🍌 “I Thought I Knew Donkey Kong… I Was Wrong.”

I booted up Donkey Kong Bananza expecting a nostalgic jungle jaunt. What I got was a full-blown banana-fueled fever dream of brilliance. This game doesn’t just swing from vines; it detonates them, then lets you rebuild the jungle with voxel-powered chaos. I’m still reeling.

This is not the Donkey Kong you remember. It’s not a side-scrolling platformer with barrels and bananas. It’s a full-scale 3D adventure with destructible environments, emotional storytelling, and gameplay mechanics that feel like Nintendo finally let DK off the leash. And the result? A game that punches expectations in the face and then hugs you afterward.

The first thing that hits you is the environment. Not just how it looks, though the voxel-based rendering is stunning, but how it responds. You can punch through cliffs, collapse bridges, tunnel through terrain, and even reshape entire areas to solve puzzles. It’s like Minecraft met Metroid Prime, but with more fur and sass.

I accidentally triggered a landslide that opened a secret cave, and the game rewarded me for it. I didn’t even know that was possible. The terrain isn’t just a backdrop—it’s a playground, a puzzle, and a weapon. And it’s all powered by the Switch 2’s beefed-up hardware, which handles the chaos without a hitch.

Donkey Kong doesn’t just roll and jump anymore. He transforms. Into a mole. A rhino. A chameleon. Each form has unique traversal, combat, and puzzle mechanics. The mole lets you burrow through walls. The chameleon can mimic enemies. The rhino? Pure destruction. It’s like Kirby’s powers got a gym membership and a vendetta.

These transformations aren’t just gimmicks, they’re deeply integrated into the game’s design. You’ll need to switch forms mid-combat, mid-puzzle, and mid-platforming. It’s fluid, intuitive, and wildly fun. And the animations? Chef’s kiss. Watching DK morph into a mole with a determined snort is worth the price of admission alone.

Pauline isn’t just a sidekick, she’s a musical powerhouse. Her campfire songs unlock emotional flashbacks, and her voice acting is shockingly good. I didn’t expect to cry in a Donkey Kong game, but here we are. Her bond with DK is tender, funny, and surprisingly deep. It’s like The Last of Us, but with bananas and jazz.

She’s also a gameplay asset. Her songs can calm wild animals, reveal hidden paths, and even manipulate time in certain areas. It’s a mechanic that feels fresh and magical, and it adds a layer of emotional resonance that’s rare in platformers.

There’s a new collectible: Banandium. It’s used to upgrade your camp, unlock transformations, and bribe jungle NPCs (yes, really). One monkey merchant demanded 50 Banandium and a dance-off. I lost. I laughed. I farmed more. It’s addictive in the best way.

The economy is surprisingly deep. You can invest in jungle outposts, trade with wandering merchants, and even influence local wildlife behaviour. It’s like Animal Crossing snuck into Donkey Kong and brought spreadsheets. But it works. It adds depth without bogging down the fun.

The game runs at a silky 60fps with dynamic lighting that makes jungle sunsets look unfairly gorgeous. The haptic feedback lets you feel every punch, stomp, and vine swing. When DK lands a ground pound, my controller shudders like it owes him money.

Load times are practically non-existent. Transitions between overworld and underground zones are seamless. And the audio? Crisp, punchy, and full of jungle ambiance. You’ll hear birds, bugs, and the distant roar of something you probably shouldn’t approach—but will anyway, because this game makes you feel invincible.

The bosses are wild. A crocodile general with a flamethrower tail. A psychic toucan who warps reality. A giant banana golem who quotes Shakespeare. Each fight is a spectacle, and none of them play fair. I died. A lot. I loved it.

These aren’t just pattern-based fights they’re dynamic, multi-phase battles that test your reflexes, your transformations, and your ability to improvise. One boss fight had me switch forms five times, use Pauline’s song to freeze time, and then punch a volcano into submission. I’m not exaggerating.

The puzzles in Bananza are clever, layered, and often hilarious. One had me mimic a monkey’s dance moves to unlock a door. Another required me to burrow through a maze while avoiding explosive fruit. They’re never frustrating, always rewarding, and often laugh-out-loud funny.

And the best part? The game never talks down to you. It trusts you to experiment, fail, and figure things out. There’s no hand-holding—just smart design and a sense of playful challenge.

Between the chaos, there are quiet moments. DK and Pauline sitting by a fire, reflecting on their journey. Flashbacks to DK’s childhood. Letters from Cranky Kong that reveal a surprisingly tender side. These moments are beautifully written, subtly voiced, and emotionally resonant.

It’s a side of Donkey Kong we’ve never seen before. Vulnerable. Reflective. Human. And it works. It makes the action feel earned, the stakes feel real, and the bananas taste sweeter.

Yes, the camera occasionally gets lost underground, and some skills feel underused. But when a game is this inventive, joyful, and packed with surprises, those flaws barely register. They’re the kind of quirks you forgive because the rest is so damn good.

10/10 — A Jungle-Sized Surprise That Swings for the Moon and Lands in a Volcano

I didn’t expect Donkey Kong Bananza to be the game that made me fall in love with the Switch 2. But it’s not just good it’s legendary. It’s the kind of game that makes you text your friends at 2AM saying, “You NEED to play this.”

It’s chaotic, heartfelt, and endlessly fun. It’s a celebration of everything Donkey Kong can be and a promise of what Nintendo’s future might hold. If you own a Switch 2, this is your must-play. And if you don’t? This game might just be the reason to get one.

Want a parody ad campaign next? Something like “Bananza: Punch First, Ask Questions Later” or a DK rap revival? I’ve got bananas worth of ideas.