Nintendowill officially initiate phase two of itsSwitch 2launch window on Thursday when it releasesDonkey Kong Bananza. If you have been waiting for the next first-party Nintendo game’s reviews to drop before pulling the trigger on a pre-order for the new DK game, I come bearing good news that’s about to make you $70 poorer.
That’s right, surprising absolutely nobody, Donkey Kong Bananza is a very good game. What we’ve been shown of the first 3D Donkey Kong game this century strongly suggested it was going to be great, but as soon asNintendo confirmed Bananza was developed by the same team that made Super Mario Odyssey, we all knew it was in very safe hands.
It’s good, but it’s not quite Odyssey
What is?
Speaking ofOdyssey, despite Bananza’s glowing reviews, it isn’t breathing the same rarified air as the latest 3D Mario game.With a score of 97, making Odyssey one of the highest-rated games of all time, Bananza was never likely to match it. Even if it was just as good, and based on the reviews, it’s a step, albeit a small one, below, there would still be a, perhaps unfair, “well, it’s not Mario, though” cloud hanging over it.
Our very own Stacey Henley had the opportunity to review Bananza,giving it a very solid 4/5. As most will do when they get the chance to play through Bananza this weekend and beyond, our review compares the game to Odyssey, noting that it can’t quite measure because, well, what can? It’s still a solid platformer that’s better than most because it’s Nintendo, and this is what Nintendo does best.
There are a lot of ways I could describe Donkey Kong Bananza. It’s a blast. It’s superb family friendly fun… It’s an extremely enjoyable game. But we’re right back where we started. It’s not Super Mario Odyssey - Stacey Henley, TheGamer
Dexerto also awarded Bananza a 4/5, noting that there’s something for everyone, whether you’re looking for your next collectathon, or even if you’re an old school DK fan who’s skeptical about the leap to 3D. IGN went a step further and believes Bananza is as good as Odyssey,giving the game a perfect scoreand declaring Nintendo’s latest offering a platforming masterpiece.
Even though it hasn’t matched Odyssey, based on its review scores, Bananza is the best Donkey Kong game ever.With a score of91, it has surpassed the series' previous best of 90. The record holder wasDonkey Kong 64. That’s the last and only time before Bananza that Nintendo has ever taken the 3D route with Donkey Kong. Between that and Bananza scoring so highly, I’d imagine we’re going to see a lot more of DK in three dimensions moving forward.
