Donkey Kong Bananza’s reviews are hot off the presses, and it’s clear that this modern reintroduction of the King-Kong-inspired hero is one for the ages. Indeed,Donkey Kong Bananzahas been raking in stellar review scores, with outlets from across the gaming spectrum praising its creativity, tight platforming, and inventiveness.
Thedevelopment team behindDonkey Kong Bananzais the same one responsible forSuper Mario Odyssey—another critically-acclaimed modern Nintendo platformer.
With such high review scores rolling in, long-timeDonkey Kongfans can breathe a sigh of relief:Donkey Kong Bananzahas seemingly reinvigoratedDonkey Kongfor the modern age.Bananzamarks the first time the titular primate has starred in his own3D platformer sinceDonkey Kong 64, which was released in 1999, suggesting that Nintendo still has big plans for DK and his crew.Donkey Konghas seemingly been on ice for years, kept alive by little more than the occasional remaster or re-release, makingBananzaa monumental release indeed.
10/10
8/10
9/10
7/10
6/10
8.5/10
N/A
SinceDonkey Konghas been more or less absent from contemporary gaming outside remasters and ports, it’s hard to find a lot of review scores from current outlets. That said, the two most recentDonkey Konggames,Tropical FreezeandCountry Returns, which modernize the 2D platforming of olderDKgames likeDonkey Kong Country, were received warmly by critics across the board. The same can be said aboutDonkey Kong 64, the character’s first and (until now) only foray into three dimensions.
But none of these games has been as unanimously praised asDonkey Kong Bananza. Based on the above data, it’s clear thatBananzais a favorite of contemporary critics, as it lacks the more restrained outlier scores observed in the critical reception of its predecessors: no major outlets are givingBananzaa 7/10, like how Eurogamer did forTropical Freeze. Zooming out a bit further, it’s evident thatDonkey Kong Bananzamight just be thebest-receivedDonkey Konggameacross the board, not just when looking at a handful of highly visible reviews.
90
88
87
83
80
78
77
76
Donkey Konga 2
69
At the time of writing,Donkey Kong Bananza’s Metascore sits at 90, tying it withDonkey Kong 64—not bad company, by any means. Metascore doesn’t provide a perfect picture of a game’s critical reception, but it certainly helps gauge the temperature of its launch, as it were, andBananza’s release is red-hot: it beats out almost every other game in its series. The fact that the only otherDonkey Kongentry with a 90 Metascore is a game that is colored by nostalgia, and was revolutionary for its time, says a lot aboutthe quality ofBananza.
Time will tell howDonkey Kong Bananzatruly measures up: opinions on a game can change radically over the years, with one-time phenomena fading into obscurity quicker than expected, but the future seems bright for now. All signs point toBananzabeing a meaningful leap forward for the franchise, and well worth the arduouswait for moreDonkey Kong.
Donkey Kong Bananza
WHERE TO PLAY
The big guy is back! Donkey Kong swings onto the Nintendo Switch 2 system with a brand-new action adventure.Help Donkey Kong make his way through the depths of the Underground World. The deeper he goes, the more amazing places he finds! There’s no shortage of things DK can pulverize with his powerful punches. Break on through this truly destructive adventure.Behold the golden bananas! The mysterious group, known as VoidCo, has its eyes on this prized bunch. But no one messes with DK’s favourite food!Golden bananas? The whole island was buzzing about the discovery of this tasty treasure. But then, distaster struck! During the chaos, VoidCo stole every breathtaking bunch of bananas. Now Donkey Kong must venture deep underground to get them back!
