Earlier today (18 June 2025), we got an in-depth look at the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza for the Nintendo Switch 2 during the game’s very own Direct. And I’ve got to say, any concerns I had after the initial reveal melted (or rather got punched) away. This game looks very much like DK’s version of Odyssey (probably made by the same developers at Nintendo), and in my book, that’s a great thing! Here are 5 things they revealed that we absolutely loved:
1. A young singing Pauline
Yes, ok, so this one had been slightly spoiled by that image Nintendo accidentally released a little early. However, even if you knew she might appear, the fact that she’ll be DK’s sidekick along the whole journey (are we getting a DKxPauline origin story!?) and a little insight into her singing roots makes super excited to find out more!
2. DK’s moveset looks insane!
We’d seen bits of this from the first reveal, but movement in this game looks like it’s going to rival Super Mario Odyssey. From bashing, climbing, rock surfing, swimming, jumps, pounds and even… flying!? As a platforming nerd, this game’s moveset looks incredible.
3. Bananza abilities
Forget Mario’s Cappy captures, thanks to a melody from Pauline and some giant underground animals, DK will have limited time transformations, making him even bashier as a bigger, more brutal Kong, a zippy Zebra and a (don’t think about it for too long) flying Ostrich! Oh, and did we mention that both DK and Pauline will be fully customisable – new outfits, fur colours and a skill tree. Woah – this is ticking all the right boxes!
4. Co-op and Assist Modes
As a Player 1 that lives with a Player 2 that enjoys only the occasional video game journey – the fact that there will be Co-op featuring a word-slinging Pauline powered by Joy-Con mouse controls, game sharing even to a Switch 1 and an optional Assist Mode, accesibility is something I cannot welcome enough.
5. Mad mini-games and… um, sculpting?
And if all that wasn’t enough, we even got a few looks amazing minigames that included 2D sidescrolling sections, timed battles, frantic races featuring some familiar Kong friends and an ‘only-Nintendo-would-think-of-this’ rock statue sculpting mode. I know wacky… and wonderful. And… wait, have we mentioned that the whole game seems filled with enough banana puns to peel any lingering doubts away?
Does that sound like something down your alley? The good news is that it’s now less than a month away from launching exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17th, 2025.
If it’s got you intrigued, be sure to watch the full Direct here:
Have you checked out our Switch 2 and New Pro Controller unboxing video yet? Click here.
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