Game Information
Game Title: Donkey Kong Bananza
Platforms:
- Nintendo Switch (Jul 17, 2025)
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 91 average - 100% recommended - 29 reviews
Critic Reviews
COGconnected - James Paley - 100 / 100
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Checkpoint Gaming - Luke Mitchell - 9 / 10
Smashing and crashing his way to a new generation, Donkey Kong is well and truly back with Donkey Kong Bananza. Each layer is an absolute joy, with largely destructible environments that are jam-packed with secrets and hidden goodies. It's visually stunning, too; incredibly colourful and a true showcase of what the Switch 2 is capable of, with lots of variety. With so many collectables to find and a lot of nostalgic nods to D.K.'s long history, it's a must-have platformer that nails the brief and lives up to the legacy of Nintendo's greatest hits.
Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - 10 / 10
Donkey Kong Bananza is far deeper than I ever anticipated, and it's absolutely one of this year's best games. There has never been a better Donkey Kong adventure than Bananza.
From start to finish, Donkey Kong Bonanza is a riot. I wrapped up my journey to Bananza's credits in a little over 20 hours. Your mileage will vary wildly depending on how much optional content you decide to invest time in, but that's the beauty of it.
If you're not big on collectathons, there's still plenty of game here for platforming purists to enjoy. I can't recommend enough taking on the various trials – think Shrines from Breath of the Wild – littered throughout the world, though, especially if you're a fan of 2D Donkey Kong.
While performance issues were largely nonexistent in handheld mode, quite severe frame rate drops were commonplace when docked, especially during certain boss battles. This doesn't take into account any day one patches that may or may not arrive on release, and not egregious enough that your enjoyment will be hampered.
Eurogamer.pt - Bruno Galvão - Portuguese - 5 / 5
Donkey Kong Bananza is one of Nintendo's funniest games ever, capable of bringing smiles to children's faces and energizing adults' love of video games. The 3D levels are playgrounds that you can almost completely destroy, in a design that uses simplicity as a launch pad for a huge amount of fun.
GameSpot - Steve Watts - 9 / 10
Donkey Kong Bananza is a raucous, wildly inventive, and propulsive platformer that reboots one of Nintendo's most iconic mascots.
Gfinity - Alister Kennedy - 10 / 10
Donkey Kong Bananza delivers a triumphant return for the ape, offering an open-world, destructive 3D platforming adventure on the Nintendo Switch 2. As a spiritual successor to DK64, it blends nostalgic collectathon mechanics with innovative terrain destruction and new animal transformations, making it a must-buy system seller for the new console.
Glitched Africa - Marco Cocomello - 10 / 10
Galaxy moment and one of the best 3D platformers to come out of Nintendo this decade. It is chaotic, random, and at times, one of the weirdest games I have played. But there’s just nothing else like it and I can’t praise this enough. I didn’t think Donkey Kong would ever join the list of one the greatest games ever made but here we are.
Press Start - James Berich - 10 / 10
With Donkey Kong Bananza, DK is back in a big way. It blends new tech with old-school Nintendo charm for a destructive experience that is both intoxicating and addictive. While Pauline's storyline is underdeveloped, this is easily Donkey Kong at his absolute best. Regardless of some minor blemishes, Donkey Kong Bananza deserves a place in any self-respecting Switch 2 owner's library and, much like Super Mario Odyssey before it, sets an incredibly high bar for all that will follow.
Quest Daily - Mark Santomartino - 9 / 10
Donkey Kong Bananza is an imperfect masterpiece. Its ambition pushes Nintendo’s new console — the Nintendo Switch 2 — up to and beyond its limit; serving as both a technical showcase and a reality check.
Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 8 / 10
Following Mario Odyssey is a tall order, and the game should not be solely compared to it, and while this is still a very engaging platformer, it's more surface level than it initially seems.
Shacknews - Donovan Erskine - 9 / 10
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TheSixthAxis - Stefan L - 8 / 10
Donkey Kong Bananza is an intoxicating cacophony of brawling, digging and platforming. It's a new style of 3D platformer from Nintendo that, for better and for worse, embraces the destructive chaos of letting players tunnel through and deform the world.
Donkey Kong Bananza is a joy to play from start to finish thanks to the game's destructible environments and unique visuals. It's the 3D Donkey Kong game fans of the character have always wanted and it lives up to the hype, even if there are a few minor issues with its camera here and there and far too many Banandium Gems to collect in a single playthrough. $22.79 at Walmart $26.99 at Walmart Check Amazon
Video Chums - A.J. Maciejewski - 9.1 / 10
Donkey Kong Bananza is one of the most unique and immensely enjoyable games that I've ever played. Plus, behind its chaotic open-ended gameplay and incredibly imaginative worlds, you'll find a lot of heart. 🍌
WellPlayed - Ash Wayling - 9.5 / 10
Donkey Kong Bananza is a game so committed to its premise you can't help but revel in the gorgeous, destructive genius of it all. Constantly building to a spectacular finish and incorporating the most comprehensive post-game experience I have seen in a Nintendo game to date, this is a proper benchmark of brilliance for what a first-party Switch 2 title should be.
The world is your oyster – so why not punch it into pieces.
XGN.nl - Luuc ten Velde - Dutch - 9 / 10
While Donkey Kong Bananza has a few frustrating moments, the new 3D adventure with DK and Pauline is a pleasure throughout thanks to fun visuals, colorful worlds and impressive gameplay that has you grinning from ear to ear (almost) every step of the way.
Bethesda