Donkey Kong Bananza Preview: Perhaps the most chaotic platformer of all-time

I won't beat around the bush, the recent Nintendo Direct made me immensely excited about Donkey Kong Bananza. The broadcast painted a picture of a game that looked frankly Game of the Year worthy, which is probably why I had a big grin plastered across my face as I moseyed down Windsor's luxurious high street on the way to Nintendo UK headquarters to play three hours of the Switch 2's next big tentpole project.

Before we get into the intricate information, let's do a very brief and basic premise recap. Essentially, at the start of the game we find our hero working as a miner for the Void Corporation, an egotistical and cruel company run by several ruthless Kongs, a situation that soon worsens when Kong finds himself on the wrong end of these tyrants that want nothing more than to take control of the world by reaching the Planet's Core and reaping the one wish reward at its centre. Needless to say, the charismatic ape cannot have that so he begins burrowing deeper and deeper, all with the help of a strange rock that just so happened to be housing a younger version of the songbird Pauline. So, long story short, this is a game about going down, leaving a trail of destruction and carnage in your wake.

The preview session consisted of three core parts. The first was an extended version of the demo our very own David told you all about back in April, a lengthy stint in the Lagoon Layer, a watery and charming sub-level where there were barely any restrictions on how to play. After this came a more complicated and challenging period in the fiery Canyon Layer all before a final and briefer time in the murky and deadly Forest Layer where the most restrictions on play were in place. As for what I mean by restrictions, as you delve deeper into the Planet you will come across harder materials that Donkey Kong simply cannot smash or environmental hazards that must be avoided at all costs like poisonous water. This basically means that where you once could go wherever you want without facing any form of blockade, you soon find levels that are more focussed and structured and that require a bit more brain power to navigate.

And talking about the level design, it's a very traditional Mario 3D platformer with varied and uniquely stylised biomes that are packed with enemies to smash, collectibles to hunt, and a core goal to complete. It's more Super Mario Odyssey-like in this sense, as you head into a level with the intention of meeting an Elder Kong, smashing a deadly drill, or something else massively significant, but along the way you get distracted picking up Bananium Gems that are effectively Bananza's answer to Odyssey's Moons. Where it differs however is that these Bananium Gems aren't typically locked behind doing something special - for example completing a minor side challenge - as rather they are just littered around the world, often deep underground and requiring Kong to smash the levels to bits to find them. The same is said for the Fossils collectible, treasure chests, and the majority of the gold that serves as the main spendable currency.

Now, you will likely have seen gameplay of Kong smashing a level to bits and think that's epic, and it is, but there are a few catches I noticed after a couple of hours. Firstly, the levels aren't completely smashable as there is unbreakable bedrock that cannot be destroyed to ensure that there can still be a core direction for the level to follow. Secondly, so many of the collectibles are hidden underground that there's really no method to the madness of smashing a level to smithereens. Rather you trundle around punching and slamming as Kong, seeing dirt and stone get kicked up, unearthing any hidden treasures that may be left behind. It's absolute chaos and while in the first hour or so it will leave you with a big smile across your face, as you continue onwards, the charm begins to wane as you feel obliged to smash everything in case of missing out on Bananium Gems and Fossils. And you will miss plenty as there are tens of each in every level.

It's worth adding that there are challenge dungeons that are more focussed and offer platforming-centric challenges (sometimes in Donkey Kong Country-like 2D) or combat encounters in reward for Banandium Gems, and these are typically fun breaks from the wider whole, even if they are fleeting and snappy in design. Plus, you might be wondering how the RPG-like ability upgrading systems play into the overall whole. My experience is that they're quite minor and simply serve as an added additional level of player agency, allowing you to give DK more health if combat is proving tough, or more punching power if you want to embrace being an ape excavator.

So yes, the actual core idea of what this game is didn't quite connect with me after three hours as faultlessly as I hoped it would. That's not to say there isn't a lot to love in DK Bananza though. Mechanically and gameplay-wise there is so much depth that you will literally never not be doing some kind of interaction or ability. Whether it's rolling around, throwing materials, gliding on stone, beating up enemies, slamming your hands on the ground to pick up any nearby resources, shattering Kong Corp. protections as Pauline, or even switching to a Bananza form to do some even more bizarre things, there is so much mechanical depth here that you will be frankly shocked at times, more so when you add how you interact and impact the environment too.

But this is just the thing, as at times it can feel like DK Bananza is Nintendo's Tokyo studio simply saying "look what we can mechanically do on the Switch 2!" There's not quite the same excellently paced and structured setup as Odyssey and I can't help but feel as though the novelty of smashing up a level will wane with time. The other quirky features certainly don't do much to change my mindset either, as the co-op system that sees a second player using the mouse controls on a Joy-Con 2 to become Pauline is perhaps the most egregious example of chaos I have ever seen. It's so easy to spam damage and throw items in this mode that the already overwhelming visuals, which chucks effects and splintered environment all over the screen, simply goes to the next level and frankly I can't see many folk sticking with co-op all too long, even youngsters looking to team up with parents. It also reminds me of Gears 5 where the third wheel of a group gets shafted as Jack, a miserable example of cooperative design.

Still, Bananza ran like a charm on a docked Switch 2 at least, with only a few noticeable drops in frames when there were so many particle effects on screen at once that you can lose track of DK anyway. The graphics and visuals were impressive too, serving up a colourful and vibrant game that pushes the boundaries of what the Switch 2 can achieve. And the added touch of having voiced characters is excellent, even if it's basically just Pauline as the rest are apes who struggle to speak in human tongues.

It's also worth noting that while I haven't come away from my time with DK Bananza absolutely blown away, this is still shaping up to be something entertaining and worthwhile for Switch 2 owners to check out. I don't at all envy this game and its challenge of living up to the extreme highs of Odyssey, and while I'm not exactly confident it will, it should still appease plenty of fans and deliver an experience that will lead to far more smiles than frowns.