Donkey Kong Bananza Review: A Groundbreaking Franchise Evolution

• Release Date: July 17, 2025
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
• Developer: Nintendo EPD (Entertainment Planning & Development Division)
• Publishers: Nintendo

Despite being one of Nintendo's legendary characters (predating even Mario), it's been a quarter century since Donkey Kong headlined a fully 3D adventure in Donkey Kong 64.

Largely due to Rare's departure to Microsoft in 2002, the ape has been somewhat sidelined, with a shift to 2D titles and experimental spin-offs.

With the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, the ever more impressive Odyssey team of Nintendo's EPD has brought 3D Donkey Kong back to the spotlight with Bananza as a flagship game to sell the console in the early era of its lifespan.

Using the voxel technology originally developed alongside Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Bananza features environmental destruction as its central mechanic to evolve the franchise's usual formula. The story follows DK as he dives through layers of the planet in search of Banadium Gems (big crystal bananas).

Along the way, Pauline joins him as his companion as they venture deeper to face danger, traverse challenges, and unlock animal transformations powered by her music. The pairing seems strange at first, but it opens up the emotional depth of the story with the presence of a voice-acted character.

Stick around to find out if Bananza meets the hype and is ultimately worth your time and money.

Our review for Donkey Kong Bananza was conducted using the Nintendo Switch 2.

Environmental destruction fits Donkey Kong and his franchise perfectly

Similar to how Breath of the Wild took a historic step forward with the introduction of elements from the survival and open world genres, adding environmental destruction is a fit made in banana heaven.

Using the game's voxel tech, you have the freedom to reshape the world, exploring and solving problems in ways that will be unique from player to player. The tactile feel is incredibly satisfying.

You have DK's classic punches and slams that are satisfying in themselves, but the animal transformations that you unlock and can swap between can really push the limits of your imagination in ways that no other 3D platformer has offered.

Serves longtime fans while being a perfect entry point

In typical Nintendo fashion, Donkey Kong Bananza is truly for everyone. The game requires no previous knowledge of who Donkey Kong and Pauline are, but you'll be rewarded with lore if you are a fan

In a way only Nintendo can, Donkey Kong Bananza is truly for everyone. Whether you're an OG fan from the arcade era or introducing it to a child as their first time playing as DK, it's just plain fun.

You'll run into familiar faces throughout the journey, but there are plenty of new creatures and characters. While the environmental destruction serves to build upon the legacy, there are also clear nods like side challenges that pay homage to the franchise's beginnings with shifts to 2D.

New musical soundscapes from Pauline's presence and Bananza form "theme songs" previously unexplored angles to the palette while still serving some classic tunes. Overall, it's a potent balance of old and new, fresh yet nostalgic.

A Collector's Dream

From Fossils and Gold to the titular Bananas, the layers of the planet are packed with meaningful collectibles. There's always something around the corner, and you'll often be rewarded for going off the beaten path (by literally beating a path into existence) and experimenting with your abilities.

Everything you pick up benefits you in some way, from opening up side quest challenges, buying clothing for DK and Pauline that grant passive bonuses, contributing to your skill tree progression, and even terraforming the map with convenient ropes and barrels.

Lastly, unlike Mario Odyssey, where your progress was gated, you have total agency to skip collectibles entirely or go for 100% completion.

Pacing stalls toward the story's midpoint

While Donkey Kong Bananza has a great opening start, it falls into a formulaic rhythm at certain points during Act 2.

This is because each Bananza transformation unlock level follows a similar flow of: running into an obstacle, collecting objectives to unlock the new Bananza ability, and then using the new ability to solve the obstacle. Naturally, it felt a bit like some levels were essentially tutorials for the new mechanics.

This is made up for later on in the game when things ramp up, and you need to start putting together your full range of tools, but the journey there does have some less tantalizing portions.

Skill Tree can be underwhelming

While it's generally satisfying to be able to spend your hard-earned Banans on upgrade choices, the actual Skill Tree is surprisingly conservative. The vast majority of nodes offer incremental quality-of-life improvements, such as a slightly larger pickup radius or increased base health, rather than game-changing abilities.

There are upgrades to Bananza transformations, but since those are only available in spurts and relevant in situational instances, we found ourselves shoehorned toward the universally useful options.

It would've been great if there were more impactful choices like the Jump Shot, which let you double jump if you were holding a piece of terrain, but perhaps the dev team thought it would be too game-breaking or complex.

Has issues with challenge level

Since the launch of the Wii, Nintendo has geared itself toward being more family-friendly, with its difficulty floor across the board becoming more accessible.

Similarly, for Donkey Kong Bananza, the general challenge of most of the main story is low enough for younger kids and less-experienced gamers to handle.

If you're looking for tougher aspects, you'll have to find them in side challenges, hard-to-reach collectibles, or self-imposed limits. Without doing so, you might find the game very easy.

However, the game does have a noticeable jump in difficulty in the last few layers and boss battles, which might be frustrating for lower-skill players, but it's certainly doable with a few more deaths.

9/10 (A Groundbreaking Return to 3D)

If you're a Nintendo fan who knows the journey of the company and the current landscape for their recent design philosophies, you'll love Donkey Kong Bananza.

Despite a slight loss of momentum midway through the game, it more than makes up for it with an amazing ending that stands alongside some of Nintendo's best finales.

The new direction for the franchise fits perfectly with the Donkey Kong's, it's hard to see destruction being removed in the next few installments. We hope to see a follow-up a la Tears of the Kingdom, perhaps including some of the other Kongs in a more central role.

While being a great game, we can't confidently say that it's a big enough reason to buy a Nintendo Switch 2 alone, especially if you aren't a Donkey Kong fan. However, if this is the new standard for 3D Donkey Kong, the 26-year wait was well worth it.