Donkey Kong Bananza: The Perfect Switch 2 Game & Mario Odyssey Successor

July 17, 2025Last Updated: July 17, 2025

2 minutes read

Cranky Kong and a girl squeeze through a narrow gap in a pink and brown landscape.

▼ Summary

– Donkey Kong Bananza is a standout Nintendo Switch 2 title, featuring impressive visuals, expressive animations, and a rewarding destruction system.
– The game offers a vast open world with endless collectibles and secrets, ensuring hours of exploration even after completing the main story.
– While the plot is basic and some story elements feel rushed, charming voice acting and cutscenes keep the experience enjoyable.
– The game includes creative environments and memorable minigames, with destructible terrain and unique transformations adding depth to gameplay.
– Donkey Kong Bananza is a worthy successor to Super Mario Odyssey, showcasing the Switch 2’s capabilities and providing long-lasting entertainment.

Donkey Kong Bananza delivers an unforgettable adventure on Nintendo Switch 2, blending chaotic destruction with vibrant exploration in what could be the console’s strongest launch title yet. This action-packed platformer builds on the legacy of Super Mario Odyssey, offering a sprawling world filled with secrets, dynamic gameplay, and stunning visuals that push the hardware to its limits.

Set beneath the mysterious Ingot Isle, the game transforms what could have been a dull underground setting into a kaleidoscope of imaginative biomes. While familiar themes like icy tundras and toxic jungles appear, Nintendo injects fresh creativity, picture snow-covered hills shaped like melting ice cream or a jungle hideout disguised as a luxury egg-shaped resort. The environments beg to be explored, packed with quirky NPCs and hidden collectibles that reward curiosity.

Destruction takes center stage, with nearly every surface breakable through satisfying punches and ground-shaking attacks. The physics-driven chaos creates endless opportunities, whether tunneling through layers of earth or triggering explosive chain reactions with volatile materials. Collecting Banandium gems becomes an obsession, scattered everywhere from buried treasure troves to precarious ledges. These crystals fuel upgrades, letting players enhance abilities or unlock powerful transformations like a sprinting zebra or a soaring ostrich.

While the story follows a predictable quest to stop the villainous VoidCo mining corporation, the real charm lies in the chemistry between Donkey Kong and his companion, Pauline. Their banter and expressive animations keep cutscenes engaging, even if the plot’s twists feel rushed. Boss battles shine by leveraging the destruction mechanics, though some repeats slightly dull their impact.

Mini-games and challenge levels add variety, from nostalgic 2D throwbacks to frantic combat trials. The clothing system also surprises, with outfits offering stat boosts and customizable perks. Accessibility options, including adjustable difficulty and control schemes, ensure a smooth experience for all players.

For fans of Super Mario Odyssey, this is a must-play, refining that game’s magic with deeper mechanics and a richer world. Despite a thin narrative, Donkey Kong Bananza excels as a technical showcase and a relentlessly fun platformer. If this is a sign of what’s to come, the Nintendo Switch 2’s future looks brighter than ever.

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