I’ll be honest, when Nintendo revealed the grand finale of its Switch 2 Direct was a new Donkey Kong game, I felt a little deflated. Where was Mario to help launch the new console? (He’s in Mario Kart World.) And how long has it been now since Nintendo’s last proper 3D Mario game, Super Mario Odyssey? (You don’t want to know, it’ll just make you feel old.)
Thankfully, after playing the opening level of Donkey Kong Bananza, my initial disappointment was quickly shorn away – and instead chiseled into excitement for something that simultaneously feels very new, but also quite Super Mario Odyssey-like.
Nintendo may be back to its usual trick of not wanting to say exactly which development team is behind each of its games (during an interview published this week, the company flat-out refused to reveal to Nintendo Life who was working on Bananza), but Donkey Kong’s new outing certainly has a 3D Mario feel.
Once revealed, the game’s opening area stretches out before you with multiple routes and several different objectives to explore. DK’s jump may not match Nintendo’s mascot, but his loping strides and ability to clamber up any surface faster than Cat Mario means Bananza’s world instantly feels approachable, and full of opportunities. Indeed, numerous mini-objectives will reward you with Golden Bananas, this game’s take on Odyssey’s Power Moons, and DK even pulls a Mario-like pose in celebration as you nab one and the words OH BANANA! appear on screen.