Even though playing Cyberpunk 2077 on a Nintendo console was a jaw-dropping experience, Donkey Kong Bananza stole the show during my hands-on with the Switch 2.
From the moment I started, it felt like classic Nintendo charm, and I couldn’t help but smile at that adorable, animated little ape.
At first, the mine zone seemed like a cozy tutorial, guiding me through the control setup with ease. It reminded me of Yoshi’s Crafted World or Princess Peach: Showtime: fun and colorful, but not necessarily a blockbuster.
Then I hit the first full area… and my perspective flipped. This could be the boldest move Nintendo’s made in years.
Donkey Kong Bananza Perfectly Captures What the Switch 2 Can Do
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Each level in Donkey Kong Bananza happens to be more than it seems, thanks to its fully destructible environments. I was poking around the surface when I smashed through the ground and landed in a hidden sublevel.
Early on, these are light mazes filled with coins and bananas, but the deeper you get, the more vital and complex they become.
That’s before you even factor in the verticality. With levels designed as rocky islands, and the ability to climb along walls, you’re encouraged to explore in every direction, finding areas that aren’t reachable with standard movement alone.
The game lets you do things like surf on rocks, pull them from walls to hurl as weapons, and dig tunnels beneath lakes to drain them completely.
It’s a masterclass in technical creativity, quite similar to Tears of the Kingdom, but its depth is hard to show off properly without letting players try it for themselves.
It looks quite easy to miss, but if you’re observant, you’ll notice it’s still tucked in. Unfortunately, what remains absent, and consistently so with Nintendo, is the actual name of the developer. That’s a practice I’ve always taken issue with.
It gives rise to an indistinct vision of Nintendo as a goddess-like figure, with only a few familiar humans assisting, creating games that we elevate to divine status.
Uncovering the Developer of Donkey Kong Bananza
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Based on the gameplay feel, graphic style, and the whimsical font used in Donkey Kong Bananza, I’m pretty sure the development was handled by Nintendo EPD.
The group inside Nintendo EPD responsible for Super Mario Odyssey seems likely to be developing this title. Since Mario himself is mostly absent at the Switch 2 debut, aside from his kart racing appearances, it’s safe to say this all-star team is still very much involved.
It feels like a step backward not to highlight that the celebrated team behind the genre’s best game is working on the next installment for upgraded hardware.
For those not aware of Odyssey’s reputation, it’s natural to ask why there isn’t a new Mario title at Switch 2’s release. Explaining that this 3D platformer is made by the same team behind Mario would perfectly answer that.
Thanks to its impressive graphics, the iconic Donkey Kong, and being a flagship game for the Switch 2, Donkey Kong Bananza will likely sell well—tariffs permitting.
Nintendo’s popularity is on par with brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, making you wonder why they even need to advertise.
Well, I find it hard to believe that the team who made the greatest game in the genre only gets acknowledged for their new game after it’s already been played through and their name appears in the credits.
Donkey Kong Bananza
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Also Read: Miyamoto Shares What Prompted Donkey Kong’s Major Visual Update
