It's been a long while since Nintendo released a new 3D Donkey Kong adventure. The most recent outing for everyone's favorite tie-wearing ape on the Nintendo Switch was a nod back to the Donkey Kong Country series and its 2D gameplay roots. But for as good as those games were on the Switch, many Nintendo fans were craving a 3D platformer in the same spirit as Donkey Kong 64. With a little help from the same team that made Super Mario Odyssey on the Switch, Donkey Kong finally has a brand-new title with Donkey Kong Bananza that takes advantage of everything in the third-dimension, and just smashes it. And not figuratively, he quite literally smashes through everything.

Donkey Kong Bananza doesn't just bring DK back into a similar spotlight to his N64 days, but revitalizes the great ape in a way that makes this new adventure feel like a breath of fresh air. We're still monkeying around and looking for collectibles, just like we used to, but the presentation and wonder of exploration has been greatly enhanced on the Nintendo Switch 2. Everything you could want in a solid 3D platformer is here and given a very nice coat of paint that has Donkey Kong looking his absolute best he's been in years. But there's even more to unearth in this big adventure that will have Switch 2 owners going absolutely bananas for how good it is. DK is here, and he's ready to break through barriers to deliver a very solid experience for Nintendo fans.

Donkey Kong Bananza pricing and availability

As of now, Donkey Kong Bananza is available physically and digitally for the Nintendo Switch 2. Both versions of the game are priced at $69.99 for the console, and can be purchased at stores that carry Nintendo Switch 2 games. The game has a unique amiibo figure that can be found at retail stores, which is priced at $29.99. While the game can use other amiibo figures while playing, the official Donkey Kong Bananza amiibo figure does unlock a few extra in-game rewards for scanning it on the Switch 2.

• Physical and Digital Edition Price: $69.99
• Official amiibo Figure Price: $29.99

New look and new story

Donkey Kong is here

One of the best things about Donkey Kong Bananza is how good it looks on the Nintendo Switch 2, both in docked mode and portable mode. The game runs at a good 60 frames per second, with a few minor dips in the frame rate when the screen gets overly populated and filled with tons of effects. But the game never drops below that, and keeps things running smoothly enough when the action or the tranquility of the moment calls for it. The majority of the time, the colorful visuals of the subterranean environments will pop out and look fantastic. Multiple types of areas, ranging from fields to rocky caverns and fire-filled cliffs, make exploring Donkey Kong Bananza an experience full of eye-candy. It is simply a beautiful game that has a great range of colors and effects that are utilized very well.

However, the star of the show is Donkey Kong himself. Nintendo did a minor redesign of the character in Mario Kart World on the Switch 2, and the same look carries over into Donkey Kong Bananza. DK looks great with his goofy, yet sometimes tough-looking expressions in everything he does. Whether the great ape is smashing the ground or walls around him, or seeing yellow in his eyes at the sight of a banana, Donkey Kong is simply likable and lovable in many ways. His charm is complimented by a young Pauline, who is revealed after an extended prologue to the game. Pauline is the lighthearted little girl lost in the mysterious subterranean world that Donkey Kong finds himself smashing through, so the two of them team up to reach the world's core and get back home. While DK brings the brawn to break everything around him and transform into a powerhouse, Pauline uses her voice to help DK open new areas and remove obstacles throughout their adventure. Seeing the two of them interact together is fun throughout the whole story, with dialogue that can come off as cute and a little funny at times.

Much of the discord is caused by a group called the VoidCo., under the leadership of Void Kong and his minions Poppy Kong and Grumpy Kong. The company is mining out a resource called Banandium, and forcing much of the surface world deep underground from their activities, leading to many big problems for everyone. Before the group can reach the core of the planet, Donkey Kong and Pauline need to do so first and use the power it has to return to the surface world, preventing VoidCo. from proceeding with their plans. However, many twists and turns take the duo deeper into the underground world, and they soon discover things that make a bad situation even worse. As a whole, the story is light enough for everyone to get into, but interesting enough to stick with throughout. It's not a deep plot in comparison to other Nintendo games with a large-scale story, but fun enough to see through to the end.

