Vikcen Donkey Kong Bananza Review

This game reminded me of what I felt back in 1997 when I first started playing Super Mario 64 on my Nintendo 64. Right from the beginning, before even entering Peach’s Castle, I was literally mesmerized, just jumping around and running with Mario outside the castle for what was probably an hour. Simply moving Mario felt amazing. That same feeling came back to me with Donkey Kong Bananza, and that’s saying a lot... As soon as I started the game, I spent quite a long time in the starting area without progressing, just messing around with Donkey Kong and smashing everything in sight. It felt incredible to control, giving me those same sensations all over again. Just that alone was already tremendously fun, and once again Nintendo had done it for me, but this time, 30 years later... What came next, just like with that Mario, did not disappoint. It was a wonderful adventure. Of course, they are different games, with different designs and from completely different eras (with Mario I was discovering 3D and the early days of open-world design, being one of its brilliant pioneers), but as I said, just as wonderful in its own way. Pros: - Donkey Kong and Pauline. - The core destruction mechanic, fun, fresh, and original. - Everything related to the Bananzas, and their songs! - The great variety of situations keeps surprising you until the very end, special mention to the fun 2D sections. - The collectathon-style open world design; exploration is very satisfying. - The graphics and animations. Cons: - The bosses, at least the early ones, are overly simple; you expect more depth, such as puzzle elements or multiple phases. Just one recommendation: like with any open-world game, don’t obsess over collecting 100% of everything. Let it flow and do what you truly feel like doing.