Review #034 – Donkey Kong Bananza

It turns out that tasking the Super Mario Odyssey team to develop their own unique take on a fully 3D Donkey Kong platformer is, unsurprisingly, a very good idea. And let me tell you—punching your way through Bananza, creating all sorts of destructive chaos in your wake, is one hell of a good time.

It’s just pure fun—right from intro it has you punching, throwing, and swinging pieces of terrain around like a maniac. I really love how three of the face buttons are just for punching. There’s also various transformations you can unlock, and first is a giant Gorilla ability that just destroys everything more efficiently.

You can see the Odyssey DNA throughout the game, including collecting giant, shiny bananas that act as the moons from Mario. You can also use them to upgrade various jumping and punching abilities, including a whole skill tree—interesting to see in a Nintendo-made platformer. It just rules, and although I do agree that some parts like the boss fights could’ve been better, the vast majority of the game is superb.