The big, final reveal in today’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct news was the long-awaited announcement of a new Donkey Kong game in the form of Donkey Kong Bananza.
The game is a particularly colorful take on the Donkey Kong series with what I’ve gotta say is a much more wildly colorful visual style than I’d expect, complete with a new design for the titular gorilla that’s in keeping with his controversial, newer look.
Whatever your feelings about the look, though, the platforming looks sublime. We see DK sprinting through giant, open-ended environments that seem to let you climb pretty much anything and dig through the world almost Minecraft-style. As Switch 2 producer Kouchi Kawamoto says in an official interview, the increased power of Switch 2 is what allows DK Bananza to let you “experience the exhilaration of being able to destroy anything you want in the game without restrictions.”
As the tone of this write-up might indicate, I think it looks great, and it’s all the cooler to see with how long it’s been since DK’s one and only previous 3D platforming adventure in Donkey Kong 64, which launched way back in 1999. Recent years have been pretty dry for any flavor of game starring the character that effectively launched Nintendo’s ascent in the video game world, and seeing him come back for something this prominent in the Switch 2’s early life is very cool to see.
Donkey Kong Bananza launches July 17 on Switch 2. This is just one of many upcoming Switch 2 games detailed today, and it looks like the new console will have no shortage of software in its first year.
