Donkey Kong: Bananza is a great name. Ten out of ten. That’s my only comment.

Jokes aside, Nintendo aired a short direct for Donkey Kong: Bananza yesterday, and it looks incredible.

I have to confess, I was a little disinterested when they announced Bananza during the Switch 2 direct. I did like the look of it, don’t get me wrong, I just didn’t pay it that much attention. Chiefly, I thought it seemed like more of a mid-generation game rather than a launch title (or near-launch title, I guess). I also felt that the early lineup was missing something, like it needed one more massive game to round out the sleight.

That said, I was happy to see Donkey Kong getting more attention. It used to be one of Nintendo’s biggest IPs, but it’s been neglected in recent years. Its last new game was in 2014, and even before that, it wasn’t getting due attention. Being a launch title on Switch 2 is probably the best thing that could happen to the IP and could propel it back to its former levels of popularity, similar to how the Switch 1 launch gave Zelda a huge boost. I’d hazard that this was Nintendo’s intention.

Still, I was way more focused on other stuff, like Mario Kart World.

The Game

I was wrong, and I’m thrilled to admit that I was wrong. The game looks fantastic. It’s a massive 3D platformer, and there haven’t been nearly enough of those recently, so that’s a win on its own. Plus, it’s a Nintendo 3D platformer, so it’s pretty much guaranteed to be perfect. It also has a terrain destruction mechanic, in which Donkey Kong can destroy just about everything, even the ground. It looks really fun.

The enormous levels/areas, meanwhile, with their different themes and unique inhabitants, are giving Mario Odyssey vibes, as are the different costumes. That’s not surprising, it is the same company, but I’m right here for it. Odyssey is an incredible game. It’s a great sign that Bananza is taking inspiration from it. You can also create new rock formations, in addition to destroying them, and there are collectables and platforming missions hidden all over the map.

Also, Donkey Kong can turn into a Zebra. Enough said. A new power-up system will allow DK to transform into a host of different animals with their own abilities. He can become a Zebra, an Ostrich, a slightly bigger Gorilla. The game is shaping up to have a lot of great mechanics. Plus, they’re emphasising the Donkey Kong music (they briefly played the DK Rap), which has always been incredible. The game has a music record collection mechanic.

Pauline

On the point of music, the Direct also revealed the return of Pauline, an aspiring singer, as a major character in the game. The way she stands on DK’s shoulder reminds me of Banjo-Kazooie. The box art has now been updated to reflect this. Her singing ability will be another key mechanic in the game and can be used to unlock stuff. There will also be a multiplayer feature in which a second player uses a Joy-Con in mouse mode to destroy stuff with vocal bursts.

There’s a brief suggestion in the trailer that the game will provide a backstory for New Donk City (the city in Odyssey that Pauline is mayor of). Pauline is a kid in Donkey Kong, so the game is set before Odyssey, and there’s a brief line about an as-yet-unrevealed dream she has, that DK is going to help her achieve. This is probably about becoming a singer, but my fan theory-centred brain has immediately gone “could it be a dream to found New Donk City?” I may soon have to expand my Mario Timeline.

I am a little unsure about why they’ve only just revealed Pauline. In the first trailer and the treehouse presentations, Donkey Kong is accompanied by a talking rock creature. But in the new trailer, the rock cracks open to reveal Pauline. I’ll admit I was confused by this. I initially thought she was trapped inside it (did the rock eat her?), but apparently, she had been turned into the rock creature. Anyway, why would they set up a surprise in one trailer (not mentioning Pauline) only to reveal it in another trailer? Surely, if you want it to be a surprise, you’d save it for the game? I digress.

Mouse Features

There are a few uses for the Joy-Con mouse mode as well. I’ve already mentioned the multiplayer feature, where a mouse is used to fire vocal blasts. Although this doesn’t seem like a particularly significant mechanic. But that’s fine. Nintendo’s 3D platformers often have small multiplayer features, but they’re never substantial. They’re primarily single-player games.

They’ve also added a sculpting tool, which is cool. In the Direct, it seemed reminiscent of the Mario face that you can reshape in Mario 64. That might be because they showed it making a DK face. It’s not part of the main game, though; it’s a side feature instead. It basically lets you sculpt and paint a large block of rock into whatever you want, using the Joy-Con’s mouse feature.

Given this is one of their big launch titles, some implementation of mouse controls was inevitable, and I’m glad they’re doing it this way instead of shoehorning in unavoidable uses of the control scheme (which they’ve done in the past). I think this is a great way to implement and show off the mouse.

Final Thoughts

I could talk about this for ages. The point is, the game looks fantastic and I completely rescind my prior disinterest. There’s no doubt in my mind, as well, that it will be a commercial success. The Switch 2 has already been a commercial triumph. Despite the high price point and the concerns over supply (pre-orders keep selling out), it is now the fastest-selling console launch ever.

Rising prices in the video game industry do generally concern me (I did political economics at university, I worry about stuff like this), I am relieved to see Nintendo’s doing well. There have been times when their survival seemed a little dicey. The Switch 2’s high uptake, combined with the still relatively small number of games, all but guarantees that Donkey Kong: Bananza will do well.

I’m also thrilled that some of Nintendo’s non-Mario IPs are getting a chance to shine. All of this gives me hope that Kirby Air Riders will also do well, despite going up against Mario Kart; I really like the first Kirby Air Ride. I’m hopeful that Metroid will get a huge boost from the Switch 2 edition of Prime 4 as well.

I still think there will be another big game announcement soon. If not this month, then in September. But now that we know more about Donkey Kong: Bananza, and how immense it is, the Switch 2 launch seems a lot more complete in my mind. I no longer think it’s missing ‘one more big game’ as I initially did. This is going to be a pretty great console generation.

-Dexter