I Played Donkey Kong Bananza. It's the Switch 2's Killer Ape

2 days ago 9

You fall out of the sky and find yourself on a day-glo series of underground islands. You have to smash your way through them with your gorilla fists to find secret objects and fossils. Occasionally you can turn into a magic ostrich. Also, a woman named Pauline rides your back and throws words at things.

Donkey Kong Bananza, a game that's only available on Nintendo Switch 2, is the best handheld gaming console's new must-get game. After a few hours of playing it at a Nintendo preview in New York, I'm excited to play more. So is my kid who, after discovering it was an exclusive that's not coming to the original Switch, said "OK, this is what might convince me to get a Switch 2." He never said that with Mario Kart World, Nintendo's other Switch 2 exclusive game.

What I love about Bananza is how vast and new it all feels. I got vibes and styles from all sorts of Nintendo games -- Super Mario Odyssey, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon and even Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom -- but this game's also full of its own styles and surprises that are utterly fresh. This is a big, welcome blast of New Nintendo.

Donkey Kong Bananza comes out July 17 and is available for preorder now for $70.

Playing Donkey Kong Bananza I encountered some familiar formulas. It's a huge 3D platformer, but it has 2D throwback moments, just like Super Mario Odyssey did. The smash-everything gameplay involving digging tunnels and unearthing treasure feels at times like Minecraft, at times like Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's craft-everything freedom. The bright colors and bold characters remind me of Splatoon. The big multi-tier levels I explored -- and tried to find secrets in -- evoked the larger levels in Kirby and the Forgotten Land.

Bananza was actually made by the Mario Odyssey team, and you can tell. This is game's similarly epic-looking, multidimensional and ... musical. The songs occasionally sung by Pauline, your sidekick and friend, feel destined to appear in a future Donkey Kong Bananza animated movie. Odyssey had a lot of music riffs in it, too.

Donkey Kong and Pauline on a mine cart over a desert in Donkey Kong Bananza video game

I didn't get that much time to play. It was just a few hours and they flew. I was torn between freely exploring the huge levels, digging up stuff like fossils, crystal bananas (Banandium gems, which can be collected like many other things) and treasure chests, and finding the hidden bonus challenges. There are more straightforward goals per level, too, with a pop-up 3D map or directional arrow hint to show the way. I needed the help, since these levels can feel pretty gigantic.

I just started to feel like I was getting the hang of all the different game controls, including ripping chunks of rock off cliffs and surfing them, turning into a super-powered Bananza mode to single-punch through metal walls, and climbing all over the place. Getting skill points to add other abilities, and collecting clothing that offers other boosts, just feels like a wild amount of freedom.

Donkey Kong Bananza screenshot showing a 2D side-scrolling level filled with spiky vines.

I also got to try the co-op mode. A second player becomes Pauline, who can shoot solid words made of her voice that can destroy objects and enemies. The controls use the Joy-Con 2 mouse mode, making it feel like a targeting shoot-em-up. Bananza also supports Game Share to stream the co-op mode to another nearby Switch (either another Switch 2 or an original Switch). I want to try this with my family at home, but sadly, there's no deeper co-op here. Consider it sort of like Odyssey's hat-throwing co-op mode, but better.

I've gone back and watched the Nintendo Direct deep dive after my Bananza session, and I want to know more. I'm in. So's my kid. And I'm glad this game is a step into new territory, despite starring old favorite Donkey Kong. The Switch 2 was already excellent but it feels even more vibrant now. With a few more big exclusive games like this, the Switch 2 is going to become a must-get for a lot more people. Actually, that moment might already be here.