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While I surprised even myself with how much I enjoyed Mario Kart World, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on the Nintendo Switch 2 really impressed with its graphics and performance, none of the games I played for the new Nintendo console filled me with as much maniacal glee as Donkey Kong Bananza, a new 3D Donkey Kong title that's all about digging holes and breaking blocks.
This is coming from someone who appreciates a good Donkey Kong game, but isn't an aficionado by any means. I've played my fair share of the Rare-developed games, for example, but I've no strong attachment to the character beyond an undying Smash Bros-affiliated hatred. I was excited to see the announcement, but had no specific emotional attachment to it. It's good that Donkey Kong is getting a new game! But after playing through roughly 20 minutes of Donkey Kong Bananza, it has quickly shot up the list of my most-anticipated upcoming Switch 2 games.
It would be reductive to say that Donkey Kong Bananza is just a Nintendo version of popular hole-digging games like Minecraft, just to name one example, but the influence is fairly clear. The whole premise is based around DK being a miner of sorts that digs up golden bananas (as one does) and other valuables before getting caught up in some kind of scheme from a group called VoidCo.
Digging for gold
Developer: Nintendo
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: July 17, 2025
While my demo only touched on the earliest parts of Donkey Kong Bananza, the emphasis on the destructible environment was immediately clear. Nearly everything in your path can be smashed through by DK, whether that's going down by diving or slapping, up by jumping, to the side by punching, or… you get the idea. There are some materials that are more "sturdy" than others, but even earlier on some of that could be cleared by grabbing explosive rocks and tossing them at the tougher objects and enemies.
In practice, there are clear objectives that might align with a traditional platformer. Get to this place, find this item, traverse this area. But because so much of the game's map can be stomped through in one way or another, I regularly found myself completely ignoring whatever I was supposed to be doing in favor of just digging around to see what I could discover.
It speaks to the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware's performance that I never saw any graphical dips or issues no matter how many blocks I had DK slam through or how fast. Little pieces of the environment absolutely flooded the screen constantly with more being producing constantly, and yet the Switch 2 took it all in stride despite the fact that rendering a bunch of small, destructible objects can be a logistical nightmare and performance bottleneck.
It's worth noting that while the trailers showcase a little purple rock buddy on DK's shoulder, my demo only included that character for a brief period of time and so I'm unable to speak to what it does or exactly how useful it might be. In my case, I was near the end of the demo area and couldn't figure out where I was supposed to go. By holding down a button, musical notes appeared from my pal and guided me in the correct direction, allowing me to pinpoint exactly where a key was and start actively working on getting it.
Despite having a great time with Donkey Kong Bananza, it does stick out a bit from the rest of the Switch 2 Direct reveals. While ostensibly a big first-party release, it's not part of the immediate launch lineup. Looking at it through a different lens, however: maybe Nintendo knows it's good, and releasing a month after the Switch 2 hardware puts it in a strong position to be the first truly new game someone picks up for the console after launch.
Switch 2 Spotlight: Dive deeper into Nintendo's new console
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