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A short demo can show off a game’s main ideas, but a longer session reveals how they work together. After spending two hours with Donkey Kong Bananza, the upcoming 3D platformer for Nintendo Switch 2, its terrain-smashing exploration, collectibles and varied challenge rooms made a stronger impression. The preview covered several distinct layers, a boss encounter and a brief co-op session, while also revealing a performance concern to watch.
Donkey Kong Bananza’s Destruction-Focused Exploration
The session began in the Ingot Isles Mines, a tutorial area that introduces the basics of play. Donkey Kong can smash terrain in different directions, strike the ground to uncover loot and secrets, and collect Banandium Gems and gold. Breaking through the environment is more than a visual effect: it can create new routes and expose hidden items. The impact of DK’s punches also makes destroying walls feel satisfying.
After revisiting the mines, the demo continued into the main adventure. The first area provided room to explore, but the giant Banandium Gem at its end offered a route onward for players ready to move ahead. If you prefer to search carefully, take time to check around destructible surfaces before leaving an area; loot and secrets may be hidden beneath them.
Exploring the Lagoon, Canyon and Forest Layers
The preview included the Lagoon Layer (SL100 and SL101), Canyon Layer (SL300) and Forest Layer (SL-600). In the Lagoon, several pillars had to be destroyed to release water. The water level rose as more pillars were broken, opening access to additional areas. This changing environment recalls the water-level puzzles of Wet-Dry World in Super Mario 64, though here the water rises as part of the pillar objective.
The Lagoon also introduced the Kong Bananza transformation. It temporarily boosts DK’s punching power, letting him break enemies and objects that would otherwise resist his attacks. Each Bananza form has its own vocal track from Pauline, and the transformations are powerful but brief. Consider saving one for obstacles or encounters where its extra strength can make a clear difference.
The Canyon Layer offered more vertical and underground exploration, with different terrain to break apart. Collecting Banandium Gems contributes to milestones that award skill points. These points can improve DK’s health, punch strength and collection radius, unlock abilities, or be spent on Bananza transformation upgrades. Some abilities make use of terrain itself—for example, allowing DK to surf across water on a piece of ground he has pulled free, or slam a carried chunk into the ground after jumping.
A Boss Fight That Rewards Experimentation
The Canyon section ended with a battle against Grumpy Kong, an employee of the VoidCo corporation. He attacks using a multi-terrain golem equipped with a large rock club. During the fight, apples can restore DK’s health. The encounter also encourages players to study what the enemy is made of: softer terrain can be punched through, while rocks pulled from the golem can help break its harder outer material.
Attacking the club is useful as well. Removing pieces over several rounds reduces it to a much less threatening weapon. Once enough of the golem’s armor is gone, a vulnerable point appears on its head, giving DK an opening to finish the fight. When a boss seems resistant to direct attacks, look for destructible parts of its body or equipment that might change the battle.
Forest Hazards and Optional Challenge Rooms
The Forest Layer added a tougher mix of poisonous lakes, thorny plants and more aggressive enemies. Its Ostrich Bananza form lets DK glide for a limited time, although the flight duration felt short during the preview. Skill points can extend that ability, and one upgrade available in the session let DK drop egg bombs while transformed. In hazardous areas, it may help to plan a route before gliding, since the form’s airtime is limited.
Challenge Courses and Battle Courses appeared as separate rooms throughout the explorable layers. Their activities included puzzles, platforming obstacles, timed fights and barrel-blasting sections. Some required careful movement around thorny vines or climbing while avoiding moving walls. Optional tasks and hidden areas in these rooms can reward Banandium Gems, giving players a reason to explore beyond the main objective or return to a course.
2D Platforming and Co-op Play
Some Challenge Courses include 2D sequences. One preview section centered on a winding barrel course that brought to mind the side-scrolling stages of Donkey Kong Country. DK kept his full moveset, including Bananza transformations, and running and jumping in the 2D perspective felt responsive during the brief hands-on test. The sequence suggested that the game’s shift in perspective can support familiar platforming without removing DK’s broader abilities.
Co-op gives the second player control of Pauline’s vocal blasts. These attacks can imitate different terrain, break through walls and defeat enemies. The player can aim with Joy-Con 2 mouse mode, motion controls or traditional gamepad controls. This makes co-op more involved than a mode focused only on occasional assistance, though it still seems especially suited to bringing a less-experienced player into the adventure.
Performance Impressions and Final Thoughts
The main concern during the preview was inconsistent framerate. The game occasionally struggled to keep pace with the on-screen action. The build played may not have been fully optimized, so the session does not establish how the finished release will perform. Even so, performance is worth assessing in the launch version, particularly in a game built around extensive environmental destruction.
Overall, Donkey Kong Bananza showed promise through its layered exploration, destructible environments, transformation abilities and optional challenges. The boss fight rewarded observation, while the 2D sections and co-op offered additional ways to play. The preview lasted only two hours, but it provided plenty of reasons to look forward to exploring more of the game’s biomes with DK and Pauline when it arrives on Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17.
