Donkey Kong Bananza Reviews
Smashing and crashing his way to a new generation, Donkey Kong is well and truly back with Donkey Kong Bananza. Each layer is an absolute joy, with largely destructible environments that are jam-packed with secrets and hidden goodies. It's visually stunning, too; incredibly colourful and a true showcase of what the Switch 2 is capable of, with lots of variety. With so many collectables to find and a lot of nostalgic nods to D.K.'s long history, it's a must-have platformer that nails the brief and lives up to the legacy of Nintendo's greatest hits.
With Donkey Kong Bananza, DK is back in a big way. It blends new tech with old-school Nintendo charm for a destructive experience that is both intoxicating and addictive. While Pauline's storyline is underdeveloped, this is easily Donkey Kong at his absolute best. Regardless of some minor blemishes, Donkey Kong Bananza deserves a place in any self-respecting Switch 2 owner's library and, much like Super Mario Odyssey before it, sets an incredibly high bar for all that will follow.
Despite some of its flaws, Donkey Kong: Bananza perfectly fills a niche hungry for a colourful, joyful adventure, which provides a lot of unrestrained fun. The game draws extensively on the ideas from Super Mario Odyssey, with the addition of great mechanics of dynamic destruction. I have my fingers crossed that further games designed for Switch 2 will prove equally successful.
Review in Polish | Read full review
launch support, DK and Pauline adventure is already a great game at day one, albeit too simple even for Nintendo standards. A triumphant level design and a mesmerizing destruction rage will accompany both veterans and newcomers to the center of the earth.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Donkey Kong Bananza is a game so committed to its premise you can't help but revel in the gorgeous, destructive genius of it all. Constantly building to a spectacular finish and incorporating the most comprehensive post-game experience I have seen in a Nintendo game to date, this is a proper benchmark of brilliance for what a first-party Switch 2 title should be. The world is your oyster – so why not punch it into pieces.
Donkey Kong Bananza is the perfect launch window title for the Nintendo Switch 2. It highlights the kind of creative whimsy that Nintendo can achieve with its new hardware, demonstrates that the Switch 2 really is more than a slightly bigger Switch… and is just a very fine game on top of all of that. Donkey Kong has finally appeared in a 3D platformer worth a damn.
Following Mario Odyssey is a tall order, and the game should not be solely compared to it, and while this is still a very engaging platformer, it's more surface level than it initially seems.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
A fresh and ambitious 3D platformer that builds on Odyssey's strengths, Donkey Kong Bananza trades tradition for freedom'and mostly succeeds.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
A well-executed and fun proposal that leaves you with a smile on your face and hooks you from start to finish. It has everything it needs to be a fantastic new beginning for a gaming icon that should never be caged again
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Donkey Kong finds a new identity that embraces and rewrites the long legacy of the character, integrating his musical flair and his love for bashing stuff. It's a long, fun game, full of crazy ideas. It may be a bit too easy for veteran players, especially in the first half, but by now we know that's mostly to be expected from Nintendo.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Created by the team that developed Super Mario Odyssey, Donkey Kong Bananza is a celebration of the character, a 3D platformer that finally puts him in the place he deserves. Its colorful and fully modifiable world, its variety of mechanics and its collecting spirit make it a worthy heir to its predecessor.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Donkey Kong Bananza is one of the most unique and immensely enjoyable games that I've ever played. Plus, behind its chaotic open-ended gameplay and incredibly imaginative worlds, you'll find a lot of heart. 🍌
If Super Mario Odyssey were a music album, it would be a top-tier Art Pop record. Donkey Kong Bananza, on the other hand, leans more towards baroque Progressive Rock. The game starts off slowly, but it's a continuous crescendo leading to a masterful finale, with unique, deep, and often brilliant mechanics. It's one of the best 3D platformers ever made - deeply respectful of the character's past, yet entirely forward-looking.
Review in Italian | Read full review
What starts as a straightforward romp quickly reveals itself to be one of Nintendo’s most creative and mechanically playful platformers in a long time. Donkey Kong Bananza's level design is smart, the gameplay mechanics even more so, and the sheer joy of controlled destruction never really gets old. Even with a few performance hiccups and a main campaign that flies by quicker than expected, there’s a ton to dig into here if you’re willing to peel off its many layers (pun very much intended).
Donkey Kong Bananza is a constant series of pleasant surprises and shows exactly what the Switch 2 can handle.
I'm happy to say that Donkey Kong Bananza is here to whisk you off to multilevel worlds of satisfyingly smashing madness, to cheer you up and give you an excuse to punch the heck out of things.
Not only does the game look great and once again shine with a charming and detailed setting, but above all, it's incredibly powerful in terms of gameplay. Even if we could just smash half the world, we'd have tons of fun.
Review in German | Read full review
Donkey Kong Bananza follows the successful formula of Super Mario Odyssey, with great additions like a skill tree, functional customizations, strategic transformations, and intense exploration. It’s liberating to destroy everything in your path, with beautiful and varied layers, charismatic NPCs, and Pauline’s stories that are always worth listening to. The outfits acquired throughout the journey do more than change appearance—they also offer important functionalities like poison resistance, health recovery, and longer transformation durations, which are key to progress. The game can be finished in about 50 hours without feeling tired or bored, and there’s even post-game content. The only downside is the ease of the battles, but everything else makes up for it. Donkey Kong Bananza is a must-have for Switch 2 owners.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Donkey Kong Bananza rightfully stands alongside the great 3D Mario platformers and serves as a flagship title for the new generation of Nintendo's consoles.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
Galaxy moment and one of the best 3D platformers to come out of Nintendo this decade. It is chaotic, random, and at times, one of the weirdest games I have played. But there’s just nothing else like it and I can’t praise this enough. I didn’t think Donkey Kong would ever join the list of one the greatest games ever made but here we are.