Red Faction Gorilla
The Switch 2 launch has been interesting. I get why Nintendo launched with Mario Kart World. That series is massive, and it would get people to upgrade, but without a traditional platformer at launch, it felt empty to me. Fast forward a month after launch and we are already getting something new from the Mario team, just not a Mario game. Donkey Kong Bananza is a game that will be remembered for a long time to come. The team that built Mario Odyssey has done it again. Every time I booted up this game, I was smiling. It reminds me of a mix of the joy of Red Faction Guerrilla mixed with a classic Nintendo platformer, and it meshes perfectly.
While everyone’s favorite plumber is nowhere to be found, DK Bananza still feels familiar. Of course, players play as Donkey Kong who is just looking for bananas. Early on he meets up with a young Pauline and they continue to push down through the layers of the world, expanding slowly on new mechanics. The idea is that there is an evil corporation causing all this that they must stop, but most importantly collecting bananas. The story is whimsical and fun, and the characters are well done.
MSRP: $69.99
Platforms: Switch
Price I’d Pay: $69.99
Bananza seems like a traditional platformer on the surface, but much like any Nintendo endeavour, there is a gimmick that drives the game play. This time it is destruction. Many games have toyed with this over the years to varying degrees of success. For me, Red Faction Guerrilla lives rent free in my head, and Bananza really feels like the evolution of that. Almost every structure in the game is destructible which leads to some fun game play mechanics. There are of course certain structures that cannot be destroyed, which serve as a base. The game also knows that players are gonna break everything, so each world can be reset at the press of a button.
This works surprisingly well, and I cannot imagine trying to play test this. Much like everyone else, I just destroyed things on a whim. I was looking for hidden items and collectibles and also seeing where the game would let me go. It is amazingly open, and for the most part the console holds up. The frame rate can dip from time to time, but for the most part it holds steady.
Speaking of collectibles, there are multiple to find. There is currency as well as fossils that can be used to unlock new outfits for both DK and Pauline. These do have some status effects, but mostly they are minimal. The main item is golden bananas. These are used to upgrade abilities such as punch power and lengthening certain mechanics. It is a simple tree, but it is fun to upgrade them all.
While the game feels straightforward at the outset, it really opens up once you start unlocking the transformations. I won’t spoil them, but the developers do a great job of tailoring the puzzles and platforming to these power-ups. I really got excited when a new one was introduced as it meant the game was about to throw a curve ball. There are some truly fun ones and going back to previous areas means I can have even more fun. These can also be upgraded in the skill tree, which is nice.
Donkey Kong Bananza excels at what makes Nintendo games so memorable. The minute-to-minute game play is just fun. Every area introduced new ideas, and the playground was a blast to navigate. I had to make sure I could return to areas after completion, otherwise I would have stayed in each one way too long. This is a hefty campaign too, clocking in at around 20 hours with plenty of harder challenges later in the game and post-game. Sadly, though the core experience is a little too easy. I am the type of person that mostly plays on easy, but even this game made me wish it had a higher difficulty.
Also like most Nintendo games, the art direction really excels here. Some people have been disappointed with DK’s new design, but I like it. The characters in the world fit, and the biomes themselves are constantly evolving and always interesting. The framerate does take dips when a lot is onscreen, but it never hindered the game play. The music is also great, with some familiar tunes and new ones that are just as memorable. The DK rap is here too, but sadly no mention of the original artist. Give that man his flowers.
Donkey Kong Bananza should have launched with the Switch 2. This is the first game that has made me super excited to own the console. This is the next great platformer from Nintendo and gives me even more excitement for the next proper Mario game. DK holds his own though and I cannot recommend this enough. If you have a Switch 2, this game should be in your library.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