Smash through everything

DK brought his fists to break everything

The locations within Donkey Kong Bananza are filled with a lot of details, but also have a ton of space to roam through and smash through. Donkey Kong can use his fists to punch through walls, cliffs, the ground, and various structures within each area of the Underground World. Depending on how deep into the planet you go during the story, some surfaces will be tougher to smash through and search for goodies, but finding Banandium Gems hidden throughout each location can help improve DK's abilities and make traversal easier. The more golden bananas you find, the more new abilities and upgrades DK can unlock, making him a smashing machine through some locations. Luckily, the controls are solid and work well enough for most tight situations that Donkey Kong can get around. At some moments, the camera might get too close to DK or positioned behind a wall or surface, making it a little hard to see, but it will immediately be clear if you smash some of the area away and reorient.

Exploring areas for secrets is what everyone will be doing most of the time, which usually involves DK slamming his hands on the ground for a sonar-like sense to find hidden objects. While the objectives for the main story are easy to find thanks to the map that the game has, you might often find yourself going off the path just to hunt for Banandium Gems and other secrets. But in addition to those, other collectibles like fossils, golden nuggets, music tracks, and maps can be found while breaking through solid ground. All of these have some sort of importance to unlocking things, like extra outfits for DK and Pauline, new music to listen to in hideouts you can open up at key locations, and even find extra Banandium Gems. Most of these can be purchased at hub spots within each location, but certain collectibles are exclusive to specific levels. Regardless, there's a ton to find and open up, so it will take some time to gather everything. But the best part is that it doesn't get boring, as there's always something nearby that will pique one's curiosity.

But what about Pauline? Instead of just sitting on DK's back and doing nothing, she helps with the use of her singing voice. This can be used to open locked paths and hidden challenges, point out the main objective and other discovered points of interest, and even help Donkey Kong change into his Bananaza form. This powers him up and changes his appearance, giving DK greater strength and fighting prowess. New forms open up throughout the game as DK and Pauline discover new allies throughout the adventure, which grant even more abilities depending on the subterranean level the two travel down. The Bananza form is helpful when taking out groups of enemies or putting the beatdown on a boss fight, but it can also be a great asset for clearing out obstacles when searching for collectibles. The transformation does require energy to be saved, but it's easily replenished by gathering gold nuggets that drop from everything you smash through, including the ground.

Monkeying around on the side

The extra stuff is good

Gathering Banandium Gems is the main course for Donkey Kong, but there's no shortage of side activities and extras to chew on. Hidden rooms and challenges can be found in every location, which yield more Banandium Gems. Some challenge rooms will require DK to clear out a group of enemies, while others will have the Banandium Gems placed in spots behind obstacles to navigate through, with a few of them hidden off the main path. Completing all of these extra rooms and challenges you find isn't necessary to complete the game, but they definitely make unlocking new skills faster and tackling the tougher battles of the game a bit easier. Having skill points spent on stronger punches to go through harder surfaces easier is very helpful, while other skills make picking up and throwing objects better tools against enemies. Gathering enough Banandium Gems to unlock new skills takes a lot of time, especially when you are trying to find where they're located, but it's well-worth the effort.

As a side activity, Donkey Kong Bananza has an Artist Mode outside the main game. This is a creative mode that lets people paint or create sculptures using the different surfaces found within the game. Things can be simple by painting some pre-made sculptures that the game provides, allowing anyone to jump in and just start coloring. This is how most people will interact with Artist Mode, while more creative players will experiment with what they can make using the game's tools. What's interesting is how the Nintendo Switch 2 JoyCon controllers can be used multiple ways in this mode, including mouse mode to edit things like if they were on a computer. Using the JoyCons like a mouse will make aiming and changing the camera much easier, as well as laying down paint or extra surfaces to tinker with. However, almost all of this won't be utilized by most players, since you have to spend a lot of time within Artist Mode editing things to really see what it has to offer. The mode is not bad by any stretch, but it's definitely not for everyone who will play the main game.

You'll want some more Banandium

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a great hit in its library with Donkey Kong Bananza. The game is fun to play, colorful and visually sweet to look at, and contains a ton of hidden things to discover that will keep anyone busy for a long time. As a big return for Donkey Kong in a solo adventure, things couldn't have gone any better for Nintendo's favorite great ape. The inspiration from past Donkey Kong Country titles is very apparent, including some classic nods that fans will love, and borrowed elements from games like Super Mario Odyssey work to the benefit of the total experience. Very small issues that pop up aside, one can definitively say that Donkey Kong Bananza will be a must-play title for any Switch 2 owners going forward.