly bizarre series of unfortunate events, but the goofy, impulsive Donkey Kong has heaps of personality that’s allowed to shine throughout the smashing Bananza. There are chest-thumping celebrations whenever a new hidden land is unearthed and the banana-themed puns come thick and fast. As you’d expect from a character who had his very own rhythm game (2003’s Donkey Konga), the music is an absolute treat too – all remixed classics and funky new bangers.

It’s been eight years since the last 3D Mario platformer so it’s safe to assume Nintendo are currently hard at work creating the mustachioed wonder’s next epic – but for now, it’s Donkey Kong that’s king.

‘Donkey Kong Bananza’ is out now for Nintendo Switch 2