Donkey Kong Bananza

Dig, smash, explore

Released on 17 July 2025, Donkey Kong Bananza sends DK and Pauline into a vast underground world made of layers. Almost all the terrain can be destroyed: DK digs tunnels, punches through the floor or tears off chunks of scenery to throw them. Banandium gems unlock skills, and Pauline’s singing triggers Bananza transformations (Kong, zebra, ostrich…). Two players can team up in co-op, and GameShare lets you share a session with another console. The “DK Island & Emerald Rush” add-on is sold separately.

What the press says

Nintendo Life calls it an almighty return to 3D platforming for DK and arguably the Switch 2’s first absolute must-play, with varied, beautifully presented layers, while noting pop-in and frame-rate dips in the busiest areas. GamesRadar+ says it is the best reason yet to own a Switch 2: destruction is as fun as it looks and smart level design keeps it delightful to the end, despite occasional camera and performance trouble and some less exciting transformations. Pocket Tactics calls it a masterpiece that elevates the genre with its near-sandbox approach and buckets of charm, with only slight frame-rate dips.

Platform and price

On 12 November 2026 the French Nintendo eShop lists Donkey Kong Bananza at €69.99. A boxed version exists, but retailer product pages could not be checked for this survey, so no physical price is published here.

Who is it for?

Fans of Mario Odyssey-style 3D platforming who love searching every corner, and families thanks to co-op. Players sensitive to frame-rate drops should know they occur in the most intense moments.

Press average

The score block above shows the press average computed from original reviews of the Switch 2 version, checked on 12 November 2026: Nintendo Life 9/10, GamesRadar+ 4.5/5 and Pocket Tactics 10/10. Each score is converted to /20 and averaged with equal weight. This summary is not a hands-on review.