Donkey Kong Bananza Review: A Blockbuster for the Whole Family

I’m not gonna lie when I first heard that we wouldn’t get a 3D Mario but instead a 3D Donkey Kong game I felt kinda disappointed. The first gameplay also didn’t really amaze me. It just looked very chaotic and messy. But after playing the game myself those thoughts quickly moved aside and Nintendo once again proved why they are the masters of game design.

Game Design Masterclass

Let’s start with the most obvious strength of Donkey Kong Bananza, its Game design. Nintendo has always been known for trying new things and pushing the boundaries and since Breath of the Wild Nintendo is all about freedom for the player. In many ways, the levels feel like huge sandboxes to explore and the game gives you full freedom to do so. The fact that you can destroy almost everything must have been very challenging for the Devs. You would always expect the game to fall apart but it never does.

DK also knows how to mix up its gameplay. There are tons of secrets to be found, challenge rooms to discover that spice up the gameplay and new mechanics that give you even more freedom. If Nintendo manages one thing with DK then that’s fun every second. No matter if you play for 5 Minutes or 5 Hours. DK Bananza is the definition of a fun video game.

A Story Worth Telling

But the part that surprised me the most is the story. Don’t get me wrong Bananza isn’t a story heavy game like Expedition 33. It’s not about a clever story or mind-bending twists. Instead Bananza focuses on one thing only. The relationship between Pauline and DK. Nintendo achieves that by giving both characters a lot of personality. DK never speaks but his facial expressions say more than a thousand words ever could. Pauline on the other hand is a real star. Her singing and cute voice can be very touching at times. So much so that I even shed a few tears at the very end of our adventure.

The cutscenes are also of high quality. They are never long but always beautiful and action packed. In its best moments DK Bananza reminds me of a high-quality Pixar movie. Last but not least we have to talk about the soundtrack. Bananza music is in many ways the star of the show. It is energetic, cheerful and simply fun to listen to.

An Epic Adventure if Played Correctly

But not everything about Bananza is “perfect”. One of the issues I had is the pacing. If you’re like me and explore heavily at the start, some levels can overstay their welcome. So much so that there was a moment where I lost my momentum with the game and fell off for some time. The second half of the game I instead focused fully on the main path and only did some side stuff here and there. Playing that way the game worked even better for me. I felt constantly surprised and entertained.

The other issue I have with Bananza is that it rarely shows you its full potential. The game gives you so many options for movement and gameplay, but because Nintendo tries to keep the game more on the easier side until the very end the game rarely makes you really combine all of its elements. Near the ending and in the postgame the game has some moments where everything comes together and those were some of the most fun I ever had in a 3D Platformer.

An Epic Ending for a True Masterpiece?

I will not spoil the ending of the game for you. But what I want to say is that Bananza really goes wild in its last 2–3 hours — and I loved it! Every time I thought that must be it the game kept on going and the last Level was just truly epic.

So with all this said, do we Review Donkey Kong Bananza as a Masterpiece? For me personally it’s very close to being one. If Nintendo would have dared to challenge the player a little bit more this could have been the best 3D platformer I’ve ever played. But as it stands it doesn’t fully reach the heights of Mario Odyssey. It’s still an absolute must-play. It’s the definition of a fun video game. In a time where most games are filled with season passes, microtransactions, FOMO, stretched content and empty overworlds, Nintendo manages to show once again what video games should be about: having a damn good and enjoyable time.

Rating: Recommended