RIB Game News

It is most definitely a BANANZA!

With unique and spectacular environments that you can traverse by either climbing your way up monkey style or rampaging, quite literally through, Kong style, Donkey Kong Bananza is everything a fan could ask for, combining 3D platforming with utter destruction and chaos, all wrapped in a perfectly ripe banana. Most readers would be aware that in this Nintendo Switch 2 era Donkey Kong has undergone a slight design change, one that initially saw some banana fans go sour. As an initial skeptic myself I’ve found this iteration to be more animated and expressive, allowing a greater characterisation beyond the crucial and now not exclusive obsession with bananas. This in turn enables the story, which is usually a minor background element, to have some actual heartfelt moments.

You cannot draw attention to this game without noting the impeccable sound design. The score can stand on its own and helps craft whatever appropriate atmosphere relevant to the world you are in, but the sound effects are on another level entirely. If you do not find yourself chanting “OOOoooohhhh BANANA!” upon discovering every sweet treat, sorry, something is wrong with you. It’s not only the collectables that have an alluring jingle, the combat as well delivers on every single punch, whether it’s simply pummeling through the ground to traverse around or wailing down on an enemy, every blow, and I mean every blow has a pleasurable crunch.

The incredible level design is another feature of this game that cannot be understated, it so naturally encourages you to wander around every nook and cranny in search of irresistible bananas. The worlds themselves are diverse and varied each with their own unique characteristics. An absolute favourite of course being the fast food themed amusement park. Yes, the fast food themed amusement park. This is in addition to several other unique worlds like the lagoon fishing village, the tunneling landfill layer and the fruit filled resort world.  

Something else worth mentioning is the combat itself, it is not exactly ground breaking, instead it leans into every gamer’s innate urge to just mindlessly spam and indeed the game does make the traditional button mash enjoyable and ever satisfying. This does not however stand out as a remarkable flaw, the unique variety of bananza abilities more than make up for this, of which I will not elaborate anymore on for fear of spoilers and ruining the sheer awe that comes with discovering them. Though it must be known that the bananzas are something else, they really provide the next level of excitement to an otherwise already astounding game.

All in all, Bananza is an exceptional addition to the Donkey Kong franchise and a great start for the Switch 2, it extends upon the platforming success that was established in Mario Odyssey, adding even more character and unparalleled destruction. This game It is not just a banana, it is a delicately crafted, ornate banana split, saturated in charm with a drizzle of chaos.

P.S. At times the framerate drops due to the sheer amount of chaos unfolding on screen, but this almost feels like a feature, allowing players time to process the utter mayhem.