Normally I don’t buy Donkey Kong games, but seeing how well the trailers looked I made it a point to eventually try this one out. Donkey Kong Bananza takes a unique formula to the franchise to create an all new story and a new direction for the gameplay. DK is stuck underground; however, to get back to the surface he has to travel even deeper to the planet core in order to have his wish granted. Along the way he meets Pauline who’s singing has powers that aid him along his quest.

Story wise the intro pretty much says it all. This isn’t a story driven game but it does have a tale to tell. The duo of DK and Pauline is a really unexpected one but it actually works really well. The pair is quite charming and despite DK not able to actually speak it’s a lot of fun watching the two bounce off each other. As you travel deeper underground you have to contend with VoidCo who constantly hinder your progress as they try and beat you to the planet core. As far as villains go it’s three Kongs and two of them are kind of forgettable as they serve as essentially minions that show up every now and then. Their leader Void Kong however makes more of an impact partially because his face is everywhere in the game some kind of trade mark for his evil deeds. Plus every time he appears he’s very animated which helps make him fun to watch. Story wise we get a lot of story towards the last hour or so in the game and that’s very spoiler territory but I will say I was shocked at how engrossed I was with it. I only wish we got more cut scenes as they were pretty few and far between most of the time and the pair was so lovable that I ended up wanting more.

Gameplay is a lot of fun here. The heart and soul of this game is in how it plays. Each sub level of the planet is unique and you have to find a way to make your way pass it to the next level. DK is able to climb, dig and punch his way through most of the terrain which makes traveling interesting. You really have to think differently when playing this game because of it. Most games have you either overcome or go around obstacles to get to the next checkpoint but this game gives you more options. I remember being stuck at one point before realizing I can just dig my way under it. That’s one of the hidden charms this game has to offer.

Other powers are unlocked during the game called Bananza’s. Using the power of Pauline’s singing, DK can transform into various animals each with a unique power. These powers help overcome obstacles, give you additional manners of travel and more. I liked most of these powers but one of them proved to be a bit on the tedious side. Again it’s spoiler territory so I won’t say which one but for the most part I really liked this mechanic a lot.

As you navigate each area you find Banana Gems, there are hundreds of them to find and they are everywhere. I really enjoyed exploring the maps to find these gems as it was always fun when you finally located one. Now the entertainment value of exploration is dependent on how well you liked the map. I think for each gamer that’s going to be a different story as each one is different some I personally loved while others I did not care for. So expect some maps to not really click well with you but overall I loved how they were all designed.

The only real downside, and it’s a nit picky one, that I had with the gameplay was how you advanced in getting through a map. You essentially have a series of checkpoints where you go and talk to someone to unlock the next one. I felt like it was a bit tedious to have to talk to so many people just to move the mission icon to another spot. This got old fast as I wished it would just auto update as soon as you reached it as the conversations you had to switch them rarely had any real value to the game.

So there you have it. DK Bananza is a fun game that offers a lot of exploration, unique gameplay and a surprising charming story. The pair of DK and Pauline is a really good one and overall it’s a really fun game. I did struggle to keep going when I was on maps I didn’t care for as well as those maps felt more tedious but when I was on maps I really liked I couldn’t put the game down. I think it’s well worth the price as you’ll get hours of entertainment on the main game and even more fun exploring and finding the banana gems.