Just finished the main story of DK Bananza. As fun as Mario Kart potentially could've been, Bananza was the game that I actually bought my Switch 2 for. From the very first trailer, this game looked like a dream. And even with those expectations going in, and as a huge DK fan, I did not expect the game to go ANYWHERE near as hard as it goes.
This is the Mario Odyssey 2 that I've been waiting almost a decade for. The traversal mechanics are really fun, and the vector destruction / mineral mechanics introduced in each new level are all really interesting and unique, and feel like a natural evolution of the Odyssey format. It feels like the leap between TotK and BotW, but
far smoother than the Ultrahand gameplay was in Tears.
The levels are huge and have such interesting visual design. The visual design in general is remarkable; there is so much love and care put into even the smallest parts of this game. The new enemies and bosses including the wonderfully charming VoidCo crew (I really hope we see them return again!), the different animal societies across the underground, little posters on the walls made for individual rooms in each hub, the golden formations you find thru every level, the fossils you can collect around the whole game. It's all pointed and purposeful in a way that is really new for Nintendo. You can tell the developers really cared about the DK Franchise and it's history, and about world-building in a way that has never been done in a Nintendo game at this scale before.
It takes my favorite aspects of the Mario Sunshine and Odyssey world-building and tunes it so finely. It feels like everything is purposeful; it's so rewarding being a fan of this game willing to look into the little details like the designs of crates or the lore found in tiny bits of dialogue from the funny Rareware rock creatures. I was part of the speculation scene for this game, especially for certain story elements and characters, and the marketing lead-up was perfect in terms of giving us just enough to put pieces together in a way that, again, was just totally satisfying.
There was also like ... a lot of surprisingly solid writing! The plot of this DK game at it's most base layer is still the same "Monkey want banana" as every other DK game (which is usually just fine! But this is so much better), but just like Odyssey, it takes that basic framework and uses it to craft an entirely unique story that shows brand new locations and creatures, while tying together the up-to-this-point disparate parts of the DK franchise; from DK Arcade to Diddy Kong Racing to the Retro Studios' Returns games. There were some legitimate twists and turns that I wasn't expecting, and was entirely amused by! The new characters are also all really charming as mentioned before. Everyone is so expressive and has their own quirks and personal motivations. It ends up feeling a little bit like Donkey Kong: The Last Wish at a certain point haha!
There was a specific subplot thru each level beginning towards the start of the game, that I was really invested in. This subplot, which was told exclusively through what amount to simple signposts in each hub, made me legitimately emotional towards the end of the game! I was really sad for a bit! And as the perfect end to that specific emotional rollercoaster, it turns out to be another bit of clever writing and kind of a gag, leading to an entirely satisfying and joyful payoff. Like I said, it's so rewarding to be a fan of this game.
The soundtrack also lives up to the
very high bar set by prior entries in the DK franchise. I haven't actually been able to see who composed it primarily, but it all feels deeply reminiscient of the classic SNES compositions and modern contributions to games like Returns, Snake Pass, Yooka Laylee by David Wise. There are also a number of subtle and in-your-face leitmotifs for lots of classic songs, and some surprisingly modern ones too; largely allowing the new music to stand on it's own while calling back to the series' legacy in little ways. That's this whole game really!
And without spoilers, this game also sets such an incredibly high-bar in terms of endgame levels, story moments, and boss fights going into the Switch 2 era. That "Break Free" moment in Odyssey was a spectacular and insanely cool moment by itself, and this game blows that moment out of the water entirely. I had to pause the game multiple times to even believe what I was seeing in front of me. If we are not going to actually get an Odyssey 2, then THIS is our Odyssey 2, and I am entirely satisfied with that. I'm overjoyed and thankful that I wasn't spoiled beforehand.
(Well, maybe not entirely. I still want that Odyssey Delfino Plaza world they scrapped!
)
What an incredible game, and it seems like it might have some more post-game content that I haven't even dug into yet. It will likely end up as one of my all-time favorites. Highly recommend to anyone who might be on the fence, or who already owns a Switch 2 this early. This is the console's current killer app, and man, am I happy to say that.