Preview: Digging Into Donkey Kong Bananza

When it comes to Donkey Kong games, we tend to get trickier, 2D or 2.5D platformers that often get really punishing! Nintendo is switching things up for the Switch 2 launch however, with the new Donkey Kong Bananza that feels more like an open world adventure along the lines of Super Mario Odyssey. It’s definitely feeling Iike it’ll fill the action-adventure game for all ages for the launch window and, after a brief encounter with it, I saw some rather promising parts. Donkey Kong Bananza begins on Ingot Isle. It’s an island with shocking mines that include Golden Banana gems. It’s attracted all sorts of apes, and Donkey Kong is among them. (He’s rocking a more classic look as well!) He’s fixated on the gems, early on even snagging another monkey miner’s find due to the obsession. However, a group of more malicious simians known as Void Co show up to steal them. With a new ally named Odd Rock on his side, literally since the character is riding on his shoulder, Donkey Kong heads after them. The initial Ingot Isle mines portion of Donkey Kong Bananza is dedicated to setting the stage. We see how Donkey Kong can punch his way through solid rocks to get the Golden Banana gems. (Which he then busts up and eats. Is that healthy? He seems fine!) Approaching NPC monkeys can help provide insights or allow us to talk with them to advance the adventure. Early on, you have an option to turn on tips that include exclamation points guiding you to your next objectives, which will show up over points of interest and help move you forward. It’s in these early spots that we get to see some of Donkey Kong’s new tricks. Though many are old ones being shown in a new type of adventure. His bashing things is one element. His punches can break through walls and help create paths to places in spots. You can do a ground pound on places to flip switches or slap the ground. It’s possible to scale walls and climb up them to reach new places. He’s a versatile ape! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIddsPkdX9U After seeing Void Co’s theft, my Donkey Kong Bananza session took me to another new area called Lagoon Layer. After eavesdropping on some scavenger monkeys in this layer, we learn that we can rip explosive blocks from walls and toss them to defeat enemies or further destroy the environment, perhaps leading to secret areas hiding more items, Golden Banana gems, or fossils that you can trade in later. Most of my time in this area felt like it was trying to introduce this mechanic and offer opportunities to experiment with it. There are multiple walls with visible gold and items embedded in them, providing plenty of opportunity to yank a bomb off a wall and through to collect pieces. One devious enemy features a spiked top, spinning blades that help it fly, and a claw at the bottom that lets it pick up rubble and drop it on your to attack. How do you beat it? Grab a bomb and chuck it! I was also pleased to find a visibly weak wall that could be bombed to access a hidden area, with collectible items and a fossil inside. The main point of this area is to help the monkeys around out and reach a new area by stopping a Void Co block keeping water from draining. A key has to be found to unlock it. That means using bombs to destroy the stony, armored exterior of a large enemy near the lock to reveal the golden skeleton holding a key at the center. Once you break through, it’s easy to bust it up, steal the key, pop it in the lock, and hit it to spin it to advance to the next spot. I was a bit uncertain about Donkey Kong Bananza at first glance, even though I love the new design for the lead. After trying it, it feels like the same sort of bright and colorful adventure as Super Mario Odyssey, with nooks to explore, additional objectives to perhaps undertake as we head to face Void Co, and lots of things to collect. Donkey Kong Bananza feels like it’s his Super Mario Odyssey, and the Switch 2 game is big on busting things up through colorful layers. Donkey Kong Bananza will come to the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17, 2025. The post Preview: Digging Into Donkey Kong Bananza appeared first on Siliconera.

Apr 3, 2025 - 18:34

Preview: Digging Into Donkey Kong Bananza

When it comes to Donkey Kong games, we tend to get trickier, 2D or 2.5D platformers that often get really punishing! Nintendo is switching things up for the Switch 2 launch however, with the new Donkey Kong Bananza that feels more like an open world adventure along the lines of Super Mario Odyssey. It’s definitely feeling Iike it’ll fill the action-adventure game for all ages for the launch window and, after a brief encounter with it, I saw some rather promising parts.

Donkey Kong Bananza begins on Ingot Isle. It’s an island with shocking mines that include Golden Banana gems. It’s attracted all sorts of apes, and Donkey Kong is among them. (He’s rocking a more classic look as well!) He’s fixated on the gems, early on even snagging another monkey miner’s find due to the obsession. However, a group of more malicious simians known as Void Co show up to steal them. With a new ally named Odd Rock on his side, literally since the character is riding on his shoulder, Donkey Kong heads after them.

The initial Ingot Isle mines portion of Donkey Kong Bananza is dedicated to setting the stage. We see how Donkey Kong can punch his way through solid rocks to get the Golden Banana gems. (Which he then busts up and eats. Is that healthy? He seems fine!) Approaching NPC monkeys can help provide insights or allow us to talk with them to advance the adventure. Early on, you have an option to turn on tips that include exclamation points guiding you to your next objectives, which will show up over points of interest and help move you forward.

It’s in these early spots that we get to see some of Donkey Kong’s new tricks. Though many are old ones being shown in a new type of adventure. His bashing things is one element. His punches can break through walls and help create paths to places in spots. You can do a ground pound on places to flip switches or slap the ground. It’s possible to scale walls and climb up them to reach new places. He’s a versatile ape!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIddsPkdX9U

After seeing Void Co’s theft, my Donkey Kong Bananza session took me to another new area called Lagoon Layer. After eavesdropping on some scavenger monkeys in this layer, we learn that we can rip explosive blocks from walls and toss them to defeat enemies or further destroy the environment, perhaps leading to secret areas hiding more items, Golden Banana gems, or fossils that you can trade in later.

Most of my time in this area felt like it was trying to introduce this mechanic and offer opportunities to experiment with it. There are multiple walls with visible gold and items embedded in them, providing plenty of opportunity to yank a bomb off a wall and through to collect pieces. One devious enemy features a spiked top, spinning blades that help it fly, and a claw at the bottom that lets it pick up rubble and drop it on your to attack. How do you beat it? Grab a bomb and chuck it! I was also pleased to find a visibly weak wall that could be bombed to access a hidden area, with collectible items and a fossil inside.

The main point of this area is to help the monkeys around out and reach a new area by stopping a Void Co block keeping water from draining. A key has to be found to unlock it. That means using bombs to destroy the stony, armored exterior of a large enemy near the lock to reveal the golden skeleton holding a key at the center. Once you break through, it’s easy to bust it up, steal the key, pop it in the lock, and hit it to spin it to advance to the next spot.

I was a bit uncertain about Donkey Kong Bananza at first glance, even though I love the new design for the lead. After trying it, it feels like the same sort of bright and colorful adventure as Super Mario Odyssey, with nooks to explore, additional objectives to perhaps undertake as we head to face Void Co, and lots of things to collect. Donkey Kong Bananza feels like it’s his Super Mario Odyssey, and the Switch 2 game is big on busting things up through colorful layers.

Donkey Kong Bananza will come to the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17, 2025.

The post Preview: Digging Into Donkey Kong Bananza appeared first on Siliconera.